I hoped it wouldn’t come to this, but now the rumors are more than just rumors. There is sufficient evidence that the NFL is going to change the extra point rule in the 2015 season. Why? The NFL says it’s boring. You know what else is boring? A 2 yard run off the left tackle. So is abandoning the running play next? Of course not, cause that would be stupid. Just like these proposals are.
Rich McKay, the co-chairman of the NFL’s competition committee was quoted as saying “it’s time to make this a football play.” That’s funny, this is one of three plays that actually uses the foot in football, but that’s not a football play? Shall we eliminate field goals next? No punts either, let’s just yell “punt” after third down then throw it as far as you can. Like you did in the parking lot playing football when you were nine. So now that we’re making this a football play, here are the proposals. All of which are designed to eliminate the kick.
Proposal 1- Move the 2 pt conversion from the 2 yard line to the 1 ½ yard line. That extra half yard will entice coaches to go for two more often. Do you know how many coaches like to gamble? Zero. Just like right now, in the first 55 minutes of the game, the coach is taking the PAT. So this is the proposal we should all root for, since this is the one that won’t change the game too much.
Proposal 2- Move the extra point back to the 25 yard line. This was experimented in the preseason last year and did lead to missed extra points. Instead of 99.6 percent XP accuracy, it dropped to 94.3 percent. So this one will likely not be the solution. Plus, as we learned earlier, a kick is no longer a football play.
Proposal 3- And now we get to the one that shows that these people have no idea what the hell they are talking about. A THREE point conversion! Feel the excitement. Here’s how this one works. After the touchdown, you go for two (at the old 2 yard line spot). Should you get that 2 point conversion, you then get a chance at a 50 yard extra point. So now a touchdown can be nine points! You know what other league had a three point conversion? The XFL! Vince McMahon’s football league that was laughed out of the country after one season in 2001. That’s the kind of football league that went for three.
All three of these choices are bad. All three of these choices fix something that isn’t broken because the owners think it’s boring. Stadiums and bars are packed every Sunday and Monday and most Thursdays. They are packed in America and in London. Whatever the NFL does, it works. But this is going too far. The Extra Point’s official name is the Point After Touchdown (PAT). It’s supposed to be a free point after all the work that goes into earning a touchdown. Most fans I know don’t want to sweat the one after just getting the six. Plus, since it’s so automatic it’s hilarious when someone misses an extra point.
I remember that play like it was yesterday. The Saints pulled off one of the most ridiculous lateral plays in the history of the NFL, only to lose because John Carney missed the extra point. If the owners have their way, Carney wouldn’t even be the goat, because he would have missed a 40 yard extra point, not a gimme one.