Roger Goodell Wants To Ban The Extra Point Because Kicking Is Too Easy In The NFL

(Source) Roger Goodell’s suggestion for eliminating extra points makes perfect sense and, if anything, is long overdue.  NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told the NFL Network that the league’s competition committee could consider abolishing the PAT. “The extra point is almost automatic,” Goodell told NFL Network. “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.” Goodell said one suggested proposal involved a touchdown being worth seven points instead of six, with the potential for an extra play from scrimmage that would yield an eighth point. However, “if you fail, you go back to six [points],” Goodell explained. The commissioner did concede however there are still some roadblocks to any such change. Goodell posed the question, “Is that going to discourage people from going for two?” Regardless, the possibility remains that something that has become nearly automatic may become completely obsolete.

I hate to admit it but I don’t hate the idea of changing the extra point. I thought I would because I’m someone who is deathly allergic to change, sort of comes with the whole little child trapped in a grown man’s body territory, but I don’t think this is all that bad of an idea. Kicking in the NFL has become too automatic. It’s not even extra points either, anything inside of the 40 is basically a sure thing at this point and I sort of hate that. So we agree on that portion, that kicking has gotten too easy. Now as for the actual rule change, I’m not sure I understand this whole 7 points and if you go for it you can get an 8th but if you miss it you go back to 6 deal. Why would anyone ever go for it under those circumstances? That makes zero sense. You never take points off the board. So yes I’m in favor of a change but no not this one. This one is dumb. Either you make every touchdown still count as 6 and force teams to go for 2 or you make the kicker move back. Or, if you really want to fix kicking you make the field goal posts super narrow like Arena football. That would seem to solve all of the problems. Make kicking hard again, teams will go for it more on 4th down and thus games will be more exciting. Win-Win-Win.

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There is also a good chance Goodell is bringing this up solely to deflect conversation about the weather and concussions during Super Bowl week. We may not be smart but we’re sure as fuck not stupid Roger.

PS

OR, if you really want to get nuts you put a bunch of hoops in the end zone with various point numbers. Sort of like Rock and Jock basketball meets Star Fox. Kickers can go for a 7 point field goal but it’s 70 feet in the air and 4 feet in diameter. That would be pretty fucking sweet.