49'ers coach unaware of what a first down is

We listen to T-Swift on our shopping trips, thank you.

 

I get the logic. But I have to agree with 520 on this one. (Ah that pains me to say)

It's pretty stupid for a coach to say "he got us the first down" in reference to a punt return. Of course you want the PR KR to go as far as possible to shorten the field. But I've never really thought about it in terms of first downs. Getting first downs isn't the objective. The point is to score points.

20 yards isn't 2 first downs. It's 20 yards closer to scoring.

 

You argued it better than @520


P

 

I get both sides, but I've also never linked a 10yard punt return to a first down.

Google First Down reveals this:

Each time the offense gets the ball, it has four downs, or chances, in which to gain 10 yards. If the offensive team successfully moves the ball 10 or more yards, it earns a first down, and another set of four downs. If the offense fails to gain 10 yards, it loses possession of the ball.

Just sayin'.

 

what a thread

 

Not much of an endorsement for my argument, but thanks.

 

Well this is one of the most fail threads I've seen in a while.

 

Every special teams coach in the world says this.

The goal of a punt return is to get one first down worth of yardage.

Pretty sure it's etched in some football coaching stone tablet somewhere.

 

I've NEVER heard "first down" used as a unit of measurement for how far a player got on a kick return/punt return. Maybe its something they teach and say amongst themselves...but I haven't heard it from a coach, player, media, commentator etc.

It's not a bad rule of thumb to get at least 10 yards. That's ten yards you don't have to get later. But it is not a "first down" that you don't have to get.

Is a 25 yard return two and a half first downs?