Question: If someone is trying an extreme field goal. Say 60+ yards. Can the Defense set someone at the goal post and try to block it at that point like Kareem? Rocket River Yes this is random
Nope, Goaltending is illegal in the NFL. From the 2020 NFL Rulebook: A.R. 12.102 GOALTENDING Fourth-and-10 on B30. On an attempted field goal by A2 from the B38, B3 stands under the goal post and jumps above the crossbar and deflects (or catches) the kick so that it does not cross the crossbar. The attempt would have been successful. Ruling:Option for Team A: Three points awarded to Team A and Kickoff A35; or first-and-10 on B15. Palpably unfair act. (12-3-1-t)Note:If the field goal had been successful despite B3’s action, it is still a foul if B3 touched the ball; the field goal would count, and A would kick off from the 50, or Team A could elect to take the points off the board, and it would be A 1-10-B15. If there was no contact with the ball, it is not a foul. I remember reading about this happening before it was illegal, maybe back in the '50's or 60's.
I've often wondered why a team doesn't keep 1 guy on their roster like say a Manute Bol. Someone 7'4''-7'7'' and then just line them up on field goals and xp's. If you could block 1 a game that would justify a roster spot and at least a 3-5mil per year salary. Is there some rule against it? I know I read that in MLB it's illegal to have a "little person" on your team just to try and coax a pinch-hit walk because of his microscopic strike zone. (And please no Altuve jokes!)
So, I went and looked it up...the story I remember reading was actually from the early '70's. Hank Stram and the Chiefs drafted a 6'10" former basketball player and TE out of Clark Atlanta University in the third round of the 1970 draft named Morris Stroud. On FG attempts Stroud would stand under the goalposts and try and block kicks. He was never successful, but the NFL eventually had enough of it and put in the "Stroud Rule". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morris_Stroud
Thanks for the look-up but that doesn't answer MY question. I'm not talking about about lining someone up at the crossbar, I'm talking about at the L.O.S. like everyone else does. Look Manute Bol had somewhere around a 10'5'' standing reach. That's almost 10.5 feet BEFORE jumping off the ground. If you have even a 24"-30" vertical (Bol only weighed app. 200 lbs coming in to the NBA) that means you can get your hands close to 13 feet in the air at the LOS. How many kicks (fg/xp's) do YOU think someone like that could block and/or affect? Quite a lot imho. A comp today would be Taco Fall. 7'6''-7'7'' 10.2.5 sr. According to the official measurements on NBA.com, Fall stands 7-7 in shoes and has a 8-2.25 wingspan and 10-2.5 standing reach. That's an eye-popping reach considering that NBA rims are 10 feet off the ground. Fall's numbers break all official records. They even approach the unofficial measurements of former Bullet Manute Bol, who is said to have possessed a 8-6 wingspan and 10-5 standing reach. But Fall and Bol are very different in terms of bulk. Bol weighed in around 200 pounds at the start of his NBA career. By contrast, Fall weighed in at 288.8 pounds at the combine. https://www.nbcsports.com/washingto...records-measures-manute-bol-nba-draft-combine
This week Viking's legend Matt Blair passed away. He was 6'-5" and had 20 career blocked kicked. Part of what he did was that he would jump on the backs of his teammates to get extra height. The NFL passed the "Blair Rule" to stop that and since then no player's come close to that number of blocked kicks.
I think it's a give and take. Sure, you could find someone that's 7'5'' or whatever, and by the nature of them being so tall, they'll weight 200+ lbs. But a special teams offensive lineman can easily move a Tacko Fall or a Bol Bol out of the way, so that their height doesn't remotely factor into a FG block. So if you're Fall or Bol when the ball is snapped, you have two options. 1) Try to push the lineman back when the ball is snapped, so that you get better positioning to raise your arms to block. This isn't going to happen, since you're not going to out-muscle a lineman in the NFL. 2) Just raise your arms by the time the kicker kicks since you're so tall. This isn't plausible, since you're going to get pushed off the LoS by whatever lineman is assigned to you. tl;dr? Unless you're a 7'6'' dude who's as strong as a lineman with a ridiculous wingspan, you're most likely not going to be able to block a FG, despite your height.
Yes I realize both of those things. I'm not talking about either one. Not jumping on the back of another player (illegal) and not playing right on the line of scrimmage (leverage issues). I mean to have him play just off the line of scrimmage. You see a lot of players stay back at the snap for a split second and then run to the line right behind the d-line and jump up at the kick. That's what I would have my tall guy do. Play right behind the NG/DT and then at the snap just take one step forward and jump straight up in the air. He should be able to get his hands around 12.5'-13' in the air. It can be done!
