Clarification of what makes a kicker a kicker...

[sloth]

I attended the Northern Kentucky clinic this spring. Julian Tackett was working with the white hats. As a memember of the Federation Rules Committee he was able to add some perspective as for the rules changes for 2006. One of these is 2-30-8. The change defines what makes a player a kicker..."A player becomes a kicker when his knee, lower leg or foot makes contact with the ball". Part of the discussion centered around how this was in response to the growing numbers of rugby style kickers. The thought being that a rugby kicker can scramble and then kick the ball on a dime and as such in the past, be afforded an unfair amount of protection from persuing defenders.

The main point that I got in my notes, and what my question to y'all is, is that kickers are to be treated like passers. There are cases when a passer just barely gets the ball away before being hit by defenders, and roughing is not called (when its judged that the contact was unavoidable). If this is extended ro kickers, it drastically changes how we protect the kicker.

I think in the past, a rugby style kicker was treated like a passer, by scrambeling he was treated different than a traditional drop back kicker. The understanding that I got from Julian was that a kicker is a kicker. Rugby style or not and that if the contact was deemed unavoidale by the white hat, you hold your flag; even if the ball got away clean un untouched by the defender.

I brought this up at the Indy Clinic today, but recieved no clarification. So I turn to the hive mind here to see what y'all think

sloth