NFL Extra Point Rule Change

The NFL owners voted to change how extra points will work for the 2015 season. I, for one, am furious. PATs being boring simply isn't a real problem. Here's the rule change:

- PATs will now be taken from the 15-yard line (essentially a 33-yard FG)
- 2-point attempts will still be taken from the 2 (wait, what?)
- Extra point attempts will be returnable for 2 points, in the case of a turnover or missed kick (like in college; I love this wrinkle actually)

This rule change is dumb, for a variety of reason:

1) The extra point is supposed to be a free point (hell, NFL Blitz just let you click a button to get the free point). If you ask anyone (who isn't being an asshole for the sake of technicality), a touchdown is worth 7 points. It's not 6 points, and then a 33-yard field goal. The numbers I've seen have varied, but a PAT is made around 99+% of the time, and a 33-yard field goal is made somewhere around 93% of the time. That means there is around a 1 in 14 chance that your team will drive down the field for a miraculous game-tying touchdown, and your kicker will just miss the PAT. Think about that for a second. Speaking of which...

2) This is going to get a kicker killed. As if their jobs aren't stressful enough, the NFL has placed even more responsibility in the hands of the kicker. In my opinion, the sport is more interesting when we minimize the effects of the kicker on the game, but the owners seem to disagree with me.

3) Let me get this straight: if you go for two points you get the ball at the two, but if you elect to kick you get it at the 15? Sounds convoluted. Almost as convoluted as the current overtime rules. But seriously, when else in the game can you just decide to get 13 free yards?

4) Are PATs really that boring? Or are they boring because they are often sandwiched between two commercials? But the NFL would never dare cut into that profitable commercial time. To them, it's better to bastardized NFL football with Arena-football-esque rules than to cut into profits in a logical way. Who's to say the owners won't decide to shrink the goalposts at some point, because it's not exciting enough as it is?

5) Andy Reid's head might explode. He was still mastering the old two-point conversion charts, and now the owners throw this on him.

6) This doesn't mean there will be more 2-point conversion attempts. Just more missed PATs. I'm not the only one with this opinion. Coaches are so conservative they will continue to just kick the PAT.

 

7) I love the returnable extra point rule. This isn't a complaint. I just wish this was the only change. It's a great in college football, even though it rarely ever happens. It's a potential four point swing on one play.


Luckily, this rule, will only apply to next season. In 2016, the owners will vote again. I'm just hoping enough high ranking owners get boned by this rule this year (cough...the Patriots missing the playoffs on a missed PAT...cough) that they don't bring it back.