NFL Considering Getting Rid Of Extra Point

[Rich Rane]

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told NFL Media's Rich Eisen on Monday's edition of "NFL Total Access" that the league's Competition Committee might eventually abolish the time-tested point after touchdown in favor of a brand-new scoring system.

"The extra point is almost automatic," Goodell said. "I believe we had five missed extra points this year out of 1,200 some odd (attempts). So it's a very small fraction of the play, and you want to add excitement with every play.

"There's one proposal in particular that I've heard about," Goodell went on. "It's automatic that you get seven points when you score a touchdown, but you could potentially go for an eighth point, either by running or passing the ball, so if you fail, you go back to six."

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap200000 ... tra-points

[gswhoops]

I like it. Whenever you've got a play with greater than average potential for injury and a 99+ percent success rate, it's time to get rid of it.

I think this proposal makes the most sense. Doesn't really change the strategy of the game or take away any excitement (does anyone get excited to watch extra points?) but solves the problem.

[Keller61]

This is a good idea. A missed extra point affects the outcome of maybe 1 in 1000 games. Might as well make it automatic to save time and reduce injury risk.

Coaches probably already view the extra point as a sure thing, so this shouldn't change strategy. The only way I could see it changing things is that teams wouldn't be able to score 2 points on fake-PAT plays, but those are so rare in the NFL anyway.

[Worm Guts]

I like it. Whenever you've got a play with greater than average potential for injury and a 99+ percent success rate, it's time to get rid of it.

Does the extra point really have a greater than average potential for injury? I don't think ever heard of somebody getting hurt on an extra point besides Gronkowski.

Anyway, I don't mind the rule change. Extra points seem like a waste of time. I was thinking they would force teams to go for 2 every time, but that would change the game.

[gswhoops]

I like it. Whenever you've got a play with greater than average potential for injury and a 99+ percent success rate, it's time to get rid of it.

Does the extra point really have a greater than average potential for injury? I don't think ever heard of somebody getting hurt on an extra point besides Gronkowski.

Anyway, I don't mind the rule change. Extra points seem like a waste of time. I was thinking they would force teams to go for 2 every time, but that would change the game.

I don't really have any stats to back it up, but it seems like there are a lot of guys who end up getting hurt on the plays where you have all those extra big bodies on the field and everyone is basically attacking the same spot - XPs, short goal line runs, etc.

[CBS7]

Kickers probably wouldn't be happy about the nerf to their scoring statistics.
But I don't see a problem with it. First thing that came to mind was the loss of the 2pt fake, but as said those are pretty damn rare.

[gswhoops]

Kickers probably wouldn't be happy about the nerf to their scoring statistics.
But I don't see a problem with it. First thing that came to mind was the loss of the 2pt fake, but as said those are pretty damn rare.

That didn't even come to mind. Heck, getting rid of XPs might effect fantasy football more than real football.

[Bulltalk]

It's been pretty clear for awhile that the extra point is a rather superfluous and drama-less play. It's like an appendage that through time and evolution has outgrown its usefulness, yet remains part of the anatomy, kind of like the appendix.

The only problem is what to replace it with that makes sense.

[Little Italia]

It's been pretty clear for awhile that the extra point is a rather superfluous and drama-less play. It's like an appendage that through time and evolution has outgrown its usefulness, yet remains part of the anatomy, kind of like the appendix.

The only problem is what to replace it with that makes sense.

2 pt conversions!

[gswhoops]

The only problem is what to replace it with that makes sense.

Best/most interesting/most hilarious ideas I've come across so far:

-Allow teams to take the 1pt automatically, or go double or nothing with the 2pt conversion
-Move the conversion line back to the 20 (still get to start from the 2 for 2pt attempts)
-Force the kicker to take the attempt from where the ball crosses the goal line rather than in the middle (i.e. if a player scores in the corner, the kicker would have to kick from the sideline)
-Force the player who scores to kick the XP (i.e. if Demariyus Thomas catches a TD pass then he has to kick the attempt too)

[Dr Positivity]

It's the right idea. Moving it back would also be an improvement

[Bulltalk]

It's the right idea. Moving it back would also be an improvement

The only problem I have with this idea is that it would place too much importance upon the kicking game, the place kicker. There's a part of me that laughs to myself from time to time when you have this epically hard fought battle on the gridiron between these two teams of athletic titans for some 59+ minutes, and then this little FG kicker trots out to decide the game with his foot. This part of football has always seemed more than a little incongruous to me. It's like the FG kicker is this completely odd little species on the sidelines in comparison, yet he holds so much power over the fate of the game in his foot.

That's my one problem with this idea.

[Keller61]

Just give coaches the choice of taking an automatic 1 point or going for 2. The game would hardly change at all, but we wouldn't have to waste time doing a pointless kick.

[Pharmcat]

one idea ive heard is that the guy who scores the td himself has to take the kick

that would be fun

[Higga]

They should do it flag football style, where you have to punch it in from three yards out for an extra point and five yards out for two points. Distances can be adjusted of course.

XP kicking is pointless.