There is a lot of buzz about the possibility that the NFL is considering dumping the extra point.
Good, it's the most boring play in sports. Right up there with the intentional walk in baseball.
It seems Roger Goodell and the boys have started thinking out of the box. Next thing you know someone's going to tell me they are considering playing the Super Bowl outside in North Jersey in February. Oh. Never mind.
The question is what to do instead of the drudgery of kicking the extra point, which has become routine. It's so routine that of the 1,191 extra point attempts this past season, teams missed only four times, and all of those were blocked, not actually misses by the kicker.
The NFL is looking to put some sizzle into this dead spot in the game. They would like to see more teams attempt two-point conversions. Are you listening, Chip Kelly. The Eagles coach came into the league with a reputation of constantly eschewing the point-after and instead going for two while he was the head man at Oregon. Once in the NFL, not surprisingly, he got a bit more conservative.
I don't think the league is ever going to completely ban the extra point. So what do they do?
Here's my idea.
Give the teams an incentive to go for two, without resorting to some kind of scoring gimmick that changes the essential basics of the game. This isn't the NHL, guys. There's no need to resort to 'shootout' style nonsense.
How's this: When a team scores a TD, if the kick the extra point, they then must make the ensuing kickoff from 10 yards farther back, the 25 instead of the 35. But if they go for the two-point conversion, they can then kick off from the 35, as they do now.
What say you, NFL fanatics. It might lead to a lot more two-point tries, and a lot fewer opportunities for fans to grab another beer from the fridge, or make a bathroom run.
The NFL wants excitement. If that's the case, kicking the extra point to the sidelines should be at the top of their lists.
Comments