# Should a Missed Field Goal, Returned for a TD... count as a kick return



## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

On sports radio here in Chicago, today...

One of the topics (Since we have no playoffs to talk about, and they are refusing to look ahead to the Rose Bowl tomorrow).

They are debating if the "stat" rules should change, for kick returns.

Currently it is only Punts, Free-Kicks (after a safety), and Place Kicks... are considered "returnable for a touchtown" in the stat category.

Devin Hester (last year) and another player this year.... returned missed field goals for Touchdowns.... those are not counted in the official stat line for kick returns.

If you include Devin's SuperBowl return (post season) and the field goal... he has 13 returns in 2 years... I think one or two short of the record.

If he stays healthy... pretty much a near given that he will brake it next year, regardless how you count them...

But I was surprised that the field goal is not counted in the stat.


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## kevinwmsn (Aug 19, 2006)

I think a missed FG return should count as a kick return. The opposing team did "kick" the ball. Plus 2 years ago Vasher returned that kick against the 49ers several years ago that is still being showed on the HD displays in stores. I would like to see teams being forced to kick the ball to the players. The kickoffs got more exciting when the moved the kickoff spot from the 35 to the 30 and there were a lot less touchbacks. However the biggest question still remains......

Why do teams still kick to Hester?


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

kevinwmsn said:


> Why do teams still kick to Hester?


Because they have a better chance of stoping the Bears Offense (even at the 40yrd line) then they do the Bears Special Teams and Devin Hester with time to setup.


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## dshu82 (Jul 6, 2007)

When will they learn.... don't kick to Hester!


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## Billsfan69 (Nov 9, 2007)

I learn something new everyday. I always thought that play counted as a kick return. Probably should since the ball was kicked.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

I know 2 things haven't "counted" in the same way for Hester. One was a return in the postseason... the other was the field goal return.

To me if they want to make a distinction between regular season and playoff stats, I'm ok with that since not every team makes it to the playoffs... so I'm fine with those notations. But I fail to see (as the original poster) why the field goal return kickoff shouldn't count the same as the punt and kickoff returns for TD. Those should, in my mind, all count the same.


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## Gonesouth (Dec 26, 2007)

Yes it should count as a kick return.

Did you all see the tounge lashing the Saints coach gave to his punter for kicking to Hester?


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## Tom Robertson (Nov 15, 2005)

Do missed field goals count in the same category as blocked and returned field goals (or something else)? If so, I can live with that, tho I do think Earl's suggestion might be a better one.

If not, then I feel that definitely Earl is correct, the stats make sense to be counted as a kick return and broken out in the same way as kickoff and punt are tracked separately in the details.

Happy New Year!
Tom


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## purtman (Sep 19, 2006)

I'm trying to recall the ruling on those two. I used to do stats for a minor-league football team and we used NFL rules for stats. The interesting stats occur with sacks. A sack only counts against the team passing yards. So if a QB is 12-15 with 177 yards and he gets sacked three times for a loss of 27 yards, he gets credit for 177 passing yards while the team gets credit for 150 yards. The other numbers that people don't realize is that when a player rushes for more a specific yard, he gets credit for the next yard. So a three-yard, two-inch run counts as four yards. However, you do have to do a little fudging. If the first guy rushes for 4 1/2 yards, he gets credit for five yards. If the next guy rushes for a little over five yards but ends up short of the first down, he only gets four yards. If you give both guys credit for five yards, then that gives you 10 yards. However, if you don't have a first down, you can't give them credit for 10 yards. A pain, but that's the way it goes.
I'll have to look up the returns and the blocks. I don't recall what the rules are.


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## premio (Sep 26, 2006)

Totally hijacking a thread here, but for the love of god, kicking a FG should not win in overtime - especially in the playoffs. These guys are kicking almost 60 yards now - so either raise the uprights, or get a new rule!


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## Frank Anchor (Jan 6, 2008)

yes it should count. it is a kick, isnt it?


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## JM Anthony (Nov 16, 2003)

I disagree. The kicking team on a missed field goal isn't set up for a run back. In all of the other instances they are. 

John


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## machavez00 (Nov 2, 2006)

dshu82 said:


> When will they learn.... don't kick to Hester!


Tell me about it I was at the Monday night game when the Cards punted to Hester and he ran it back for a TD. Now I get to see Denny Green in those Coors Light commercials

Steve Breaston is getting to be as dangerous a return man as Hester


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## rlnoonan (Jan 6, 2007)

JM Anthony said:


> I disagree. The kicking team on a missed field goal isn't set up for a run back. In all of the other instances they are.
> 
> John


I was totally on the side of counting the missed FG as a kick return until I read this. Good point.

Being a Bears fan, I'd still like to see Hester get credit for the return since it would give him a tie for the record  . Oh well, hard to imagine he won't break the record next season...


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

JM Anthony said:


> I disagree. The kicking team on a missed field goal isn't set up for a run back. In all of the other instances they are.


That's an interesting point to consider.... but wouldn't that mean the numbers would be skewed in favor of a return always being a score? This kind of return happens so infrequently since long field goals are seldom attempted really... but if there is no setup by the kicking team to cover it, I would think these would almost always result in a score. I haven't seen the stats, so I wonder what the success rate is when missed field goals are returned.


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## vankai (Jan 22, 2007)

HDMe said:


> That's an interesting point to consider.... but wouldn't that mean the numbers would be skewed in favor of a return always being a score? This kind of return happens so infrequently since long field goals are seldom attempted really... but if there is no setup by the kicking team to cover it, I would think these would almost always result in a score. I haven't seen the stats, so I wonder what the success rate is when missed field goals are returned.


Not knowing if this is what y'all mean by no setup by the kicking team to cover it, but the players on the field is different for a field goal attempt than it is for a punt.


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## Frank Anchor (Jan 6, 2008)

JM Anthony said:


> I disagree. The kicking team on a missed field goal isn't set up for a run back. In all of the other instances they are.
> 
> John


Yes but if they see a returner in the end zone, they should expect at least the chance of a run back if the kick is short. The kicking team would also likely be at least 35 yards away from the returner which would give them time to stop the returner. They should have 10 guys (everyone but the kicker) with a shot at stopping the returner.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

vankai said:


> Not knowing if this is what y'all mean by no setup by the kicking team to cover it, but the players on the field is different for a field goal attempt than it is for a punt.


True... but sometimes field goals are blocked as well, and those don't always get returned for TDs... so somehow those guys on the field are able to defend against returns for score most of the time.


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## JM Anthony (Nov 16, 2003)

Sport rules are interesting and I'm sure there's some logic behind this one. In basketball, if I get confused, toss the ball into the opponents' hoop instead of my own and get fouled before the ball grows through the hoop do you think it should count??


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## Mocco71 (Jan 13, 2007)

kevinwmsn said:


> I think a missed FG return should count as a kick return. The opposing team did "kick" the ball. Plus 2 years ago Vasher returned that kick against the 49ers several years ago that is still being showed on the HD displays in stores. I would like to see teams being forced to kick the ball to the players. The kickoffs got more exciting when the moved the kickoff spot from the 35 to the 30 and there were a lot less touchbacks. However the biggest question still remains......
> 
> Why do teams still kick to Hester?


I would have lost a fantasy game this year if it counted the same as a kick return. My league treated it as the same as a blocked field goal returned for a TD and was only 4 points.


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