A team that never punts rarely has to worry about knowing when to go for it. Coaches don’t have to try to guess when to go for it. The offense goes for first down, which can lead to a touchdown or lead to a turnover on downs. Never punting makes the game easier in the long run. Here’s why. The San Francisco 49ers never punted. They never punted and were successful.
Kelley’s teams rarely punted
Before he became head football coach at Pulaski High School, Kelley realized that the traditional way of playing football would not produce the kind of results he was seeking. His philosophy was that a team cannot achieve their full potential if it plays football like everyone else. Kelley is a self-described “numbers guy,” and his early career included studying accounting and briefly considering a career in finance. He was inspired to try a different approach to football when he encountered a report written by a Harvard professor who analyzed thousands of games and found that teams were wasting valuable time by punting.
His teams won nine state titles as a head coach, but the team he led was often undermanned. The game was dominated by college prospects, and his team was nearly always undermanned compared to its opponents. In 1989, his team won its fourth straight Arkansas state championship with four players weighing more than 200 pounds. But his offensive lineman was a master. Those two players are the keys to Kelley’s success.
As the head coach of Pulaski Academy, Kelley’s strategy of trying to force turnovers has benefited the school’s football program tremendously. His teams rarely punt, and when they do, they almost always try to recover onside kicks. The onside kick averages around twenty percent, and it can change the course of a game. Kelley’s teams rarely punt, so his methods have paid off.
While he wasn’t naturally risk-taking, Kelley’s approach to life reminded him of Rick Barry, who shot ninety-nine percent of his free throws. In eight years in the NBA, Kelley’s teams rarely punted. Because they were never overpowered by a rival, they were able to withstand the pressure and turn their advantage in their favor. Kelley’s philosophy inspired many young people to take risks and make their dreams come true.
Despite his lone season at Presbyterian, Kelley built a reputation as the “Coach Who Never Punts.” His legendary coaching style earned him nine state championships at Pulaski Academy in Little Rock before he took the position at Presbyterian. Kelley’s teams rarely punted, often attempting to score on two-point conversions or onside kicks when they were within three touchdowns.
Pulaski’s offense follows a touchdown by attempting an onside kick
One of the most unique aspects of Pulaski’s offense is that it almost always tries an onside kick after scoring a touchdown. This is a unique tactic that has helped the school achieve an outstanding 10-0 record. The goal is to gain a strategic advantage that allows the team to score immediately on the next play. The offense practices onside kicks every day and knows which players have a special knack for coming up with the ball. It also knows which plays to run in order to maximize the outcome of the onside recovery. The high school teams are trained in this particular skill but crammed with the work during the season.
The math is impressive. It’s hard to believe, but in theory, Pulaski’s offense follows a touchdown by attempting an onside kick. If the team was playing like it was down ten points with 90 seconds left, they wouldn’t be attempting an onside kick. That’s because their offense has been trained to play in chaos, so that every time they score, they get the ball back in their own territory. The defense has to figure out what they did to score – and how to stop it.
The Pulaski Academy offense follows a touchdown by attempting an “onside kick.” This unconventional tactic is the way to get the ball back in the offensive end and gain an extra 14 yards in field position. It is similar to a traditional punt, but instead of a traditional return to the 33-yard line, the opponent will recover an onside kick. In the last decade, the Academy has recovered an onside kick 14 times. In the same span, they have lost 10 of their games without converting on an onside kick.
An onside kick has a low success rate, but is a risky, high reward play. Many teams will attempt this play later in the game when time is running out. This plays best when the score is close or when there is very little time left on the clock. The success rate is about 80%. This tactic is not as common as it was before.
The San Francisco 49ers never punted
In two games last season, the San Francisco Niners never punted, and their offense was on a roll. They had never punted in a playoff game, but it still seems like they should have. The offense was averaging a little more than 35 yards per play, and the 49ers rarely played aggressively on fourth down. But, the 49ers still won, and the win isn’t indicative of bad coaching.
In the NFC Divisional Round game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, the 49ers made history by blocking a Packers’ 4th-and-18 punt and returning it for a touchdown. It was the first blocked punt return in 49ers playoff history, and the defense forced the Packers to punt on 4th-and-16. Despite their win, they haven’t punted a single play since 1993.
The first drive of the game ended in the 49ers’ first touchdown. After a blocked punt by Packers kicker Corey Bojorquez, Jordan Willis burst through the Packers’ line and knocked the ball out of the Packers’ end zone. But that wasn’t the only problem for the Packers’ special teams that night. The 49ers defense also had several key turnovers. Despite the numerous missed field goals, the 49ers still had to settle for a field goal.
The game ended in a tense finish. The 49ers were behind 10-7, but scored in the final minutes of the game with a blocked punt. The 49ers drove 36 yards in eight plays to take a three-point lead at halftime. Los Angeles’ Matt Gay missed a 54-yard field-goal attempt, and San Francisco held on for the win. The 49ers have never punted since, and their defense has never been more vulnerable.
With the Rams tied, the 49ers are back in the playoff race. The Niners are 3-2, and the Packers are on a bye. Green Bay has started to snow. Jimmy G is averaging three-of-nine for 43 yards. Adam Jones has a TD catch, but he’s only been on the field for three games. This means the Niners need to make big special teams plays.
The odds of a team turning the ball over on downs are skewed by not punting
If a team does not punt, the odds of a turnover on downs are skewed because of the short yardage situation in the opponent’s territory. A team that does not punt is more likely to be forced to either fumble or throw an interception on the next play. Using these statistics to make an informed decision regarding whether to punt or not is vital to winning the game.
Whether to punt or not can have an effect on a team’s scoring chances. NFL players score on average about one out of five times without punting. However, a team doesn’t need to go for it five times before scoring. Not punting can lead to an extra score in games where a team has been favored by its opponent.
When a team fails to punt on fourth down, the odds of a team turning the ball over are much higher. A failed punt will result in an extra two points. The odds of a team turning the ball over on downs are skewed if a team does not punt. The reason for this is because a team that fails to punt has a higher scoring average per turnover than a team that does.
A team that doesn’t punt is also more likely to score on the next drive. This can be detrimental because short drives hurt the opponent more than the average scoring probability. Similarly, stopping an opponent decreases the probability that the opponent will score on the next drive. This feedback loop goes on until a team scores or turns the ball over.
