fred211 --
The answer to your question is that the NFL rules have provided since 1999 that
new balls are to be put into the game in kicking situations. They are
of the same official size and weight as the balls used during the rest
of the game, but they are not "broken in" during the course of
practice or play and thus are stiffer and harder than balls that have
been broken in.
Here's what the NFL's digest of its rules has to say on the subject:
"The home club shall have 36 balls for outdoor games and 24 for indoor
games available for testing with a pressure gauge by the referee two
hours prior to the starting time of the game to meet with League
requirements. Twelve (12) new footballs, sealed in a special box and
shipped by the manufacturer, will be opened in the officials? locker
room two hours prior to the starting time of the game. These balls are
to be specially marked with the letter "k" and used exclusively for
the kicking game."
NFL.com: Digest of Rules
http://ww2.nfl.com/fans/rules/ball.html
The size of the official NFL football is described on the Web site of
its manufacturer:
"Both the NCAA and the NFL footballs have the same specifications. The
specifications of these footballs are: Short Circumference: 20 3/4"-
21 1/4": Long Circumference 27 3/4 "- 28 1/2 "; Weight: approximately
14-15 oz."
Wilson Sports (enter "NFL footballs" in the search box and click on
the second "answer" returned)
http://wilson-sports.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/wilson_sports.cfg/php/enduser/std_alp.php
The genesis of this rule and its perceived effect on the game is
discussed in an August 6, 1999 article at CNN/SI.com. Here are some
especially relevant excerpts, followed by a link to the article:
"This season, whenever a kicker lines up for a field goal, an official
will swap the game ball for a new one that hasn't been thrown, carried
or caught."
"The league wants to prevent any possible tampering with balls,
especially by kickers and punters."
"Previously, . . . [q]uarterbacks were permitted to test the balls on
Friday or Saturday by throwing them. That softened them up and took
the sheen off the leather."
CNN/SI: Kicking Rules
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/news/1999/08/06/kicking_rules/
Finally, a recent posting on the Green Bay Packers' Web site confirms
that the rule is still in effect and is still controversial:
"The stiffer ball -- even harder in cooler temperatures like the
Packers see at Lambeau Field -- reduces its flight compared to a
broken-in ball.
"With the K-ball rule, even the best directional punters in the league
aren't as effective as they would be," said Bidwell, who utilized
directional punting while at the University of Oregon.
"When you factor in kicking balls that we have to kick here in Lambeau
Field with the conditions that we have to kick under, it's really
unrealistic to think that you can directional punt any kind of
consistent way. That's why guys abandon directional punts when they
come to Lambeau Field."
Green Bay Packers: Special Teams Under Spotlight This Weekend (October 8, 2003)
http://www.packers.com/news/stories/2003/10/08/2/
Search Strategy:
I used various Google searches to come up with this information. The
most useful ones were these:
nfl "different ball" kicking
://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=NFL+%22different+ball%22+%22kicking%22+
nfl "kicking balls"
://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&c2coff=1&q=+NFL+%22kicking+balls%22+
I also searched for the wording of the "kicking ball" rule at NFL.com
and for the dimensions of the ball at Wilson's Web site.
I am confident that this is exactly the information you are seeking.
If anything is unclear or if you have any problem with the links,
please ask for clarification before rating this answer.
markj-ga |
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