Sounds like Goodell wants to abolish the extra point in the NFL.

[Landlord]

If extra points are so boring and pointless, why dont they just give teams the option to run a regular play at the chance of scoring two points instead? That would spice things up a bit wouldnt it?

The thing with this solution is that it will create more scoring discrepancies.

Right now, since the PAT is automatic, two teams trade scores and they stay tied. If you take away the easier solution of one point and only leave the two point conversion or something similar, teams can trade scoring blows but one team could run away with it executing the extra point tries.

Running actual plays in the red zone is hard. If you're outside of the 2 or 3 yard line the defense has the advantage. I find their solution to be a little bit problematic because of that. Unless I'm mistaking the explanation and you don't HAVE to try for the 8th point and can just take the 7 as is. Then I think that would possibly be a solid idea.

Yeah. You missed my joke completely. I suggesting we just leave it alone. Giving either the option of kicking for 1, or going for 2. Ha ha.

 

[The Dude]

I find their solution to be a little bit problematic because of that. Unless I'm mistaking the explanation and you don't HAVE to try for the 8th point and can just take the 7 as is. Then I think that would possibly be a solid idea.

You wouldn't have to try for the 8th point.

 

[JTrain]

You would have to try for the 8th point, but not the 7th. It's basically, if you want the extra point, you get it. You just don't have to run the play. If you want to go "for 2" then you can just like you always could. That's the easiest way to think about it. Nothing really changes, except you have the option to Madden-style "simulate" the extra point play.

 

[mrandyk]

Goodell should just take the NFL Blitz approach. You can have the free extra point, no time wasted on running the automatic kick, or go for two. He should also adopt their 30-yard first downs and removal of all penalties.

 

[Redux]

Goodell should just take the NFL Blitz approach. You can have the free extra point, no time wasted on running the automatic kick, or go for two. He should also adopt their 30-yard first downs and removal of all penalties.

The only way teams would be able to pickup 1st downs on 30 yard downs is without penalties. It would be fun as hell but then they would have to change the accronym NFL since I'm pretty sure it stands for No Fun League.

 

[QMany]

What they really want is to be able to squeeze in a few more minutes of commercials and the resulting revenue without lengthening the game. PAT's are basically boring plays.

It seems like they go to a commercial after/before every extra point anyway. Right now, it is just delaying the inevitable.

 

[Enhance]

Honestly, I'm not a big fan of getting rid of PATs. It's not because I'm some big "tradition" guy that just doesn't want to see things change. Yes, the kick is nearly statistically guaranteed, but not always. And as someone accurately pointed out, it cost a team in the playoffs years ago, and I also remember a team (I think it was the Jaguars) missing an extra point to tie a game and they ended up losing because it was the final play of the game.

I also enjoy the PAT portion of the game because I view it a lot like a free throw - a nearly uncontested chance to give your team an advantage. And this may sound strange, but it also adds to the luster of the touchdown for me to see the field goal unit trot out onto the field and line up.

If they did away with it, I wouldn't be devastated. But, I do think the point removal on a failed 2 point conversion is kind of dumb. If extra points are so automatic, then just give everybody the seven (like they're suggesting) and only award the 8th point upon a successful conversion. It doesn't make sense to me to say extra points are too automatic so we need to get rid of them and give teams the point right away, but then take it away upon failing to convert.

 

[huKSer]

Wasn't there talk a year or two ago about eliminating kickoffs altogether (in the interest of safety)? Maybe Goodell just hates kickers.

How about eliminating the commercial after the kickoff?

3-4 minutes of commercials followed by a 10 second football play, followed by 3-4 minutes of commercials

 

[Mavric]

Wasn't there talk a year or two ago about eliminating kickoffs altogether (in the interest of safety)? Maybe Goodell just hates kickers.

How about eliminating the commercial after the kickoff?

3-4 minutes of commercials followed by a 10 second football play, followed by 3-4 minutes of commercials

I hear this complaint a lot and I don't like commercials any more than anyone else. But they're going to be there so I'd just as soon have them around a kickoff as anywhere else. At least there you know you have a good break to check other games, get some refreshments, use the facilities or whatever.

Now you'll have even a little longer because you won't have to wait for the PAT.

 

[VectorVictor]

Being as I'm in a country that follows (and dominates) rugby, and watching it for a few years now, I kind of like how they do the 'try' conversions (a 'try' is basically our touchdown if you don't know), because where you kick the conversion is based on where the ball is downed in the try zone. Sometimes a try is able to be delivered to the middle of the try zone for an easier kick, sometimes not. But if nothing else, the play doesn't always stop once you score, you also have to try to keep the guy scoring from getting the kicker into better position for the PAT

So, for instance...if the ball is thrown and the receiver catches it for a TD in the right-hand corner of the endzone and runs out of bounds, the kick would be placed at the right hash-mark for the kick. Choose whatever distance you'd like for the kicker, but it should probably be moved back.

And another thought I had...why not make it 2 points when you have a longer, and maybe an angled kick? And...if you want to try instead to run or pass it in from say, the 3-5 yard line, you can get 1 point? Depending on the game/wind conditions, could make it kind of a chess game. Just something I thought of when I heard about this.

Edit: here's a clip of what they do in rugby, so maybe something similar..

I'm liking this idea more and more. Makes the offense think about where they try to get the touchdown at in the end zone. Sure, you just got a TD in the back corner, but now you have a really tough angle from which to make the extra point.

Also, would be in favor of moving the extra point and two point conversion back a few yards, perhaps to the ten and five, respectively.

 

[krill]

I think the real issue here is the NFL game experience has been getting worse and worse over the years. Look how badly Green Bay struggled to sellout their playoff game this year. Not many people want to sit around in sometimes poor weather conditions to watch PATs, injury timeouts, breaks for commercials, reviews, etc. At home you have the luxury of flipping the channel or doing other things during these times.

 

[GSG]

I think the real issue here is the NFL game experience has been getting worse and worse over the years. Look how badly Green Bay struggled to sellout their playoff game this year. Not many people want to sit around in sometimes poor weather conditions to watch PATs, injury timeouts, breaks for commercials, reviews, etc. At home you have the luxury of flipping the channel or doing other things during these times.

At home I also have the luxury of sitting in my underwear

 

[krill]

Well there's that too of course

 

[The Dude]

But, I do think the point removal on a failed 2 point conversion is kind of dumb. If extra points are so automatic, then just give everybody the seven (like they're suggesting) and only award the 8th point upon a successful conversion. It doesn't make sense to me to say extra points are too automatic so we need to get rid of them and give teams the point right away, but then take it away upon failing to convert.

There should be some risk to going for the 8th point, or else every team would just go for it after every TD.

 

[HANC]

Not sure how I feel about this proposal....except, I do feel as if a team attempts the "8th pt", that there just be some "risk" involved as there is now. If they fail, I like the idea aboutgoing back to 6. This would really screw up a lot of the "when to go for 2 charts". I should come up with the system now, and market it.....SHARK TANK.

plus, this could really screw up my fanatsy draft. I would lose a pt. everytime my kicker didn't get to try the PAT. Blows my whole drafting philosophy... (not really)