Coffin corner (football)

In the game of American football, a coffin corner may refer to the corner of the playing field just in front of the end zone. A punter may try to place the ball so that it lands and goes out of bounds, or is downed, near this corner, thus forcing difficult field position for the receiving team on their next scrimmage. The name arises by extension from the coffin corner found in Victorian houses, for if the kick is only slightly too far into the end zone a touchback is awarded, losing the advantage that comes with a successful execution of the kick. However, if the ball goes out of bounds too far upfield, the receiving team will usually have more options on offense, such as being able to drop back for a pass without fear of possibly giving up a safety. More often than not a kicker's attempt to land the ball accurately within the coffin corner fails, as the amount of skill required to angle a kick inside such a small area is extraordinary.Fact|date=January 2007

This type of kick can also be attempted in Canadian football. The difference is that if the ball becomes dead in the endzone in Canadian football, a single point is awarded to the kicking team and the conceding team scrimmages from their 35 yard line. In most cases however, the kicking team prefers the advantageous field position, not the point.