Squib kick A squib kick is a term used in American football meaning a short , low , line drive kickoff that usually bounces around on the ground before it can be picked up by a member of the receiving team . The ball is kicked so short that it forces the receiving team ' s slower players to recover the ball first instead of their faster kick returner . Secondly , the bouncing ball may be harder for the receiving team to pick up , allowing more time for kicking team members to get downfield to surround the ball carrier . History . The first recognized use of this by design in modern play was by the San Francisco 49ers during the 1981 season . On opening day , an injured Ray Wersching miskicked a kickoff at the Pontiac Silverdome against the Detroit Lions . The hard Astroturf surface of the Silverdome saw the spheroid - shaped football bounce oddly , sporadically , and was noticeably difficult for the receiving team to field . Its characteristics were that of an onside kick . Head coach Bill Walsh turned the mistake into design and used it later in Super Bowl XVI , also held at the Silverdome . Wersching made two squib kicks late in the first half . The first pinned the Bengals deep in their own territory , and after forcing a punt , the resulting good field position led to a 49ers field goal . Moments later , as time was running out in the half , Wersching made a second squib kick , and this time the Bengals muffed the ball , and the 49ers recovered . As time expired in the half , 49ers scored a last - second field goal . Strategy . The Squib kick is a tactic used to prevent a long return , usually at the end of the half . On average the receiving team will gain better field position than it would returning a normal kick . However it is considered worthwhile by the kicking team , as it is more difficult to return for a touchdown . Also it must be returned , which isn ' t the case on a touchback , and thus it takes time off the clock and often brings the half to an end . A squib kick can work against the kicking team , especially if the receiving team is expecting it . Because the kick is so short , the receiving team will usually get good field position , even if there is a minimal gain on the return . And if the receiving player can manage a moderate gain return , the field position can be outstanding . A good example of this occurred on October 12 , 2008 , when Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith decided to squib a kick with 11 seconds to go vs . the Atlanta Falcons and the Bears up 1 . The Falcons got the ball at their own 45 , and after a pass play , they kicked a 48 - yard field goal to win with no time left . A few weeks later , in a Monday Night Football game vs . the Green Bay Packers , Lovie again ordered a squib kick after the Bears had tied the game with 3 : 11 left in regulation . Following the squib kick , and a return , and an unnecessary roughness penalty on Adrian Peterson , the Packers had the ball at the Bears 35 . Fortunately for Lovie Smith , the Bears defense shut down the Packers , Alex Brown blocked the field goal attempt and sent the game into overtime , where the Bears would win . Famous examples . Perhaps the most famous example of a squib kick is the controversial last - second kickoff return , nicknamed " The Play " , during the November 20 , 1982 college football game between the University of California , Berkeley ( " California " or " Cal " ) Golden Bears and their arch - rival , the Stanford Cardinal . Stanford took the lead 20 - 19 with only four seconds remaining in the game . Anticipating a squib kick , Cal coach Joe Kapp sent his onsides return team into the game . The players recovered the ball and lateraled it five times — two of them controversial – to score a touchdown to win the game . In Super Bowl XLI , the Indianapolis Colts decided to squib kick five of six subsequent kickoffs after Devin Hester of the Chicago Bears returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown . The Colts ended up winning 29 - 17 . In Super Bowl XXXVII , the Tampa Bay Buccaneers used the squib kick on all of kickoffs against the Oakland Raiders , ending up in an overwhelming win for Tampa Bay . In the Central European Championship , 2007 , the assistant coach of the Budapest Wolves , William Goldenberg , called a squib kick within the last few minutes of the 4th quarter versus the Belgrad Vukovi . This controversial kick was returned and eventually led to the Vukovi winning within the last minute of the game .