---
slug: "coffin-corner"
title: Coffin Corner
depth_tier: entry
side: SPECIAL TEAMS
category: Special Teams
source_id: "SIT-0020"
created: 2026-05-13
updated: 2026-05-13
canonical: https://learningfootball.xyz/terms/coffin-corner
aliases:
  - coffin corner punt
  - pinning punt
  - directional punt
  - inside the five
---
# Coffin Corner

## Short Definition

A punt aimed at pinning the return team inside its own 5-yard line near the sideline—the most precise field position weapon in a punter's arsenal.

## Definition

The coffin corner is a directional punt aimed at landing and dying inside the opponent's 5-yard line near the sideline—ideally touching or rolling out of bounds within a few yards of where the goal line meets the sideline. It is the most precise field position weapon in a punter's toolkit, capable of pinning the opponent's offense at its own 1-yard line and forcing a full-field drive. Executed correctly, the coffin corner achieves what a touchback cannot: maximum distance from the end zone without giving the returner a clean catch or surrendering yardage in the return.

The technique requires the punter to sacrifice height and hang time for precise directional placement. A standard punt maximizes height so coverage players can get downfield before the return; a coffin corner punt is hit on a lower trajectory toward a specific corner of the field. The punter must place the ball to land at the right angle—hitting too far inbounds risks a clean return; hitting too close to the sideline risks rolling out of bounds short of the target.

The kick became less common in the modern era as the touchback rule changed—when the NFL moved touchbacks to the 25-yard line, the value calculation shifted. A touchback now gives the opponent possession at the 25; a coffin corner pins them inside the 5. That 20-yard field position difference is worth the technical risk of attempting the kick, which has revived interest in the technique at all levels.

Great coffin corner punters—Ray Guy, Shane Lechler, Andy Lee—were valued precisely because they could execute this technique consistently. A punter who can reliably pin the opponent inside the 5-yard line is a field position weapon; one who overshoots into the end zone on a would-be coffin corner has wasted the entire advantage the defense created.

## Example

"Fourth down, offense backs up. Punter drops a coffin corner at the two-yard line—barely inbounds, rolls dead. Opponent starts their drive with 98 yards to go. That punt just changed the entire field position battle for the rest of the drive."

## Common Confusion

The coffin corner is not a standard punt aimed out of bounds—it is a precision kick designed to die inbounds inside the 5-yard line, ideally at a corner of the field where the sideline and end zone converge. A punt that goes out of bounds at the 20-yard line is not a coffin corner. The coffin corner specifically targets the 1–5 yard window near the corner of the field, making the punt the most demanding skill shot in special teams.

## Related

- punter
- squib-kick
- returner
- field-position
- gunner
- kickoff-coverage

---
Source: https://learningfootball.xyz/terms/coffin-corner