Is the point after attempt really needed?

[Bobs My Uncle]

The Gronk injury on the point after attempt got me thinking ...... has this play become unnecessary? The success rate on these kicks must be in the 98%-99% range.

 

[PatriotsInGA]

Yes it is needed. When kickers stop missing extra points, then the answer will be no. But I have seen an extra point missed countless times each season.

 

[dannydyn]

The Gronk injury on the point after attempt got me thinking ...... has this play become unnecessary? The success rate on these kicks must be in the 98%-99% range.

Have you never seen a game won by one point?

 

[goheels22002]

Gronkowski will probably learn how to block without breaking his arm. This is ridiculous.

 

[RodThePat]

Have you never seen a game won by one point?

A game won by one point in which the difference was a missed extra point? Aside from that Saints game in which Carney missed the PAT after a Stallworth TD in the last second, I can't really recall that happening in the NFL. And even if it does, it's an extremely rare occurrence.

He's not advocating that we just do away with the PAT, and so if you go down the field and score a TD you lead 6-0. From what he said, I think he's talking about just making the touchdown worth 7 points. If that were the case, the vast majority of games would still have turned out exactly the same way.

 

[RodThePat]

Yes it is needed. When kickers stop missing extra points, then the answer will be no. But I have seen an extra point missed countless times each season.

It pretty much never happens more than 20 times in a season, and seldom is the defining factor of a game.

 

[QuantumMechanic]

He's not advocating that we just do away with the PAT, and so if you go down the field and score a TD you lead 6-0. From what he said, I think he's talking about just making the touchdown worth 7 points. If that were the case, the vast majority of games would still have turned out exactly the same way.

OP might not be advocating that, but Belichick has. He's been quoted as saying the play is meaningless and they should either move the PAT line of scrimmage back so it's not as automatic or else get rid of it.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

OP might not be advocating that, but Belichick has. He's been quoted as saying the play is meaningless and they should either move the PAT line of scrimmage back so it's not as automatic or else get rid of it.

Agreed

But in addition the NFL has made many changes to speed up long running games so why wouldn't they want to save several minutes per game by eliminating the point after? Hello, Goodell!

 

[RodThePat]

OP might not be advocating that, but Belichick has. He's been quoted as saying the play is meaningless and they should either move the PAT line of scrimmage back so it's not as automatic or else get rid of it.

Just make it so the TD is still worth 6 points, but you can either accept the extra point without the need of a play, or try to go for two the same way it is now. That way, the element of strategy is still maintained, but the PAT is removed. Either that, or just make people have to go for 2 every time, which would make things far more exciting, in my opinion.

 

[dannydyn]

A game won by one point in which the difference was a missed extra point? Aside from that Saints game in which Carney missed the PAT after a Stallworth TD in the last second, I can't really recall that happening in the NFL. And even if it does, it's an extremely rare occurrence.

He's not advocating that we just do away with the PAT, and so if you go down the field and score a TD you lead 6-0. From what he said, I think he's talking about just making the touchdown worth 7 points. If that were the case, the vast majority of games would still have turned out exactly the same way.

Maybe, but the extra point does add an extra element to the scoring play. Couple that with the 2-point conversion option, and now we're talking something even better. Of course the history behind this play dates back decades, and serves almost no importance at all these days. So I can agree, that eliminating the PAT while increasing the score on a TD to 7 points, would yield the same result. But otherwise, doing away with the point in the absence of scoring alternative, is not something I *personally* think, would make sense.

And just for argument's sake, there have been a couple of other occurrences:

Source - Wiki

The 2003 game between the New Orleans Saints and Jacksonville Jaguars where, after scoring a touchdown as time expired as a result of the multiple-lateral River City Relay, Saints kicker John Carney missed the extra point, giving the Jaguars a 20-19 victory and eliminating the Saints from playoff contention. Another 2003 game, this one between the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was sent to overtime after what would have a game-winning extra point attempt was blocked. A 2005 game between the Green Bay Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers is another notable exception, as the Buccaneers won 17-16, the difference being Ryan Longwell missing an extra point after a Packers touchdown.

