Coffin Corner (American Football) - Wikipedia

Jump to content

Contents

move to sidebar hide

• (Top)
• 1 References

• Article
• Talk

English

• Read
• Edit
• View history

Tools Tools move to sidebar hide Actions

• Read
• Edit
• View history

General

• What links here
• Related changes
• Upload file
• Permanent link
• Page information
• Cite this page
• Get shortened URL
• Download QR code

Print/export

• Download as PDF
• Printable version

In other projects

• Wikidata item

Appearance move to sidebar hide From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Part of the playing field in American football This article is about American football. For other uses, see Coffin corner (disambiguation).

The coffin corner refers to the corner of the playing field in American football just in front of the end zone, from about the 5-yard line to the goal line, where the punter attempts to place their kick as to minimize the opposing team's field position. A perfect coffin corner kick is one that goes out of bounds just before either orange pylon located in the front of the end zone. The punter tries to place the ball so that it lands out of bounds or is downed on the field by another member of the kicking team anywhere inside the 5-yard line without touching the goal line, thus forcing poor field position for the receiving team on their next offensive series.

The term comes from the "coffin corner" found in Victorian houses (the slang and often refuted term for a decorative niche, or very small "corner", cut into the wall of a staircase landing),[1] as the target area is very small. A high level of skill is required to execute such a punt, for if the kick is slightly too far into the end zone or if a member of the kicking team touches the goal line while maintaining possession of or touching the ball, a touchback is awarded, costing the kicking team the advantage that comes with a successful execution of the kick. If the ball goes out of bounds too far upfield, the receiving team will usually have more options on offense, such as being able to drop back for a pass without fear of possibly giving up a safety.

More often than not, a kicker's attempt to land the ball accurately within the coffin corner fails, as the amount of skill required to angle a kick inside such a small area is extraordinary.[2] In recent years, as punters have become more adept at kicking the ball so as not to have it bounce forward after landing, punting teams have increasingly eschewed coffin corner punts in favor of kicking inbounds and downing the ball before it reaches the end zone.

References

[edit]

1. ^ "Myth # 58: Niches called 'coffin corners' were built into staircases to allow people to carry a casket downstairs and turn the corner". History Myths Debunked. Archived from the original on 13 August 2011. Retrieved 23 July 2011.
2. ^ "Glossary of Football Terms". Active.com. Archived from the original on September 4, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2010. Coffin Corner: Often referred when a punter kicks the ball out of bounds between the opponents' end zone and 5-yard line. It is named "coffin corner" because of the difficulty of the punt and the fact that the offense has to start backed up by its own end zone, which can lead to further problems.

v t e Gridiron football concepts
Codes	American glossary history early modern rules Arena Canadian American–Canadian comparison Burnside rules glossary 6-man 7-man 8-man 9-man Flag Powderpuff Street Touch Wheelchair List of rules
Levels of play	Youth AYF Pop Warner High school College club sprint Professional Women's International
Field	Lines Field goal range Line of scrimmage Yard lines end line goal line hash marks sidelines Spaces Coffin corner Dead zone End zone Flat Gap Hole Neutral zone Pocket Red zone
Scoring	Touchdown One-point conversion Two-point conversion Field goal Safety Single (rouge)
Ball handling	Drop kick Drop-back pass Forward pass Hail Mary pass Hand-off Incomplete pass Kickoff onside kick Lateral pass Punt touchback Rush Snap
Turnovers	Fumble Interception Muffed punt Peanut Punch Turnover on downs
Downs	First down Three-and-out Fourth down conversion Dead ball
Play clock	Clock management Garbage time Kneel Running out the clock Spike Time warnings 3 min 2 min 1 min Timeout Untimed play
Statistics	All-purpose yardage Carry Completion Next Gen Stats Pass deflected Passer rating Passing yards Receiving yards Reception Return yards Rushing yards Sack Total offense Total quarterback rating Touchdown pass Yards after catch Yards from scrimmage
Practice	Film session Oklahoma drill Practice squad Three-cone drill Two-a-days
Officiating	Chain crew Instant replay Official American Canadian Penalty Penalty flag
Related	Ball Blocking Coaching tree Concussions Equipment Football IQ Formations list Gatorade shower Overtime Plays Positions Running up the score Strategy Touchdown celebration Tuck rule Trading card Twelfth man

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Coffin_corner_(American_football)&oldid=1328483230" Category:

• American football terminology

Hidden categories:

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata

Search Search Toggle the table of contents Coffin corner (American football) Add languages Add topic