RACKERS BOTCHES FAIR CATCH KICK

There’s an obscure football rule that allows a team to attempt a free kick after a fair catch, and quick-thinking Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt invoked that rule at the end of the first half today against the Giants. It started with the Giants getting the ball at their own 9-yard line with 24 seconds left in the second quarter. Giants quarterback Eli Manning took a knee and the Giants prepared to head to the locker room, but the Cardinals used their first timeout, forcing the Giants to keep running offensive plays. When the Giants then ran the ball up the middle twice and the Cardinals used two more timeouts, the Giants were forced to punt from their own 9-yard line. Cardinals return man Steve Breaston fair caught the punt at the Arizona 42-yard line with five seconds left, and then Whisenhunt sent kicker Neil Rackers out. Unfortunately, Rackers badly missed his 68-yard attempt with one of the ugliest shanks you’ll ever see. Giants return man Reuben Droughns picked the ball up at the 2-yard line and ran it 29 yards before he was tackled, ending the first half. A week after Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb revealed a stunning degree of ignorance in admitting that he didn’t know NFL games could end in a tie, it would be interesting to know how many NFL players were aware of the fair catch kick rule. In any event, it was cool just to witness an attempt at a fair catch kick, which hasn’t been done successfully since 1968, when Bears kicker Mac Percival used a fair-catch kick to hit the game-winning field goal against the Packers. All the Giants-Cardinals action can be followed here.