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YOUR BALANCE
Fair Catch or Run It Out?
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Fair Catch or Run It Out?


Nov 19, 2020, 7:09 PM

One of the most exciting plays in football is the return of a kickoff for a touchdown. particularly if it's one of our players. The current rule which allows the receiving team to opt for a fair catch and begin play on their 25 #### line introduces a factor that can be of tremendous important on the outcome of the game.

I have seen no report of a study that predicts the success of the options that are available. I, like many of you, have observed numerous kickoffs and probably came to the conclusion that the better choice would have been to opt for the fair catch. We saw this several times in the Clemson/Notre Dame game where we chose to run it out and was stopped inside our 15b yard line. The Notre Dame kicker was kicking a high ball that landed near the goal line. The hang time was so long the ND players were able to get downfield and stop our return man long before he reached the 25 yard line.

Without going into great detail and no solid facts to support my conclusions, I offer these suggestions as my personal opinion and leave myself open to your criticism.

1. If the kick goes in the end zone, opt for the fair catch.

2. If the kick is catchable inside the five yard line, opt for the fair catch. Its better to begin play on the 25 yard line than some other place closer to the goal line.

3. If the kickoff is returned, do not run laterally,(unless there is an obvious open lane). run straight ahead.

There are always exceptions and I'll not attempt to elaborate but beginning play on the 25 yard line is always better than starting closer to the goal line.

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Re: Fair Catch or Run It Out?


Nov 19, 2020, 7:11 PM

Just run wide open. All balls and no brains. THAT’S Football ??

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Re: Fair Catch or Run It Out?


Nov 19, 2020, 7:12 PM

Fair Catch generally speaking in today's football!

Only run it out if the opponent made some type of mistake(not in lanes or out kick the coverage). Very few times would the run out be the choice.

Awesome topic for discussion Joe21.

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There isn’t a one size fits all answer to this


Nov 19, 2020, 7:15 PM

It all depends on film study. If your opponents kickoff team is good at covering then I’d take the fair catch. On the flip side, if a team is taking a kickoff against us, I’d return it. Our guys are so accustom to touchbacks that you might surprise a guy or two if you have a kick to return and be able to take advantage of a mental lapse.

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Re: There isn’t a one size fits all answer to this


Nov 19, 2020, 7:23 PM

owensb01® said:

It all depends on film study. If your opponents kickoff team is good at covering then I’d take the fair catch. On the flip side, if a team is taking a kickoff against us, I’d return it. Our guys are so accustom to touchbacks that you might surprise a guy or two if you have a kick to return and be able to take advantage of a mental lapse.




Using your point - have you ever thought about how many times a kid who was ready to be a contributor on defense has stood out on ST 1st. Before these kickers got so good at touchbacks this is where many young players 1st showed what they could do(ST). BT(big toe) is doing a great job for us and I hope he continues doing it. But, I do think you maybe can get soft in your backups because guys never get to "get physical"! I am sure it's made up for in practice!

Being a fan for many years though - I do recall many regular defensive contributors started out by making big plays on kick coverage!

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Tanner Muse comes to mind most recently.


Nov 19, 2020, 9:11 PM

He was a big ST guy. First I remember hearing his name was when he partially blocked a punt against Alabama.

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Re: Fair Catch or Run It Out?


Nov 19, 2020, 7:27 PM

Agree, a long kickoff return is quite possibly the most exciting play. I watched a pro game either Sunday or Monday night and the return man returned his 8th kickoff for a TD. He's 6'+ and weighed approximately 235 lbs.
By no means the fastest man on the field either but nevertheless he tied or broke the record for TD's on a kickoff. It was a work of art, this guy's vision of the field must be exceptional.
IMO, getting the ball at the 25 is a good deal. I'd suggest to take that option unless you're trailing by 2 TD's somewhat late and only a huge return would possibly the opportunity to score twice in the waning minutes.
Always nice to see your post Joe.
God bless sir.

