01-01-2006, 06:30 PM
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Doug Flutie added another oddity to his football resume on Sunday when he converted a drop kick in the fourth quarter of the New England Patriots' game against the Miami Dolphins.
It was the league's first drop kick since the 1941 NFL championship game, according to the Web site for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
With starting quarterback Tom Brady sitting out most of the season-ending game, backup Matt Cassel threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Tim Dwight to cut Miami's lead to 25-19 with 6:10 left in the game. Flutie, who was listed as the No. 3 QB, came in for the extra point and lined up at quarterback.
After a timeout, Flutie took the snap, dropped the ball and kicked it off a short hop through the uprights for one point. He ran off the field and embraced coach Bill Belichick.
According to the Hall of Fame site, Chicago's Ray "Scooter" McLean converted the last drop kick for an extra point in the Bears' 37-9 victory over the New York Giants on Dec. 21, 1941.
The dropkick remains in the NFL's official rule book, even though it hadn't been successfully converted in decades. Rule 3, Section 8 defines the drop kick as "a kick by a kicker who drops the ball and kicks it as, or immediately after, it touches the ground."
According to the Hall of Fame site, ex-Bears quarterback Jim McMahon, begged his coach for a chance to attempt a dropkick in a game. But his coach, Mike Ditka, denied the request.
It was the league's first drop kick since the 1941 NFL championship game, according to the Web site for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
With starting quarterback Tom Brady sitting out most of the season-ending game, backup Matt Cassel threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Tim Dwight to cut Miami's lead to 25-19 with 6:10 left in the game. Flutie, who was listed as the No. 3 QB, came in for the extra point and lined up at quarterback.
After a timeout, Flutie took the snap, dropped the ball and kicked it off a short hop through the uprights for one point. He ran off the field and embraced coach Bill Belichick.
According to the Hall of Fame site, Chicago's Ray "Scooter" McLean converted the last drop kick for an extra point in the Bears' 37-9 victory over the New York Giants on Dec. 21, 1941.
The dropkick remains in the NFL's official rule book, even though it hadn't been successfully converted in decades. Rule 3, Section 8 defines the drop kick as "a kick by a kicker who drops the ball and kicks it as, or immediately after, it touches the ground."
According to the Hall of Fame site, ex-Bears quarterback Jim McMahon, begged his coach for a chance to attempt a dropkick in a game. But his coach, Mike Ditka, denied the request.