One could also argue that the kicker gains an advantage by kicking it... He can see the flight of the ball and perhaps adjust for wind, footing, etc.

Of course not. It's just something else for the common-taters to get their BVDs in a knot about.

How many teams would even *think* about taking a penalty to ice the kicker on a 50+yd FG attempt? The odds for success are not great in the first place.

Which has never been called in the history of forever.

I do not think I have ever seen a situation where I think that would be warranted in any way.

Peace

It sounds like the rule does it's job... that coaches know that an additional 15 yards can be tacked on and tell their secondaries "just don't grab him and tackle him."

By the same manner, I've never arrived on a field that's been marked using lime, but it's still in the rulesbook.

Of course, this fall I ran full-speed into the back of an assistant coach who was standing on the sideline while I trailed a play, so the rules don't always get well communicated and we get yellow on the field... sometimes the flag literally drops itself.