4 ways to save the extra point from extinction

It's the most mundane and taken for granted play in all of sports. The extra point exists merely to dot the I's and cross the T's on NFL touchdowns. Over the past three years only 18 PAT's were missed in 3,709 tries, for a 99.5 percent accuracy rate. The only things closer to a guarantee than the extra point are death and taxes. 

Perhaps the most infamous extra point miss was John Carney of the New Orleans Saints in 2003. Down seven late in a December clash with the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Saints pulled off a miracle 75-yard touchdown after what seemed like 20 laterals, only to have Carney miss the game-tying extra point and essentially eliminating New Orleans from playoff contention.

Or this debacle that cost the Washington Redskins a game late in the 2010 season. 

And of course there was this that turned Tony Romo into Tony Romo in a 2007 playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks. Although it wasn't an extra point but rather a game-winning field goal, it still came from the same distance as a PAT.

Those examples stand out, but that's still just three over the past decade. That's hardly enough justification to keep it around and if you are waiting for something exciting or memorable to happen on a PAT, you might have better luck playing the lottery.

So naturally when commissioner Roger Goodell revealed last week that the league was considering getting rid of extra points, it wasn't exactly met by fan outrage. Goodell outlined one solution in particular that would give teams an automatic seven points for a touchdown, with the option to go for an eighth with a run or pass play. If that try is missed you drop down to six. 

That idea literally makes the extra point automatic, but how exactly does it make football more exciting? In that system it wouldn't increase teams from going for two at all and it would just take a play that almost never brings anything interesting, to guaranteeing that it never will. 

So instead of eliminating something boring, the NFL should be focusing on making something boring more exciting. Here are four ways to spice up the kicking game.

Make 50-plus yard field goals worth four points

This was Indianapolis Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri's idea from earlier in the week. It doesn't change the extra point at all, but his logic is that it makes kickers more valuable and a four-point field goal option could create some wild finishes to games, and in the process perhaps take the attention away from mind-numbing extra points. In case you missed it, he's a kicker.

Pros: Creating a realistic four-point play could obviously lead to some memorable conclusions to games, especially if you are trailing by three or four points in the final minute. It could also result in more overtime situations if a team is behind four late and could go for a field goal instead of attempting a low percentage Hail Mary to the end zone.

Cons: Fellow NFL News Editor David Woods brings up a good point when writing up the initial Vinatieri story that teams could intentionally lose yardage in an attempt to get the four points instead of three. However, how often would this actually occur? Teams down by three would hardly move back to create a more difficult attempt and risk losing. Kickers were a combined 66% on field goals from 50 yards and beyond in 2013. Add in the pressure of the situation and that's anything but an ideal scenario. If anything, a team down by four with time running down could slow the offense to a stand still at the 33-yard line and center the ball, creating a tying 50-yard chance.

Make all extra points 50-yard attempts

This one's pretty self explanatory and comes from theScore's Mike Dickson. Pushing the extra points back wouldn't slow the game down at all and would make them far more challenging. 

Pros: Could you imagine the excitement of a team down seven late in the fourth quarter and scoring a touchdown, but needing to hit a 50-yard extra point to send the game to overtime?

Cons: Kicking 50-yard extra points could lead to more injuries for kickers due to the additional strength it requires from that distance. Think of Denver Broncos kicker Matt Prater having to potentially boot seven extra points in a game as Peyton Manning lights up the scoreboard. Pulling a hamstring would not be out of the question and then teams would be left with their punter having to handle lengthy extra points and field goals in important matchups. Still, the reward seems to outweigh the risks with this option.

Force teams to go for two in the fourth quarter only

Instead of the aforementioned NFL proposal of just giving teams a seventh point after a touchdown, force them to go for two in the fourth. If they miss it they stay at six points.

Pros: The NCAA essentially uses this system if there is a third overtime in order to prevent the score from remaining deadlocked. Forcing teams to go for two would create some interesting scenarios and we would likely see some creative play calling.

Cons: How long before Jim Harbaugh blows a gasket when the 49ers are down by seven and score a touchdown, yet lose on a failed two-point play?

Move extra points back 10 yards per quarter

This one seems to make the most sense. The ball is placed on the two yard line for extra points at the moment so leave it that way for the first quarter, but then move it back to the 12 starting in the second quarter. In the third quarter move it back to the 22 and in the fourth the 32. By the time the fourth quarter rolls around extra points are going to be kicked from 49 yards out.

Pros: Moving the kicks back as the game progresses should make the tries more pressure packed as the contest comes down to the wire. Also, teams may be more inclined to accept penalties on conversions instead of kickoffs now if they know it could really hinder the attempt from being made.

Cons: There will be some situations where Jeff Triplette will have to spot the ball.