Has anybody ever faked going for it then punted?

The defense thread got me thinking..... Has anybody ever faked going for it and then punted instead.

Here is how I envision it working. You would need a FB that can punt.

4 and short, the regular offense goes in. Lines up in the shotgun, with the FB behind and slight to the right or left of the QB. Center snaps the ball to the FB. Who boots it as far as possible down the middle of the field.

Why not just use a regular punting team? Well, if the defense is not expecting a punt on 4th and 5 they are going to be expecting either a short pass or run. The idea here is the ball would sail over the safeties head resulting in a punt that has zero run back.

Thoughts? Am I nuts? As anybody already tried this?

Sure. Elway was a master at that type of play with his pooch punts, pinning the opponent inside the 20.

Brady has pooch-punted before. An FB like Lo Neal punting would be hilarious.

Happens fairly often. It is called the pooch punt.

The Pats have successfully done it with both Vinateri and Tom Brady doing the punting in the BB era.

jmt57 said:

Sure. Elway was a master at that type of play with his pooch punts, pinning the opponent inside the 20.

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I thought about that in the SB on our 4th down.

Can happen does...at the right moment..pooch punting..GREAT startegy..

Tom Brady did this in a 12/03 home game vs. Miami, which pinned the Dolphins back inside their five-yard line. It turned out to be a great decision as soon after Tedy Bruschi picked off a pass and waltzed into the end zone to seal a game which clinched the division for the Pats.

I vaguely recall the Pats pooch-punting against the Jets in '94. They lined up for a long FG attempt, snapped it directly to Bahr who pinned them down inside their 5. That next set of downs the Pats had a pick 6 to seal the game. Can anyone help fill in the holes in my story?

Coast2CoastPatsFan said:

Tom Brady did this in a 12/03 home game vs. Miami, which pinned the Dolphins back inside their five-yard line. It turned out to be a great decision as soon after Tedy Bruschi picked off a pass and waltzed into the end zone to seal a game which clinched the division for the Pats.

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If you watch the '03 America's Game there's a great little feature on that play, complete with footage of them practicing it and Brady screaming "I'm the best punter on this team!" and a cut to Rodney just shaking his head.

I would have loved to see Ironhead Heyward try a punt in his heyday!

Not common, but not real unusual either.

I imagine if Tom Tupa and Tommy Yewcic (both good backup QBs and punters) had been slightly better, we would have seen many pooch punts/fake kicks.

See "quick kick".

jmt57 said:

Sure. Elway was a master at that type of play with his pooch punts, pinning the opponent inside the 20.

Click to expand...

Randall Cunningham used to do it on third down when he was with the Eagles on a super long 3rd and forever. Without a return man there, it could roll and roll. He once kicked a 91 yarder versus the Giants (wind helps)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=OQKHOMHKT00

Patsfanin Philly said:

Randall Cunningham used to do it on third down when he was with the Eagles on a super long 3rd and forever. Without a return man there, it could roll and roll. He once kicked a 91 yarder versus the Giants (wind helps)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=OQKHOMHKT00

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Yep, we used to do this in high school, usually a great way to change field position when you're 3rd and long deep in your own end, since no returner will be back there to get it. You just have to have a QB who knows how to kick it so it rolls (and get it off quickly).

dhamz said:

Happens fairly often. It is called the pooch punt.

The Pats have successfully done it with both Vinateri and Tom Brady doing the punting in the BB era.

Click to expand...

video clip?

PatsFan24 said:

video clip?

Click to expand...

2003 America's Game.

dhamz said:

Happens fairly often. It is called the pooch punt.

The Pats have successfully done it with both Vinateri and Tom Brady doing the punting in the BB era.

Click to expand...

.

AV did it against JAX during a playoff game in 2006. The funny thing was that he practiced the punt during warmups....something I'd never seen him do before.

I believe it was Randal Cunningham who faked a play on 3rd down and punted the ball 80 yards.

It could have been 4th, it was a long time ago.

Keegs said:

I believe it was Randal Cunningham who faked a play on 3rd down and punted the ball 80 yards.

It could have been 4th, it was a long time ago.

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It was in '94 against the Cowboys and 3rd down. The Birds were leading 7-0 and Cunningham pinned them to the 16 yard line (punting from the endzone). Anyway the Cowboys immediately marched 84 yards and scored.

It's also called a "quick kick".

Besides Elway and Cunningham, Boomer Esiason also made several quick kicks for the Bengals. I think he had punted in high school and was pretty good at it.

What made it cool, a couple of times he did it in Sam Wyche's no-huddle offense, so they stayed at the line faking going for it on 4th, then Boomer dropped back to shotgun and punted, and because of the no-huddle there was no return team in, so his low liner just rolled and rolled.

Way back when, the Dallas Cowboys qb (I think it was Danny White) was the teams punter. Often he would either fake punt or fake pass.