NFL Spin Zone
Fansided

Love or Hate? New NFL rule changes for PATs debated

By Dan Salem

facebooktwitterreddit

New NFL rule changes have been proposed for extra points and the two point conversion, yet no decisions have been made. We play Love and Hate with each proposed change to the game. Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in today’s NFL TD Sports Debate. Two brothers from New York yell, scream and debate the NFL and sports.

TODD:

What is your point-after-touchdown proposal of choice?

It seems as though the NFL is going to change the extra point in some way. It may not be extreme – moving a two-point attempt up half a yard – but it will still be altered. Right now, the argument goes, the extra point is so automatic as to not be worth our time. Kickers are too good.

This is an odd belief to have, that because a position has become too talented, things should be made more difficult for them. Alas, here we are.

There are really a bunch of ideas floating around to make the kick harder or make the conversion try more pleasing, some logical and/or fun, others not so much. Some have been discussed and even trialed, others haven’t yet. Here is where I stand on the options.

Love It:

– Move the extra-point attempt spot back at least to the 15 yard line. Kickers still nail 32-yard field goals like it’s nothing, but this adds the slightest bit of difficulty.

– Make a failed attempt (block, fumble, interception) a live ball that the defense can return for two points.

Hate It:

– Move in the two-point attempt spot. I don’t want MORE quarterback sneaks, AKA the most boring play in football.

– Make the goal posts more narrow. This would be analogous to the NBA raising the hoop height because guys dunk too extravagantly nowadays or MLB cutting two inches off home plate because of elevated strikeout numbers.

– Remove the extra point entirely. Why don’t we also do away with centers and snaps and just have the quarterback say ‘hut’ like in backyard games??

Sep 29, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders kicker

Sebastian Janikowski

(11, left) kicks a point-after-touchdown against the Washington Redskins during the first quarter at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Where do you stand on these options/alterations? There were a few more cockamamie ideas thrown around as well, such as giving teams the chance for nine points on a touchdown if they convert a two-point attempt first. Feel free to kick this up a notch if you are feeling the more outlandish proposals.

More from NFL

DAN:

I’m a big fan of Mike & Mike and have listened to Mike Golic and other former NFL players bash kickers and the kicking game for years. As a player I get it; you don’t want your freaking kicker ruining a victory for you. You don’t want the entire game to come down to whether or not your freaking kicker hits a field goal. Blah, blah, blah. That’s football. That’s the whole point.

Just because the kickers are the outcasts of a football team, the goth kids who sit by themselves in the corner, does not mean they don’t belong. I love the kicking game in the NFL for its simplicity, its fast pace, and its inflated importance. I love that a team can win or lose on the foot of its most forgotten player.

I preface with that because the PAT does feel unnecessary. But because of that, it’s even more important to the NFL game. Getting extra points after scoring a touchdown is a bonus, and considering football is the ultimate team sport, it works wonderfully that the last man on the bench is the man to get you those crucial extra points.

I don’t have issue with improving the PAT, but like you, I take offense to the notion that football would be better without it.

Love it:

– Move the extra-point attempt spot back at least to the 15 yard line. I’m cool with this. Challenging the kicker to earn that extra point will add drama to games. Some teams will go for two a lot, if they don’t trust their kicker. This makes for a more fun experience.

– Make a failed attempt (block, fumble, interception) a live ball that the defense can return for two points. This is a no brainer to me. Muffed punts and kickoffs are live, so blocked kicks should be too.

– Missed extra points cost the team a point. I added this one myself, and I’m pretty sure it hasn’t been discussed around the league. If you want to increase the importance of the PAT, penalize the team for missing. Higher stakes makes for better football.

Hate it:

– Move in the two-point attempt spot. This is completely unnecessary. The two point conversion is fine as is. Giving teams incentive to go for two by increasing the PAT difficulty is the way to go.

– Make the goal posts more narrow. Boooooo. Missing a kick is one thing, but watching it clank off the upright is the worst feeling in the world. Leave the posts where they are.

– Remove the extra point entirely. NO. Football is a game of luck, where the bounce of the ball can change everything. The kicking game is a huge part of this. Don’t take it away from us.

– Change the value of the conversion. NO. I like that football scores are multiples of 7 and 3 on average. A score out of the ordinary indicates a safety. This is not something that needs fixing, editing, or what have you. NFL games are already high scoring. We don’t need to increase points for a non kicking conversion.

Nov 3, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA;Philadelphia Eagles kicker

Alex Henery

(6) hits a point after touchdown during the first quarter against the Oakland Raiders at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports

What am I missing here? Has the game of football become so ho-hum boring that we now need to increase scoring and remove the downtime of kicking the ball? Because the majority of fans watch the NFL on TV, they are subjected to the following set of events.

Team scores a touchdown. Commercial. Team kicks a PAT. Commercial. Team kicks off to opponent. Commercial.

I DVR my team’s games to avoid that sequence of events. But unless you’re going to the bathroom or getting another beer, that is why the PAT feels annoying to fans. Make it more exciting, along with the kick off, and we won’t mind the surrounding cavalcade of commercials so much.

Next: NFL Draft - Randy Gregory smoked weed, get over it

More from NFL Spin Zone

Home/NFL