Morning Joe! Eliminating the Extra Point

Good morning Bills Nation,

Today's Joe will be about the idea of eliminating the extra point. According to the statistics on ESPN; the extra point success rate in the 2011 NFL season was at 99.64%. What I don't understand is why the NFL and the competition committee continue to allow this aspect of the game to exist. They change and review everything else, yet this waste of a play remains. It's almost laughable at times when I see half-hearted efforts by the opposing team to block an extra point. It's to the point now, where they don't even try. Just the other day I was watching the AFC Championship game with my wife and the Ravens scored a touchdown and she said "Ravens just scored 7 points on a Touchdown". I couldn't argue with her. Because in my mind I automatically assume seven points.

Check out this chart that shows the percentage of missed PATS from 1974-2007 (it's been about 1% since 2007 to present)

So the truth of the matter is, is that kickers have gotten way to accurate and changes should be made to make this play more competitive. The number of missed PATs is down about 90% from 30 years ago.

Well here are some suggestions that the NFL should consider implementing. Don't be shy, let me see what you come up with.

Alternatives:

1. Moving the extra point line of scrimmage back- Now there are a lot of football purest who don't like the game changed; so eliminating the extra point entirely might be a real tough sale to "Joe Blow the Ultimate Fan". So I suggest moving the extra point kick to the 25 yard line, and the 2point conversion to 5 yard line. Now the extra point is like a 42 yard field goal (10 yards from the goal post and 7 yards from the line of scrimmage to where the ball is placed). Depending on the kicker and weather conditions; you just might see more 2 point conversions; making the extra point try a lot more exciting.
2. Moving the extra point line of scrimmage forward- Now I know no one expected to hear this answer, but by moving the line extra point line up it adds more incentive for the 2 point attempt. Currently the 2 point conversion success rate is about 44%; imagine what it will be if it was at the 1 yard mark. More attempts and teams will think twice about settling for the 1 point play.
3. Narrow the extra point kicking window- If you ever watched arena football, their field goal post is a lot narrower. Now I'm not saying narrow the post, but put a net up there during the extra point that has narrow window. Making the point a little more challenging
4. Change the angle of the kick- Being a fan of Rugby; their extra point attempts are at an angle. If you can somehow change the angle of the kick, it will make the kicker a lot more challenging.
5. Eliminate the extra point kick entirely- If you remember the late XFL, there were no extra point kicks. You had to go for two.