link My opinion, make it more difficult. I have very rarely seen them miss a one-point conversion. It's almost a given. Make it harder to get the "given" point.
I'll play the other side of the card, i guess, with the 'who cares?' perspective. If it's *almost* automatic (and it's like 99.6% successful over the past couple years), why bother with it? Slows things down, another chance for players to get injured or concussed, etc. Players are usually shown to be half-assing it on this play anyway, because they all know it's going to be good. And then you get freak injuries like Gronkowski breaking his arm and missing half a season while blocking on an extra point attempt. We COULD go towards trying to make it harder, but why not go the other way? Make the TD worth 7 points. If you want to go for a 2-point conversion instead, you get 6 points plus the opportunity for 2 more. So basically exactly like today, just don't waste everyone's time with the automatic kick. Been hearing too many crazy things about making it a 40 yard attempt (or more), making the points variable based on distance, etc. Either leave it alone, or get rid of it and make it *officially* automatic. Really no degree of difficulty with FGs of less than 40 yards outside of extreme weather anymore, so you'd REALLY have to push it back to make it any challenge, and then at that point, just going to get a lot more 2 point conversion attempts if it's anything other than perfect weather or a dome. Since the rule change will mean they don't kick it a ton anyway, why bother tweaking the kicking rules? just kill it. But gotta leave the end result of a regular TD (with successful XP or automatic point) 7, because the 7 points vs 3 for a FG is what makes the scoring really interesting, creates exciting drives at the end, and affects gambling as well. Having a TD exactly equal to 2 FGs doesn't seem right, it's the 1 extra point for a TD (or 2 in a desperation situation) that drives a lot of decision making in the game.
Moving it to the 25 only moves it from a 99 percent kick to a 90 percent kick, big freaking whoop. Waste of time.
Give 7 points for a TD. Then run a play with the offense, like a 2 point conversion. You make it in, you keep the 7 points. You don't, -1 so you wind up with 6 points. Other than that I don't mind moving it back to a 45 yard field goal.
I like making kickers more valuable, but making it automatic 7 points with optional 2p conversion honestly makes more sense.
Hmmm...am I the only one who believes this proposed rule change has more to do with more time for commercials?...or am I just being cynical....
Hmm. I can see moving it back, which to me seems similar to the difference in the 3 point line in pro vs collegiate and high school basketball. However, according to that article the 2 point conversion would stay at the 2 yard line. I think that this combination would effectively kill any fake extra point attempts, where they end up with the 2 point conversion instead of the 1 point field goal.
This proposal combined with the proposal where kickoffs are replaced by a punt make me think Goodell hates kickers. Get rid of field goals too if our only goal is "to make things more exciting." I found the Eagles-Lions snow game to be exciting and the uncertainty of kicks contributed to that. Making kicks more uncertain would make it more exciting. Making the extra point automatic would not. If anything, it'll discourage two point conversions. Cognitively, we value a risk of loss far higher than a chance of gain. Making so a missed two point conversion causes you to lose a point would make you even more cautious. Move it back to make it no longer guaranteed, but that's it. Really, this is the first alteration of the fundamental nature of the game structure proposed that isn't even justified based on player safety. It's only "I don't like football as it exists and exists in all other levels of the sport."