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NFL Rules, 1960s


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I'm watching an NFL Films special on the 1960 Philadelphia Eagles. Back then, until 1974, the goal posts were placed on the goal line.

After a touchdown, where was the ball placed for the try? If it was still on the 3, a 10 yard field goal seems real close. Could the teams go for 2 back then? It's one thing to go for 2 from only 3 yards out, but it's gotta be harder if they're going from the 8 or 13 yard line.

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It was placed on the 12. When the goalposts were moved to the back of the endzone, to maintain the same distance for Extra Points, the ball was moved up to the 2.

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It was placed on the 12. When the goalposts were moved to the back of the endzone, to maintain the same distance for Extra Points, the ball was moved up to the 2.

Technically, you can put it anywhere from the 2 on back.

1. After a touchdown, the scoring team is allowed a try during one scrimmage down. The ball may be spotted anywhere between the inbounds lines, two or more yards from the goal line. The successful conversion counts one point by kick; two points for a successful conversion by touchdown; or one point for a safety.

Those last 6 words have me a little confused, though. How in the world would a safety be scored on a point after try? Especially considering the two rules after this one.

2. The defensive team never can score on a try. As soon as defense gets possession or the kick is blocked or a touchdown is not scored, the try is over.

4. Only the fumbling player can recover and advance a fumble during a try.

Before anyone asks, rule 3 has to do with infractions during the try.

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It was placed on the 12. When the goalposts were moved to the back of the endzone, to maintain the same distance for Extra Points, the ball was moved up to the 2.

No, extra points were always from the 2 yard line. And there were no two-point conversions in the NFL, only in the AFL.

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The two-point conversion rule was not adopted by the NFL until 1994. If you ran into the end zone or completed a pass in the endzone on the conversion before 1994, it counted just one point.

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Stop calling it a try!

This is about american football! Try is a verb, not a noun.

(or an intransitive adverb, or whatever. You get my point.) :P

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Stop calling it a try!

This is about american football! Try is a verb, not a noun.

(or an intransitive adverb, or whatever. You get my point.) :P

It's in the NFL rules that way. Sorry. :grin:

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I haven't seen any older highlights of the PAT. It must be awkward to kick a 10-yard field goal, assuming the ball was placed at the 3. The ball would have to be kicked high immediately upon contact. And was it placed at the 2 until the goalposts were moved back?

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The clock was kept on the field until the merger year of 1970.

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Considering that most of the kickers before 1970 were straight-on kickers (and usually a player who also played a regular position, not a specialist), the closer the better. They did kick PATs from about the 9 or 10 yard line after the ball was snapped from the 2.

Considering that the ball was placed in the middle of the field, it was probably tougher to miss since you would really have to shank one to have a kick go that far off line in that short a distance. As far as having to get them up in the air sooner, you still have to clear the defensive linemen who were rushing from the same distance they are rushing from today. I think they probably can jump higher today than they could in the 50's, 60's or early 70's, so you probably need to elevate the ball quicker now than back then.

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Stop calling it a try!

This is about american football! Try is a verb, not a noun. 

(or an intransitive adverb, or whatever. You get my point.)  :P

It's in the NFL rules that way. Sorry. :grin:

Try is a noun too, just not as common that way--

From Merriam Webster's online Dictionary-

Main Entry: 2try

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural tries

1 : an experimental trial : ATTEMPT

2 : a play in rugby that is similar to a touchdown in football, scores usually five points, and entitles the scoring side to attempt a placekick at the goal for additional points; also : the score made on a try

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Okay, JQK, here's the proof:

NFL Chronology: 1961-1970

Scroll down to "1970", read it and weep, my friend. BTW, if the stadium clock has a malfunction, the time is kept on the field as a back-up.

"I better go take a long walk off a short pier or something."

Some people on this bolard have told me to do just that.

My "Ron Mexico" alias is "Jon Tobago".

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1. After a touchdown, the scoring team is allowed a try during one scrimmage down. The ball may be spotted anywhere between the inbounds lines, two or more yards from the goal line. The successful conversion counts one point by kick; two points for a successful conversion by touchdown; or one point for a safety.

