Every year, the NFL spends the offseason tinkering with every little rule of the game, trying to make football safer or, in this case, more competitive.
The NFL rules committee reportedly is exploring its options in changing the extra point kick. In January, it was rumored it was going to get rid of the extra point all together, but now it seems it is considering just changing the kick.
As early as this preseason, the NFL would like to move the ball back to the 25-yard line, which would make every extra point attempt a 43-yard kick.
By doing this, the extra point will hopefully become less of a formality and make the kick more challenging.
This would be great idea for any middle school, high school or even college-level rules committee to explore, but the NFL?
A little more distance would not make it that much more difficult for 32 guys who pay their bills by kicking a ball.
As Arizona Cardinals’ kicker Jay Feely pointed out, last year’s average for 43-yard field goals was about 80 percent. It wasn’t perfect, but a miss for them would be about the same as a botched extra point now.
The extra point would still be a formality that now only puts the players in more danger as the defense would be under more pressure to get a block. Typically, the NFL changes rules to avoid injuries, not to encourage them. If it was to change the rule, it would be putting its own agenda above player safety, which wouldn’t really be a surprise.
However, after all of that, I believe the NFL will still change the rule. Yes, a longer extra point doesn’t make much sense for professional kickers. But, the change would give coaches more pause before sending their kicker onto the field. The rule would most likely result in more two-point attempts, which can often be the real difference in a close game. With more games that come down to tying with a longer kick or winning with a two-point attempt, the games would be exactly what the NFL wants – more drama.
If the NFL really wants to make the game even more competitive, changing the extra point would be the first step, but only if it gave coaches more reason to go for two. Move the spot even farther back, and then the game would truly be on.
