Punt out

[ChrisBabcock]

I'm currently reading "The Sunday Game" by Keith McClellan and came across and interesting rule from the pre-APFA/NFL days that I've never heard of before. Instead of attempting an extra point from where the ball crossed the goal line for the touchdown (which may be from a bad angle) the team had the option to "punt out" of the end zone. From what I understand the TD scoring team would drop kick the extra point from wherever on the field that punt out was caught. The one thing I can't determine, even after a search on the interwebs, is this... Was the extra point then kicked in a new play from scrimmage? Or did it have to be kicked within the same play immediately after the punt out was received?

[Bob Gill]

I think it had to be dropkicked as soon as it was caught. And beyond that, I believe I've read somewhere that the opposing team lined up at the goal line, and as soon as somebody caught they punt they could all run at him and try to block the kick. Sounds like it must have been pretty tough to get a successful conversion under those circumstances.

[TanksAndSpartans]

Wasn't it also possible to lose the chance to even try the kick if the punt out was dropped?

[Bob Gill]

Wasn't it also possible to lose the chance to even try the kick if the punt out was dropped?

Yeah, I think that's right. I think that's what the newspapers of the time meant when they said, "The punt-out failed." In other words, the guy didn't catch it and so there wasn't any kick.