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Kicking The Ball Out Of Your Opponent’s Hand Is In Fact A Very Cool Thing To Do On A Football Field

3:03 PM EST on December 13, 2020

A slow-motion look at Kylie Fitts of the Cardinals karate-kicking the ball loose.
GIF via Fox

They say you are not allowed to do a flying karate kick at a ball-carrier in an NFL football game. They say it is dangerous for both the karate-kicker and the karate-kickee, and furthermore that it is unlikely to result in a positive outcome. What they have failed to say, because they are nerds whose limited imaginations are subordinate to rules and caution and reasonable restrictions on the use of martial arts on a football field, is that karate-kicking a return man is in fact extremely bitchin'. To these haters, Cardinals linebacker and special-teams hero Kylie Fitts says "hi-YAH!" And then he kicks the bejeezus out of an opponent.

ENHANCE!

Is it legal? Hell no it is not, not if it is done intentionally. But it is also not reviewable, according to the NFL's rules on replay review, and so the trick is to do your karate-kicking with the speed and subtlety of a ninja.

Four plays later the Cardinals converted this turnover into points when Kyler Murray found Dan Arnold in the back of the endzone for a jump-ball touchdown. Fortune favors the bold!

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