Thread: Motion picture
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Old Tue Jul 26, 2016, 03:29pm
Robert Goodman Robert Goodman is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tryadllc View Post
I don't want the other team to know that I am setting up for a field goal, hence I want to make the play look as though it is a pass play that turns into a drop kick. Is this a legal play in hs football? Drop kicks (through the goal posts) in hs football are 2 points - right?
By now you already know it's 3 points, but as a coach, I'd just point out that for competitive purposes, that'd be really dumb. The standard tactics used for a field goal attempt are among the few in football such that it doesn't matter what the other team knows, it's still the best way to do it.

There are lots of plays that are best achieved if you don't "show" them. An attempt at goal is not among them. The defense is already aware that a play from the usual formation won't necessarily be such an attempt, but nothing the offense could conceivably do to deceive the defense will increase their chance of success if the defense wants to stop it. Any other way of doing it is harder to execute, while not making it commensurately harder for the opponents to prevent.

Teams may line up in a spread formation to place kick, or to drop kick, adding multiple additional threats, but they'll still "show field goal". There'll still be players positioned to execute the kick at the snap, because whether you have blockers forming a pocket for it, or receivers spread wide to distract the defense, snapping the ball to a place-kick holder or a drop-kicker and doing the kick immediately is going to be much easier to do, and harder for the defense to stop, than simulating a scramble play.

Maybe the situation is not actually a competitive one. Maybe the team trying such a thing is already far ahead in the score, and want to fool around by doing something hard. Or maybe they're hopelessly behind, and it's the last play and they want to show off something or allow a player to do something that player wouldn't ordinarily get into the game for. Then, and only then, might they execute a play of the type you're contemplating. If they were actually trying to win, it'd be nuts.
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