 

[patfanken]

I'm not for doing away with the "extra point", but rather doing away with the kicking part of it. Make it into a REALLY interesting play. Here's a way to make every play into must see TV. After the TD the offensive team has 3 options. 1. Put the ball on the one yard line for 1 point. 2. Put the ball on the 3 yard line for 2 points. 3. Put the ball on the 7 yard line for 3 points.

NOW every extra point will be filled with drama. The strategy and 2nd guessing would be off the charts. NOW the defense would have a reasonable chance to stop the extra point, with this chances increasing with every option.

I would guess that PAT's from the 1 would be successful about 80% of the time, from the 3 about 50%, and from the 7 around 30%. One thing for certain though, no one would be going to the fridge during an extra point, and on Monday a good part of the post game discussion would include "extra point talk"

 

[dannydyn]

Just make it so the TD is still worth 6 points, but you can either accept the extra point without the need of a play, or try to go for two the same way it is now. That way, the element of strategy is still maintained, but the PAT is removed. Either that, or just make people have to go for 2 every time, which would make things far more exciting, in my opinion.

Automatic point acceptance would eliminate the option to block the kick. Might as well do away with it altogether AND increase the TD to 7 point automatically (keep the 2 point conversation option in place).

 

[ctpatsfan77]

FWIW, though, remember that the original point of the kick was to *allow* the points for the TD at all: 100 years ago, if you missed the "XP," you got zero for the TD.

 

[BlueThunder]

Would a drop kick from a ball snapped at the 7 be worth 3 points or 1 ?

 

[NSPF]

I agree that it should be eliminated. It adds nothing to the game. It takes cosmic unluckiness to fail an extra point attempt, and while I accept things like fumble luck, or even "referee luck" as a part of the game, a team should never lose a game because of PAT luck.

 

[brady199]

What about my Fantasy Football Kicker?

I find it laughable that people think NFL games need to be speeded up. Is there anyone out there not glued to their TV set every sunday until the end of the game? The longer it goes the more TV revenue they can create. Of course there would have to be a balance, but I don't ever sit there on Sunday and think, damn this thing is dragging. Try watching a baseball game or see how long the last 60 seconds of a close basketball game takes. Now thats a drag.

 

[brady199]

I agree that it should be eliminated. It adds nothing to the game. It takes cosmic unluckiness to fail an extra point attempt, and while I accept things like fumble luck, or even "referee luck" as a part of the game, a team should never lose a game because of PAT luck.

If it was all chalked up to luck, then they wouldn't even practice the snap, hold and kick.

 

[robbomango]

FWIW, though, remember that the original point of the kick was to *allow* the points for the TD at all: 100 years ago, if you missed the "XP," you got zero for the TD.

Interesting fact, wonder why it changed.

 

[brady199]

I'm not for doing away with the "extra point", but rather doing away with the kicking part of it. Make it into a REALLY interesting play. Here's a way to make every play into must see TV. After the TD the offensive team has 3 options. 1. Put the ball on the one yard line for 1 point. 2. Put the ball on the 3 yard line for 2 points. 3. Put the ball on the 7 yard line for 3 points.

NOW every extra point will be filled with drama. The strategy and 2nd guessing would be off the charts. NOW the defense would have a reasonable chance to stop the extra point, with this chances increasing with every option.

I would guess that PAT's from the 1 would be successful about 80% of the time, from the 3 about 50%, and from the 7 around 30%. One thing for certain though, no one would be going to the fridge during an extra point, and on Monday a good part of the post game discussion would include "extra point talk"

Sounds Great....


For the Arena League!

 

[Deus Irae]

The extra point may be the most important play in all of football. Without it, how would people know when to go to the bathroom?