So you might have have heard the NFL made one of the biggest changes to game play in
its 94 season history.
“First the change the field goal from 4 points to 3 points in 1909 and now this, when
will it end?”
Before this season when a team scored a touchdown, they’d start the ball at the 2 yard line
and attempt an extra point kick - or they could run or pass the ball into the end-zone
for 2 points.
This season the 2 point conversion will stay at the 2 yard line, but the ball will be moved
back to the 15 yard line for extra point kicks.
30 of the 32 NFL team owners voted for this rule for one main reason…
extra point kicks have become really boring.
With only 8 out of 1,230 missed last season, it’s pretty much guaranteed a kicker will
make it.
Sometimes the NFL doesn’t even bother to return from a commercial break to show the
extra point.
But why change the rules now after 94 seasons?
Extra points weren’t always guaranteed the way they’ve become.
Over the years kickers gradually have become more specialized and accurate.
Last season, an average of 5 points per game were scored from extra point kicks.
And because over a quarter of all games since 2002 were decided by less than 5 points, this
rule change could have drastic impacts.
What do you think?
Is the NFL violating the sanctity of gameplay, or are they adapting with the times and making
the game more exciting?