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Re: Fair Catch or Run It Out?


Nov 19, 2020, 7:29 PM

*possibly allow

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Re: Fair Catch or Run It Out?


Nov 19, 2020, 7:33 PM [ in reply to Re: Fair Catch or Run It Out? ]

ZeeGantt® said:

Agree, a long kickoff return is quite possibly the most exciting play. I watched a pro game either Sunday or Monday night and the return man returned his 8th kickoff for a TD. He's 6'+ and weighed approximately 235 lbs.
By no means the fastest man on the field either but nevertheless he tied or broke the record for TD's on a kickoff. It was a work of art, this guy's vision of the field must be exceptional.
IMO, getting the ball at the 25 is a good deal. I'd suggest to take that option unless you're trailing by 2 TD's somewhat late and only a huge return would possibly the opportunity to score twice in the waning minutes.
Always nice to see your post Joe.
God bless sir.




That was Rock Hill, SC native(Northwestern Trojan and Tennessee Volunteer) Cordarrlle Patterson! Patterson is surprisingly fast though! He is a WR but can't quite get thee route concepts well enough to make a name for himself in the passing game. He has found his niche and is now in the NFL history books!

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Re: Fair Catch or Run It Out?


Nov 19, 2020, 8:24 PM

If you fair catch you get it at the 25.

If you don't fair catch and things go poorly, you get it at the 15 most likely.

That's a cost of 10 yards.

What is the value of possibly getting a major return and how often does it happen?

Seems like breaking one occasionally makes up for the occasional loss of 10 yards of starting position.

I'd expect the coaches have a good idea of the likelihood of getting a good return and tell the players when to fair catch and when not to fair catch and if they aren't happy with what happens they can make a change at returner.

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Fair Catch


Nov 19, 2020, 8:40 PM

Unless you have a really good return game you're just risking yardage, turnover, or injury. I'd rather give the offense a chance to do their job. It fails more often than it pays dividends in my experience.

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Re: Fair Catch or Run It Out?


Nov 19, 2020, 8:45 PM

Good question. Here are a few factors to consider.

1. How deep is the kick?
2. What is the hang time on the kick. (A high kick to the 10 should be fair caught, but a low trajectory should be returned. Just an example as to what the player and coaches may be thinking.)
3. How late in the game is it?
4. What is the score? (If it is in the 4th quarter and my team is behind I would be more likely to tell my guy to return it. It is an offensive play. If I'm down by 2 or more scores and need to score quickly, I would be more likely to take my chance with a return. If I'm ahead, I would be far less likely to tell my guy to return it.)

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Re: Fair Catch or Run It Out?


Nov 19, 2020, 9:32 PM

https://youtu.be/6rKYFHRn9Cw

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Re: Fair Catch or Run It Out?


Nov 19, 2020, 9:36 PM

Sorry about that, for some reason the video won't post, or is "unavailable". CJ returning a 95 yd. kick-off for a TD against the Patriots....

Go Tigers!!!

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With the advent of Targeting Penalties/ Concussion protocols


Nov 19, 2020, 9:39 PM

It wouldn't surprise me if Kickoff/punt returns are done away with in the next ten years or so.

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Re: Fair Catch or Run It Out?


Nov 19, 2020, 10:28 PM

Seemed like a few years ago Clemson was fair catching all the time,especially in big games. Depends on the returner and point of game.

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Re: Fair Catch or Run It Out?


Nov 20, 2020, 9:59 AM

Let me get a little outside the box here.

Fair catch everything and spend kickoff practice time on parts of the game with a greater payoff.

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These days i think taking it on the 25 is the best option


Nov 20, 2020, 10:20 AM

the majority of the time. We killed ourselves in the 1st half against ND trying to return them.

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Re: Fair Catch or Run It Out?


Nov 20, 2020, 10:40 AM

Excellent post Joe, but I found 1 mistake that you made.

You should have put #3 in bold and ALL CAPS!

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