I just found out the answer to the question that's been dogging me all these years. It is still legal to drop-kick a field goal in the NFL, however, you can't just punt it through the uprights. If a punt goes through the uprights, it's a touchback.
So what's the difference between a drop-kick and a punt, you ask? Well, I'll tell you. A punt is what you call it when the center snaps the ball to the kicker [ed: the punter] who then catches the ball maybe runs forward a couple steps, drops the ball straight down and kicks it [ed: punts it] in midair before it even has a chance to hit the ground. A drop-kick, however, requires that the ball hit the ground. The kicker catches the ball snapped from the snapper [ed: the CENTER], drops it letting it bounce off the ground, and as it bounces up, kicks it for a field goal. This looks similar to a punt [ed: no it doesn't].
Nobody drop-kicks field goals anymore since they changed the ball shape (it used to be rounder), but in the golden old days of the league the drop-kick used to be the main way to kick 'em - and it's still a perfectly legal way to boot it through the uprights for a score!
3 points!
Next week: find out why you can't just smack the referee's ass any old time.
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