This could go under suggestions as well, because something should be changed. I noticed in my most recent game after scoring a safety that the opposing team kicked the ball. Following a safety, the team who concedes the points in college and professional football PUNTS the ball on the following play. This results in a high hang time in which the returner rarely gets anywhere, but starts with good field position.

Can this be easily programmed into our game sims? I'm also relatively new in this game, so I don't know if this is already a conversation or if it has been addressed before in some other way.

I believe the actual rule in real life is that the kicking team is given a "free kick", which means they can choose to kick off a tee, or to punt the ball. Most of the time they punt, but not always.

Maybe this could be a configurable option under the MISC section?

I never thought about it (free kick) that way War Eagle. I was always under the impression that they had to punt. With the way the kick off spot has been moved up, wouldn't most teams just tee it up and kick it out of the end zone now?

The free kick after a safety is from the 20, regardless if you kick or punt. If you have someone who can kick it 90 yards, go for it!

I didn't know that was the rule, either. I wonder why everybody chooses to punt? It seems like they'd be worse off.

This kind of reminds me of the rule that PATs also don't have to be kicked from the holder; they can be dropkicked by a punter as well. The Patriots (of course) did it once and they actually scored.

One thing related to this that I've noticed is that there pretty much always seems to be huge returns from the safety kicks in this game. The receiving team takes the ball past the 50 almost every time. I think being able to punt after the saftety could help with this.

I didn't know where to mention this at the time, but here seems a good place. I fielded a safety punt/kick earlier in the season that my receiver caught a yard into my own end zone :-O

Looking at the game log, it says kicked actually, not punted. Also, wasn't wind assisted as there is a cross wind.

http://cust33.myfootballnow.com/watch/1233#221819

Can I just be the first to say, can you pee into this cup please sir?! :-D Some A-Roid stuff going on, that's serious leg!!

In the play above, I gained 39 yards. Not really surprising kicking the ball 81 yards. When my returner catches the ball, there is only 1 guy from the kicking team in my half of the field.