3-Wide: Is it time to kill off the extra point?
3-Wide is a weekly feature in which theScore's NFL editors debate the hot topics around the league. Grab a cold towel and brace for hot takes.
Is it time to kill off the extra point?
Michael Amato: No. There are dozens of ways to make it more interesting. My suggestion is keep two-point tries as is and move extra points back 10 yards each quarter. By the time the fourth quarter rolls around, an extra point will be from 49 yards out. It would make for interesting decisions. Let's say a team is down seven late in the game and drives in for a potential tying score. They would have to decide whether to go for two and the win, or kick a 49-yard extra point to force overtime. Making teams kick from further away makes them less automatic and also encourages them to go for two more often.
David P. Woods: I hate the idea some have proposed of making all touchdowns worth an automatic seven points. Dramatic changes aren't needed. Keep the kick-for-one-point, play-for-two-points model but move the kick back to where it's no longer automatic and move the two-point play up to the 1-yard line, where it becomes a much more appealing option.
Joe Thomson: It seems like there are so many interesting alternatives to the current extra-point system that it's unbelievable it hasn't yet changed. I'm for a two-point-or-nothing system where a team has to either go for two from the 5-yard line or kick a 50-yard field goal that would also be for two points. Does it make sense? Not really. The fun thing is you can make up any option and it's better than what exists now. Also, as always, I have to advocate some sort of multi-ball situation, the details of which have not been worked out.
Should Randy Gregory's positive drug test hurt his draft stock?
Amato: As long as a failed test for pot results in a suspension, NFL teams will always have concerns about players who test positive. Nobody wants another Josh Gordon situation on their hands. Gregory will probably drop down draft boards somewhat and may make a few teams think twice about taking him. That said, a team considering Gregory could look at the bright side and say it's better he tested positive now than once he was under contract, when it would have resulted in a suspension. As long as he doesn't do it again.
Woods: I don't believe many NFL teams care if their players smoke pot, but they absolutely care if their players are smart enough to do it without getting caught. Gregory has known for months that he would be drug tested at the combine and he still failed. That shows a stunning level of stupidity. He'll slide down draft boards – though probably not out of the first round – and he deserves to.
Thomson: Probably. The lack of common sense is troubling, but I don't think common sense has that much to do with running by a guy and tackling another guy. The rigid decision makers that make up sports culture don't court alternative personalities, but many geniuses don't have common sense. There are incredible guitarists who can't drive a car and artists that can't tell East from West. If teams determine that Gregory is a pass-rushing savant, they should draft him.
What team would you like to see on 'Hard Knocks' this year?
Woods: The New York Giants. They're in a major media market, have a head coach who is hilariously befuddled by modern technology in Tom Coughlin (see: his comments on how he doesn't trust the "GPS lady" in his iPhone), a quarterback with a lot of uncertainty surrounding his contract in Eli Manning, the most exciting young player in the league in Odell Beckham Jr. and a charismatic star player on the mend after suffering a major injury in Victor Cruz. The makings of some compelling television are there.
Amato: As compelling as Tom Coughlin's on-again, off-again relationship with Siri would be, I'll go with the Philadelphia Eagles. Chip Kelly runs his practices at a ridiculously-high tempo and his outside-the-box practice methods are legendary. Who wouldn't want to listen to Kelly explain the value of hydration or watch him convey to players the importance of getting 10-12 hours of sleep a night?
Thomson: The Buffalo Bills. Rex Ryan has already proven he can carry an entire season of "Hard Knocks" by his own damn self. Add Richie Incognito, LeSean McCoy, Percy Harvin and an inexplicable front office power dynamic into the mix and you've got yourself some quality programming. Also, the Bills are always a good bet for a crippling early training camp injury.