So, the NFL owners meet over the next few days and one of the topics they are discussing is what to do about the extra point attempt. Currently going for an extra point after a touchdown sees the ball placed on the 2-yard line and last season saw 99.6% accuracy in attempts, there were three missed attempts for those wondering.
The league is already expected to experiment with the extra point during one week of the preseason matches. During this week, the ball is to be placed on the 25-yard line, making it a 42-yard attempt and dropping the chances of conversion to 90%. If a team elects to go for two points the ball is placed on the 2-yard line as normal.
This is one of a few possible options being discussed by the owners, others include, removing the kicking of the extra point entirely and giving the team the option of accepting seven points or going for the two-point attempt and if they fail only having six points. Another involves increasing points from set distances, think of the game Donkey.
Why change it you ask? If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it is the mantra of the NFL after all! Well, the automatic nature of the extra point has left Commissioner Roger Goodell bored! As I have said, the lack of misses has irked the Commissioner, he is after all attempting to make the game safer and he has seen this as a pointless part of the game.
Before the modern game, kicking the extra point in the NFL used to take an approach somewhat familiar to us sports fans this side of the Atlantic, it involved a drop kick similar to the way Rugby players can score drop goals. The last successful attempt using this method was by the New England Patriots in 2006, by then retiring kicker Doug Flutie and there have been three unsuccessful attempts since. Flutie was quoted at the time as saying he had an 80% chance of making it.
One of the issues I have with changing the line of scrimmage (where the ball is placed) for a one point attempt is that it takes out that element of surprise if a team goes for two while lined up with the kicker. For those of you thinking that doesn’t work, just ask the Minnesota Vikings after their game against the Cleveland Browns last season, where both a fake punt and fake field goal were ran successfully against the team. You may argue that it is always obvious when a team needs to go for two and when it will go for one, but occasionally an overly aggressive coach will want to catch a team off guard.
One of the least discussed aspects of the proposed 42-yard attempt is that how much this will increase two point attempts in some stadia. If you are kicking indoors, you are more likely to make this 42-yard attempt but if you are in Chicago or Seattle with a strong wind the odds are more likely for the two point attempt. This could sway results towards a team that plays indoors all season or has a large quantity of games indoors. For example if the Detroit lions were to play their home games, Minnesota (when the new stadium is complete) Indianapolis, Dallas and New Orleans that would be 12 games of windless kicking where a team like the New York Giants can only have a maximum of six indoor games.
No matter what way you spin it, Kickers win games and to give some so much more of an advantage than others throughout the length of a season would give teams in some divisions large advantages over others. This brings us to the issue of what do the Kickers want? Well, most do not like the idea of moving the kick back so far, some suggest a compromise of the 10 or 15-yard line. They do not want the extra points eliminated, as they see this as their roll being diminished and when Kicks win games in the dying seconds of games so often, they do not want the extra stress of it being their only job to do (expect the kickoff to be back up for discussion soon).
So what should the NFL do? I have two thoughts that have not been discussed in all seriousness. The first is to move the ball to the 10-yard line for any extra point attempt; this would make a 30-yard attempt when kicking and a very manageable two point attempt. Perhaps the two point attempt would be even more open as a team would have more options from here than the two yard line.
The other, why not return to the past and the drop kick method? Here me out! I know I stated earlier that Doug Flutie gave himself an 80% chance (others gave him less than 45%) and a kick from the 25 has a 90% chance but Flutie had not been kicking this way his entire career, nor had he been practicing every day. I know that the ball in rugby is heavier and larger but look at the competency that kickers are able to deliver the ball into touch etc. Given some time and practice I am sure the NFL will adjust its numbers, also I would be interested to see what kind of influx of rugby style kickers would occur. The idea of Johnny Sexton kicking in the NFL is a funny one!
Whatever opinion you have in relation to kicking and if it should be changed one thing is apparent from Commissioner Rodger Goodell, when he wants to change something he will get it changed, no matter how long it takes.
Update.
From the owners meeting yesterday, it was agreed that two pre-season games in 2014 will see the extra point placed on the 20-yard line during a kicking attempt. This isn’t quite the 25-yard line Goodell was looking for but owners agreed to revisit it at next years meeting. Change is coming! I have to say if I was a kicker and it wasn’t the NFL where job security is laughable; I would consider missing a few of these!
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