Extra Points Going the Way of the Dodo?

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

There are a lot of pressing issues in the NFL nowadays, but the kicking of extra points is not one of them.

A couple days ago in an interview with Rich Eisen on the NFL Network, Roger Goodell said the NFL Competition Committee may get rid of the point-after altogether. Under adjusted rules, a team would get seven points for a touchdown and have the option to convert for an eighth point by throwing or running the ball into the endzone. If the team failed at the conversion, the touchdown would be bumped back down to six points.

Now, for those of you who know me and know me well, you know that I have a very strong affinity for kickers in the NFL. The only jersey I have of an active player is that of Stephen Gostkowski. Him and David Akers are two of my favorites, and I love what the position brings to the game. So I may be a little bias here.

Goodell says in the interview that extra points are "almost automatic," and he is absolutely right. The Washington Post reported that since 2004, kickers in the NFL have made 99.1% of their extra point attempts. This past season there was a total of five missed point-afters out of 1,261attempts.

But so what if it's automatic? It can't be a safety thing, as Goodell says. It has to be something he and the Competition Committee perceive would make the game more entertaining, as extra points are probably the least hazardous plays that occur over the course of a football game.

But if Goodell wants to make the game more entertaining, what did he do to kickoffs? Fans aren't able to watch guys like Devin Hester make some of the most exciting plays that the game has ever seen on kickoffs anymore.

Although, were it not for Rob Gronkowski being on the field for an extra point last season, the Patriots probably would have won the Super Bowl. But still...

I would, however, be open to the league changing WHERE the extra point is kicked from. If they move it back to the 20- or 25-yard line to make the kick a little tougher, I can understand that somewhat.

But as the league stands right now, there are more important areas of the game that need to be focused on; Concussions, pass interference, Richard Sherman, playing the Super Bowl in New Jersey, etc.

It's probably just an idea right now that doesn't really have any traction, and I hope it stays that way. I want to see my precious kickers on the field as often as possible, but most of all I don't want the NFL to complicate things more than it needs to.