Those last 6 words have me a little confused, though. How in the world would a safety be scored on a point after try? Especially considering the two rules after this one.

2. The defensive team never can score on a try. As soon as defense gets possession or the kick is blocked or a touchdown is not scored, the try is over.

4. Only the fumbling player can recover and advance a fumble during a try.

Before anyone asks, rule 3 has to do with infractions during the try.

Here's how the kicking team scores a one point safety on an extra point attempt in the NFL (paraphrased from an "Ask the Ref" feature with Jerry Markbreit in the Chicago Tribune):

The kicking team attempts to advance the ball into the end zone, either running or passing.

The kicking team fumbles the ball.

The ball touches a member of the defending team, after which it bounds backward into and then out of the end zone.

Safety, worth one point for the kicking team.

If the defending team gains possession of the ball, the play is immediately dead, regardless of what would happen after that point.

It's where I sit.

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1. After a touchdown, the scoring team is allowed a try during one scrimmage down. The ball may be spotted anywhere between the inbounds lines, two or more yards from the goal line. The successful conversion counts one point by kick; two points for a successful conversion by touchdown; or one point for a safety.

Those last 6 words have me a little confused, though. How in the world would a safety be scored on a point after try? Especially considering the two rules after this one.

2. The defensive team never can score on a try. As soon as defense gets possession or the kick is blocked or a touchdown is not scored, the try is over.

4. Only the fumbling player can recover and advance a fumble during a try.

Before anyone asks, rule 3 has to do with infractions during the try.

Here's how the kicking team scores a one point safety on an extra point attempt in the NFL (paraphrased from an "Ask the Ref" feature with Jerry Markbreit in the Chicago Tribune):

The kicking team attempts to advance the ball into the end zone, either running or passing.

The kicking team fumbles the ball.

The ball touches a member of the defending team, after which it bounds backward into and then out of the end zone.

Safety, worth one point for the kicking team.

If the defending team gains possession of the ball, the play is immediately dead, regardless of what would happen after that point.

They don't get the ball back after that kind of safety do they? That would be super cheap.

Thanks for the info by the way.

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Okay, JQK, here's the proof:

NFL Chronology: 1961-1970

Scroll down to "1970", read it and weep, my friend. BTW, if the stadium clock has a malfunction, the time is kept on the field as a back-up.

Didn't he just say that?

Also what does the clock have to do with point after attempts?

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I don't know where the clock part came from. My question only dealt with PAT attempts from about 10 yards out. And if the ball has always been placed on the 3, or it used to be on the 2 and moved back.

Straight-ahead kickers might have had an advantage over soccer-style, probably because the kick would get off quicker.

My description of the kick being higher early goes like this...

at the kick, with the goalposts on the endline, you have about a 20-yard field goal, assuming it's 7 yards back from the line of scrimmage. Back then, with the goalposts on the goal line for a 10 yard field goal, the kicker would have to get under the ball a little more, because there's not much distance in the trajectory as there is in a 20-yard field goal [gradual lift instead of immediate lift]. maybe there was a greater possibility of the kicker popping the ball up, I don't know.

Then again, I guess the difference in trajectories is minimal, definitely not as much as if it were a 45+ yard field goal.

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My description of the kick being higher early goes like this...

at the kick, with the goalposts on the endline, you have about a 20-yard field goal, assuming it's 7 yards back from the line of scrimmage. Back then, with the goalposts on the goal line for a 10 yard field goal, the kicker would have to get under the ball a little more, because there's not much distance in the trajectory as there is in a 20-yard field goal [gradual lift instead of immediate lift]. maybe there was a greater possibility of the kicker popping the ball up, I don't know.

Then again, I guess the difference in trajectories is minimal, definitely not as much as if it were a 45+ yard field goal.

My point is, it doesn't matter if the goal posts are 10 yards away or 20 yards away - the defensive line is 7 yards away in both scenarios and they jump as high if not higher than the 10-foot height of the crossbar. A kicker doesn't need the extra 10 yards to get the ball high enough to get over the crossbar. If he can't get it above 10 feet high in the first 6 or 7 yards, it is going to get blocked.

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