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Platapus · 08-02-08, 10:36 AM

The current version of American football agrees with your statement. These days the ball is advanced down field through running or passing - with a dearth of using the foot.

But when the game was in its early years (late 1800's to about the late 1920's) there were two primary ways of advancing the ball down field. The first was the run which has stayed pretty much the same to current times.

The other was kicking the ball. The Drop-kick was the primary way of moving the ball down field for long distances. This should not be confused with the term Drop-goal which is scoring a field goal using the drop kick technique. Many football references use the two terms as being the same but in actuality they are similar but different.

The forward pass was not legal in football until the 1906 rules. Even then, the Drop-Kick continued to be the preferred way to move the ball down field.

As the forward pass became more accepted, the ball was physically modified, in the 1930's, to make it easier and more stable for throwing. These modifications greatly hindered the ability of any of the backs to Drop-kick the ball. So more and more backs moved to passing vs kicking the ball.

The forward pass is vastly more accurate than the Drop-Kick.

This is why the game was called Football -- there was a lot more kicking, with the foot, in the early years.

The Drop-goal is still a legal way of scoring in Football albeit rarely used.

Any idea when the last time a Drop-goal was scored in the NFL?

08-02-08, 10:36 AM	#6
Platapus Fleet Admiral Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 19,360 Downloads: 63 Uploads: 0	The current version of American football agrees with your statement. These days the ball is advanced down field through running or passing - with a dearth of using the foot. But when the game was in its early years (late 1800's to about the late 1920's) there were two primary ways of advancing the ball down field. The first was the run which has stayed pretty much the same to current times. The other was kicking the ball. The Drop-kick was the primary way of moving the ball down field for long distances. This should not be confused with the term Drop-goal which is scoring a field goal using the drop kick technique. Many football references use the two terms as being the same but in actuality they are similar but different. The forward pass was not legal in football until the 1906 rules. Even then, the Drop-Kick continued to be the preferred way to move the ball down field. As the forward pass became more accepted, the ball was physically modified, in the 1930's, to make it easier and more stable for throwing. These modifications greatly hindered the ability of any of the backs to Drop-kick the ball. So more and more backs moved to passing vs kicking the ball. The forward pass is vastly more accurate than the Drop-Kick. This is why the game was called Football -- there was a lot more kicking, with the foot, in the early years. The Drop-goal is still a legal way of scoring in Football albeit rarely used. Any idea when the last time a Drop-goal was scored in the NFL? __________________ abusus non tollit usum - A right should NOT be withheld from people on the basis that some tend to abuse that right.