The National Football League is currently considering abolishing the extra point. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell broke the news to Rich Eisen during “NFL Total Access” earlier this week. Goodell stated that the league’s Competition Committee is currently considering proposals to abolish the extra point for a brand-new scoring system.
“The extra point is almost automatic,” says Goodell. “I believe we had five missed extra points this year out of 1,200 some odd (attempts). So it’s a very small fraction of the play, and you want to add excitement with every play.” The current success rate for an extra point in the NFL stands at 99.1 percent since 2004.
“There’s one proposal in particular that I’ve heard about,” Goodell added. “It’s automatic that you get seven points when you score a touchdown, but you could potentially go for an eighth point, either by running or passing the ball, so if you fail, you go back to six.”
One problem with dropping PATs is that it currently allows a little extra time for the replay of the previous touchdown to air. “Otherwise, I don’t think anybody would miss it,” says NBC “Sunday Night Football” producer Fred Gaudelli. “Come on. The philosophy of going for two doesn’t change.”
San Francisco 49ers kicker Phil Dawson claims PATs should be kept in the game. He tweeted, “Eliminate PATs? Success rate too high? QBs better be careful. The forward pass is becoming increasingly efficient. # penalize progress.”
While some will argue PATs are automatic, boring and increase the possibility of an unnecessary injury to a player, others claim that the PAT is a historically fundamental part of the game and shouldn’t be touched.
Which argument do you side on? Should PATs be removed or kept in the NFL?
