Squib kick
Encyclopedia
A squib kick is a term used in American football
meaning a short, low, line drive kickoff
that usually bounces around on the ground before it can be picked up by a member of the receiving team. The ball is kicked so short that it forces the receiving team's slower players to recover the ball first instead of their faster kick returner. Secondly, the bouncing ball may be harder for the receiving team to pick up, allowing more time for kicking team members to get downfield to surround the ball carrier.
during the 1981 season
. On opening day, an injured Ray Wersching
miskicked a kickoff at the Pontiac Silverdome
against the Detroit Lions
. The hard Astroturf
surface of the Silverdome saw the spheroid-shaped football bounce oddly, sporadically, and was noticeably difficult for the receiving team to field. Its characteristics were that of an onside kick
. Head coach Bill Walsh turned the mistake into design and used it later in Super Bowl XVI
, also held at the Silverdome. Wersching made two squib kicks late in the first half. The first pinned the Bengals
deep in their own territory, and after forcing a punt, the resulting good field position led to a 49ers field goal. Moments later, as time was running out in the half, Wersching made a second squib kick, and this time the Bengals muffed the ball, and the 49ers recovered. As time expired in the half, 49ers scored a last-second field goal
.
Bill Walsh credits Mike Squib for creating the squib kick. He observed Squib kick the ball short at a local high school football game at Palo Alto High School. Menlo-Atherton went onto win thanks to the heroics of Squib, a former JV soccer player was later recruited to play for North Dakota State where he went onto to get injured in his first game for the Fighting Sioux. Squib currently works as a kicking consultant for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League.
, and thus it takes time off the clock and often brings the half to an end.
A squib kick can work against the kicking team, especially if the receiving team is expecting it. Because the kick is so short, the receiving team will usually get good field position, even if there is a minimal gain on the return. And if the receiving player can manage a moderate gain return, the field position can be outstanding. A good example of this occurred on October 12, 2008, when Chicago Bears
head coach Lovie Smith
decided to squib a kick with 11 seconds to go vs. the Atlanta Falcons
and the Bears up 1. The Falcons got the ball at their own 45, and after a pass play, they kicked a 48-yard field goal
to win with no time left. A few weeks later, in a Monday Night Football
game vs. the Green Bay Packers
, Lovie again ordered a squib kick after the Bears had tied the game with 3:11 left in regulation. Following the squib kick, and a return, and an unnecessary roughness
penalty on Adrian Peterson, the Packers had the ball at the Bears 35. Fortunately for Lovie Smith, the Bears defense shut down the Packers, Alex Brown blocked the field goal attempt and sent the game into overtime, where the Bears would win.
", during the November 20, 1982 college football game between the University of California, Berkeley
("California" or "Cal") Golden Bears
and their arch-rival, the Stanford Cardinal
. Stanford took the lead 20-19 with only four seconds remaining in the game. Anticipating a squib kick, Cal coach Joe Kapp
sent his onsides return team into the game. The players recovered the ball and lateraled it five times — two of them controversial – to score a touchdown to win the game.
In Super Bowl XLI
, the Indianapolis Colts
decided to squib kick five of six subsequent kickoffs after Devin Hester
of the Chicago Bears
returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown. The Colts ended up winning 29-17. In Super Bowl XXXVII
, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
used the squib kick on all of kickoffs against the Oakland Raiders
, ending up in an overwhelming win for Tampa Bay.
In the Central European Championship, 2007, the assistant coach of the Budapest Wolves, William Goldenberg, called a squib kick within the last few minutes of the 4th quarter versus the Belgrad Vukovi. This controversial kick was returned and eventually led to the Vukovi winning within the last minute of the game.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
meaning a short, low, line drive kickoff
Kickoff (American football)
A kickoff is a method of starting a drive in American football and Canadian football. Typically, a kickoff consists of one team – the "kicking team" – kicking the ball to the opposing team – the "receiving team"...
that usually bounces around on the ground before it can be picked up by a member of the receiving team. The ball is kicked so short that it forces the receiving team's slower players to recover the ball first instead of their faster kick returner. Secondly, the bouncing ball may be harder for the receiving team to pick up, allowing more time for kicking team members to get downfield to surround the ball carrier.
History
The first recognized use of this by design in modern play was by the San Francisco 49ersSan Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
during the 1981 season
1981 NFL season
The 1981 NFL season was the 62nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XVI when the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals.-Major rule changes:...
. On opening day, an injured Ray Wersching
Ray Wersching
Raimund "Ray" Wersching is an Austrian former placekicker in the National Football League . He played in the NFL for a span of 15 years, stretching from 1973 through 1987.-NFL career:...
miskicked a kickoff at the Pontiac Silverdome
Pontiac Silverdome
The Silverdome is a domed stadium located in the city of Pontiac, Michigan, USA, which sits on . It was the largest stadium in the National Football League until FedEx Field in suburban Washington, D.C...
against the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
. The hard Astroturf
AstroTurf
AstroTurf is a brand of artificial turf. Although the term is a registered trademark, it is sometimes used as a generic description of any kind of artificial turf. The original AstroTurf product was a short pile synthetic turf while the current products incorporate modern features such as...
surface of the Silverdome saw the spheroid-shaped football bounce oddly, sporadically, and was noticeably difficult for the receiving team to field. Its characteristics were that of an onside kick
Onside kick
In American and Canadian football, an onside kick is a type of kick used at a kickoff or other free kick, or scrimmage kick or other kick during play, in which the ball is kicked favorably for the kicking team to avoid giving away the ball...
