NFL considering proposal to abolish extra points Is the extra point about to go the way of the dinosaur? NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told NFL Network's Rich Eisen on Monday 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. 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." Goodell said "some issues" stand in the way of a change, asking: "Is that going to discourage people from going for two?"
I actually like the idea proposed. It would speed up the game. And if less than 1% of extra points are missed then almost no game's outcome has ever been affected by them. So yeah, just get rid of it.
Or, how about make it a longer distance so it is no longer so automatic? This would make the game more interesting imo if they still had to kick it but increase the distance. Or, if they wanted to go for 2, then move it up. The problem is not that it needs to be done away with....it is it is too easy.
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They should consider keeping touchdowns at 6 points, eliminating PATs and forcing 2-point conversions. This would add several meaningful plays to each and every game. But making TDs 7 points with the option of taking 6 and attempting a 2-point conversion is a good idea also.
Close to automatic but not quite. Didn't Al Del Greco miss a PAT for the Oilers that cost them the game back in the day? If kickers have become more accurate, then I would much rather them move it back and make them earn that extra point (or two) then automatically giving them one.
I agree with moving the distance back. When the XP try was first implemented, I think nearly one in five tries missed. Those guys must have sucked ballz.
So make it harder then a kick that usually nets 3 points? I agree that kickers are so good now that even 50 yard FG's are being made at a high rate...but if you make it a 40 yard kick or more, teams might as well go for 2 as the success rate will probably be similar (and worth twice as many points). Kickers would probably make a 30-35 yard FG at a rate that isn't significantly different than an extra point.
Why not make TDs 7pts w/ a 1pt conversion optional? Making a TD equal value as 2 FGs would be terrible. Either way, it's a pretty stupid idea to me. This isn't about speeding the game up to make them less time consuming for the viewer. It's about speeding it up to allow more advertising during a broadcast. Time for an extra commercial or two with after every TD scored. In the end, total broadcast time wouldn't change. Similar to how they marginalized kickoffs, but used the frequent touchbacks to squeeze in more commercial breaks before the games actually start. Nothing to do with saftey or speeding the game up.
Going from 99.8% conversion rate to 90% is significant. The typical 2 point conversion rate is around 45-50% any given year. Moving the extra point back to the 30 yard line would set things back on even keel again. The XP would be about 90% any given year, which is reasonable. You want your 2 point conversion rate to be slightly less than half what an XP try is, so I'd argue the 2 point conversion might need to be pushed back to the 3 or 4 yard line, too.
This is kind of messed up. You shouldn't have to change the placement of the ball depending on whether the the offense goes for 2 or kick the extra point. And the balancing act is way too difficult. Is is best to place it at the 20yd line to kick and 10yd line for 2pts? The current placement is quite good. Going for 2 is kind of a 50/50 proposition as opposed to the near 100% certainty of the extra point. I like the change.
I thought about that too but I'm sure it's factored in. I imagine the time it takes to set up and kick the point gets converted into bonus commercial time somehow.
A great forward thinking move from a true visionary, the Indian Steve Jobs Goodell has caged in a dungeon somewhere.
Why not move the extra point back to the 20...... And the kick lines up on where the touchdown occurs......like Rugby? Score in the corner......kick a 35 yarded from the sideline......
The XFL used that rule before. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XFL#No_PAT_.28point_after_touchdown.29_kicks