An onside kick is a type of kickoff used by a team as an attempt to get the ball back when they’re down by only a few points late in the game. The trick is that you have to kick the ball ten yards for it to be a legal play, but you don’t want to give the other team the chance to field the ball if you kick it too hard. The best example of a successful onside kick is the one that sent Seattle to the Superbowl this year — it’s really a finesse thing, as most football plays are, and in my “career” of watching football, most of the onside kicks I’ve seen have bounced right into the opposing team’s hands.
Jen's Rambling Thoughts... 
Glad to see you continuing with your football primer. Of course, you had to mention the onside kick that sent Seattle to the Superbowl (since I am a Green Bay Packer fan, born and bred). But that certainly is an infamous example.
Sorry, that was Bill and I discussing it. Say what you will, it was a well executed example 😉
It was well executed by Seattle. The Packer who was blamed for not recovering it with is no longer with the team. The almost cruelty of professional sports where your career can hinge on one miscue!
Yes, sadly the sports world is a fickle mistress. Look at what happened to Tom Brady. While I think he should have been punished for cheating, the ultimate sentence was harsh, in my opinion.
It will be interesting to see how the Brady situation ends up. What I am hearing is the penalty is more severe because he wasn’t forthcoming when he was first asked about it. We’ll see what happens with his appeal.