Squib kick
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A Squib kick is a term used in American football to describe a short, low, line drive kickoff that usually bounces around on the ground before it can be picked up by a member of the receiving team.
The ball is kicked so short that it forces the receiving team's slower players to recover the ball first instead of their faster kick returner. Secondly, the bouncing ball may be harder for the receiving team to pick up, allowing more time for kicking team members to get downfield to surround the ball carrier.
The Squib kick is a tactic used to prevent a long return, usually at the end of the half. On average the receiving team will gain better field position than it would returning a normal kick. However it is considered worthwhile by the kicking team, as it is more difficult to return for a touchdown. Also it must be returned, which isn't the case on a touchback, and thus it takes time off the clock and often brings the half to an end.
This kick was first used by the San Francisco 49ers during the 1980 season when an injured Ray Wersching miskicked a kickoff. Head coach Bill Walsh turned the mistake into design and used it later in Super Bowl XVI. Wersching kicked a squib kick late in the first half, which resulted in a Bengal turnover that set up a last second field goal.
A squib kick can work against the kicking team, especially if the receiving team is expecting it. Because the kick is so short, the receiving team will usually get good field position, even if there is a minimal gain on the return. And if the receiving player can manage a moderate gain return, the field position can be outstanding. A good example of this occurred in Super Bowl XXXVIII. After scoring a touchdown with less then 30 seconds left in the half, the New England Patriots decided to squib kick their ensuing kickoff to prevent a long return that could get the Carolina Panthers into scoring range. However, Carolina tight end Kris Mangum gave the Panthers great field position by returning the kick 12 yards to their 47-yard line. As a result, the Panthers were able to score a field goal before time in the half expired.
Perhaps the most famous example of a failed squib kick is the controversial last-second kickoff return, nicknamed "The Play", during the November 20, 1982 college football game between the University of California, Berkeley ("California" or "Cal") Golden Bears and their arch-rival, the Stanford Cardinal. With Stanford having taken the lead 20-19 with only seconds remaining in the game, Cal coach Joe Kapp told his players to keep the ball in play after the squib, and to lateral the ball Rugby style if they were in danger of being tackled. What happened next became arguably the most debated and most dissected single play in college football history.