. Head coach Bill Walsh turned the mistake into design and used it later in Super Bowl XVI
Super Bowl XVI
Super Bowl XVI was an American football game played on January 24, 1982, at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan to decide the National Football League champion following the 1981 regular season. It marked the first time that a Super Bowl was held at a cold-weather city...
, also held at the Silverdome. Wersching made two squib kicks late in the first half. The first pinned the Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
deep in their own territory, and after forcing a punt, the resulting good field position led to a 49ers field goal. Moments later, as time was running out in the half, Wersching made a second squib kick, and this time the Bengals muffed the ball, and the 49ers recovered. As time expired in the half, 49ers scored a last-second field goal
Field goal (football)
A field goal in American football and Canadian football is a goal that may be scored during general play . Field goals may be scored by a placekick or the now practically extinct drop kick.The drop kick fell out of favor in 1934 when the shape of the ball was changed...
.
Bill Walsh credits Mike Squib for creating the squib kick. He observed Squib kick the ball short at a local high school football game at Palo Alto High School. Menlo-Atherton went onto win thanks to the heroics of Squib, a former JV soccer player was later recruited to play for North Dakota State where he went onto to get injured in his first game for the Fighting Sioux. Squib currently works as a kicking consultant for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League.
Strategy
The Squib kick is a tactic used to prevent a long return, usually at the end of the half. On average the receiving team will gain better field position than it would returning a normal kick. However it is considered worthwhile by the kicking team, as it is more difficult to return for a touchdown. Also it must be returned, which isn't the case on a touchbackTouchback
In American football, a touchback is a ruling which is made and signaled by an official when the ball becomes dead behind or above a goal line and the team who is attacking that goal line is responsible for the ball being there. Responsibility is determined by which team gave the ball the impetus...
, and thus it takes time off the clock and often brings the half to an end.
A squib kick can work against the kicking team, especially if the receiving team is expecting it. Because the kick is so short, the receiving team will usually get good field position, even if there is a minimal gain on the return. And if the receiving player can manage a moderate gain return, the field position can be outstanding. A good example of this occurred on October 12, 2008, when Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
head coach Lovie Smith
Lovie Smith
Lovie Lee Smith is the head coach of the Chicago Bears professional football team of the NFL. Smith has been to the Super Bowl twice, as the defensive coordinator for the 2001 Saint Louis Rams and as the head coach for the Chicago Bears in 2006....
decided to squib a kick with 11 seconds to go vs. the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and the Bears up 1. The Falcons got the ball at their own 45, and after a pass play, they kicked a 48-yard field goal
Field goal (football)
A field goal in American football and Canadian football is a goal that may be scored during general play . Field goals may be scored by a placekick or the now practically extinct drop kick.The drop kick fell out of favor in 1934 when the shape of the ball was changed...
to win with no time left. A few weeks later, in a Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
game vs. the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
, Lovie again ordered a squib kick after the Bears had tied the game with 3:11 left in regulation. Following the squib kick, and a return, and an unnecessary roughness
Penalty (American football)
In American football and Canadian football, a penalty is a sanction called against a team for a violation of the rules, called a foul. Officials initially signal penalties by tossing a bright yellow or orange colored "penalty flag" onto the field toward or at the spot of a foul...
penalty on Adrian Peterson, the Packers had the ball at the Bears 35. Fortunately for Lovie Smith, the Bears defense shut down the Packers, Alex Brown blocked the field goal attempt and sent the game into overtime, where the Bears would win.
Famous examples
Perhaps the most famous example of a squib kick is the controversial last-second kickoff return, nicknamed "The PlayThe Play
The Play refers to a last-second kickoff return during a college football game between the and the Stanford University Cardinal on Saturday, November 20, 1982...
", during the November 20, 1982 college football game between the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
("California" or "Cal") Golden Bears
California Golden Bears
The California Golden Bears is the nickname used for 29 varsity athletic programs and various club teams of the University of California, Berkeley...
and their arch-rival, the Stanford Cardinal
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. Stanford took the lead 20-19 with only four seconds remaining in the game. Anticipating a squib kick, Cal coach Joe Kapp
Joe Kapp
Joseph Robert Kapp is a former professional American and Canadian football quarterback. He is also a former college football head coach of the University of California, and a former general manager of the CFL's BC Lions. Kapp played primarily with the NFL's Minnesota Vikings and the CFL's BC Lions...
sent his onsides return team into the game. The players recovered the ball and lateraled it five times — two of them controversial – to score a touchdown to win the game.
In Super Bowl XLI
Super Bowl XLI
Super Bowl XLI was an American football game that featured the American Football Conference champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference champion Chicago Bears to decide the National Football League champion for the 2006 season...
, the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
decided to squib kick five of six subsequent kickoffs after Devin Hester
Devin Hester
Devin Hester is an American football wide receiver and return specialist for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League . He played college football at the University of Miami, where he became the first person in the university’s recent history to play in all three phases of American football...
of the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown. The Colts ended up winning 29-17. In Super Bowl XXXVII
Super Bowl XXXVII
Super Bowl XXXVII was an American football game played on January 26, 2003 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 2002 regular season...
, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
used the squib kick on all of kickoffs against the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, ending up in an overwhelming win for Tampa Bay.
In the Central European Championship, 2007, the assistant coach of the Budapest Wolves, William Goldenberg, called a squib kick within the last few minutes of the 4th quarter versus the Belgrad Vukovi. This controversial kick was returned and eventually led to the Vukovi winning within the last minute of the game.