43 Yard Extra Point?

[Charlie Brown]

The extra point has become the NFL's great afterthought. Could a substantial change be on the horizon?

NFL Media's Judy Battista reports the NFL Competition Committee is in preliminary talks about placing the ball at the 25-yard line for the point-after attempt. That would make the extra point a 43-yard attempt.

The ball is currently spotted at the 2-yard line, a 20-yard chip shot that was converted 99.6 percent of the time during the 2013 season. The kick was so automatic that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell floated the idea in January of eliminating the PAT entirely.

"There is no consensus yet," one member of the committee told Battista. "We could experiment in preseason, but we are not there yet."

Placing the ball at the 25-yard line would certainly increase the degree of difficulty for kickers. The conversion rate of field goals between 40 and 49 yards last season was 83 percent.

Those odds are still favorable, but it adds another layer of strategy for coaches who also have the option to attempt a two-point conversion. Teams that "go for two" are typically successful about 50 percent of the time.

Change is probably overdue. Kickers have never been better at their jobs than they are right now. These are skilled specialists who have outgrown the model. The game must evolve with the players.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000330385/article/competition-committee-discussing-43yard-extra-point

[Charlie Brown]

This is just stupid... anything to screw up the game.

[#87Birdman]

Wouldn't the 2 point conversion also be moved to the 25 yard line also? I agree this is stupid lol.

[Houshmazode]

Pretty dumb but it's better than eliminating it completely.

[samparnell]

Widen the hashmarks. If the TD was in the EZ outside the hash, spot it on the hash. Otherwise bring the ball straight out from where the score was made.

Wider hashmarks also rejuvenates the run game.

[beastlyskronk]

Moving it back doesn't make it harder if it's still in the middle of the field.

[BroncosFanInPA]

Why not just shorten the width between the uprights, maybe to what the arena league is.

I think the NFL post is 18 feet & 6 inches & the arena post is 9 feet, so that is half as wide & that would make all kicks more difficult & not just extra points.

[ebsoria]

Why not just shorten the width between the uprights, maybe to what the arena league is.

I think the NFL post is 18 feet & 6 inches & the arena post is 9 feet, so that is half as wide & that would make all kicks more difficult & not just extra points.

I think that would be the easiest change to make. And it wouldn't mess with the viability of the two pointer.

[ebsoria]

I actually think it's a decent idea. But they can't do it. WHere do you attempt the 2 pointer from? The 25? Well, there goes the fake for two. Move the ball up to the 2 if the coach says he wants to go for 2? Takes some of the mystery out.

I like the thought of narrowing the goal post though.

[fallforward3y+]

Why is it so important to make kicking an extra point harder, I really don't understand this. The extra point being virtually automatic is fine by me, this rule is stupid.

I don't like narrowing the goal post at all, that's terrible. Field Goals being more difficult to make is not a good thing. If a team drives far enough down field for a FG, I like seeing them get the 3 points. I don't want it to end up being touchdown or nothing.

Special teams is part of the game, and teams with a better STs will have it a bit easier because of that. Kickers are part of STs, and if you have a kicker who can kick a longer FG than most and who is almost automatic then that is an advantage for you. If it got to the point where your average kicker could make a 70 yard field goal with ease, then I could see making it harder because it was just too easy to get a FG, but as of now it's fine.

I don't understand why people often feel like things have to be changed, when they are fine the way they are.

[CanDB]

I don't mind moving it back, because it's almost 100% now. I have thought this for a while. But instead of the 25, making it about a 43 yarder, why not just go to the 15 or 20 tops. That would be either 33 or 38 yarder. For me it's like soccer and the penalty kick. It's too easy to score. Make it a touch challenging by moving back a little. Times change, the kickers are better and stronger. No big deal. At least a 33 or 38 yarder would make things a little interesting, especially in tight games.

As for the 2 pointer, leave as is. It seems to be working just fine.

Off topic, but move the soccer penalty kick back about 2 or 3 yards, and now we have some drama.

[Rancid]

I could see moving it back to maybe the 10-yard line?

I also think that defensive touchdowns should count as 7-points instead of 6. It is harder for defenses to score points, so they should be rewarded with an additional point when scoring.

And I never understood why a safety was 2-points? The defense pushes the offense back into their endzone and gets a measly 2-points, but a guy can kick it through some uprights and get 3? Makes no sense. A safety should be like 4-points.

I was thinking field goals could be 1-point per every 10-yards. 0-10= 1-point, 10-20=2-points, etc. The 60-yard field goal could be worth 6-points. This system promotes high-risk/high-reward. It does not seem logical that a 15-yard Field Goal should count as much as a 50-yarder, but somehow it does.

[DenverBlood]

Something no one has mentioned in all of this mess is the fake PAT for two.

Most coaches would probably rather line up with a regular offensive play for two. But fakes have been done a lot.

So I guess no more fake PAT's since it would be from the 25?

Also are FG's inside the 25 not necessary? They would be automatic too right? So you shouldn't be able to do them.

I think Goodell is just continuing to ruin the NFL with changes like this and invent his own sport.

If it's so automatic then why not try something like rugby. If you score inside the left pylon then attempt the PAT from outside the left hash mark. It would still be extremely short but depending on which foot your kicker kicks with it could create extrea angle difficulty.

[HUMCALC]

Something no one has mentioned in all of this mess is the fake PAT for two.

Most coaches would probably rather line up with a regular offensive play for two. But fakes have been done a lot.

So I guess no more fake PAT's since it would be from the 25?

Also are FG's inside the 25 not necessary? They would be automatic too right? So you shouldn't be able to do them.

I think Goodell is just continuing to ruin the NFL with changes like this and invent his own sport.

If it's so automatic then why not try something like rugby. If you score inside the left pylon then attempt the PAT from outside the left hash mark. It would still be extremely short but depending on which foot your kicker kicks with it could create extrea angle difficulty.

Ebsoria spoke about how difficult it would be to do a fake, if this went through

[DenverBlood]

Ebsoria spoke about how difficult it would be to do a fake, if this went through

Yeah I misread his statement.