Chicago Bears kicker Robbie Gould could find himself with extra time on his hands if a new proposal floated by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell goes through.
That proposal is that the league eliminates extra point kicks. Here’s what Goodell had to say about it in an NFL.com interview:
“The extra point is almost automatic. I believe we had five missed extra points this year out of 1200 some odd. So it’s a very small fraction of the play, and you want to add excitement with every play.”
According to the commissioner, the most likely rule the league would adopt if they were to get rid of extra points would be to have touchdowns be worth seven points automatically, but then to give teams the option of going for an eighth point with a run or pass play.
The suggestion of eliminating extra points entirely from the game has been going on for quite some time now, but the league would probably be better served taking a look at some other options. One such option would be to move the extra point line back from its current position at the 2-yard line. If the extra point kick were taken from the 15-yard line rather than the 2-yard line, the distance would go from about 19 yards to about 32, which is a far lower-percentage kick than it is today.
Even if the NFL doesn’t want to do that, then they could explore other alternatives. Keeping touchdowns at six points and then giving the team the option of going from either the 2-yard line (for one point) or the 7-yard line (for two points) could be one way of doing it. Another possibility would be to eliminate the kick, but allow for a team to get an additional point if the ensuing kick-off goes through the uprights.
What do you think of the proposed rule change, football fans? Should the NFL get rid of the extra point, or should they keep the kicker a bit busier?
