http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/could-the-nfl-eliminate-the-extra-point--commissioner-says-it-s-possible-223535426.html

The extra point is the nonalcoholic beer of football: nobody asked for it in the first place; nobody has ever gone to a game for one; nobody really wants it around; but since it doesn't do much harm, it's hung around for decades now. NFL Total Access's Rich Eisen called the extra point the "penny" of the NFL, and that too seems pretty appropriate.

But the extra point's time may be nearing an end. (Nonalcoholic beer, alas, is a separate barnacle.) NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said on Monday that he could envision a time when the extra point no longer has a place in the NFL.

Goodell called the extra point "almost automatic," and he's not wrong. For 2013, kickers attempted 1,183 extra points. Know how many they missed? Five. No kicker missed more than one extra point in the entire season. That's a success rate of 99.6 percent for a part of the game nobody would miss anyway ... well, except for the kickers, and the networks and sponsors who get an extra commercial break wedged in there before the kickoff.

"Are there any plays in the game that really are not consequential?" Goodell said. "You want to add excitement with every play."

Under consideration: a new scoring system that would award seven points for a touchdown. However, if a team wishes, it can go for an eighth point ... with the caveat that if the attempt fails, the team actually loses a point and drops back to six points. It's basically the same system as now, with the presumption that an extra point would be made.

"You want to be careful [mandating a rules change]. Is that going to discourage people from going for two?" Goodell said, saying he wants to avoid "unintended consequences" of a hasty change.

Other possibilities not mentioned could be keeping the extra point but moving the kicking spot farther back, or offering more point values for farther-distance kicks, but that's starting to get into circus-game territory.

Goodell is a fucking Nazi. This is the dumbest thing yet. Worst part? People are going to be all for it.

Totally getting rid of it I wouldn't agree with, but the moving it back I could see. Offers more chance for a miss even if only slightly and if they keep positioning the same if you go for two then it offers a bigger debate of what a team wants.

THAT'S why I like Arena Football better. Here are the Arena Football League's rules:


- The Field: An indoor padded surface 85 feet (26 m) wide and 50 yards (46 m) long with 8-yard (7.3 m) endzones. Goal posts are 9 feet (2.7 m) wide with a crossbar height of 15 feet (4.6 m) (NFL goalposts are 18.5 feet (5.6 m) wide with the crossbar at 10 feet (3.0 m)). The goalside rebound nets are 30 feet (9.1 m) wide by 32 feet (9.8 m) high. The bottom of the nets are 8 feet (2.4 m) above the ground. Sideline barriers are 4 feet (1.2 m) high and made of high density foam rubber.

- The Equipment: The official football is the same size and weight as the National Football League ball.

- The Players and Formations: Eight players on the field; 20-man active roster; four-man inactive roster.

- Substitution: Free substitution is allowed, but some players play both ways either by choice or to step in because of injury. (The free substitution rule was adopted in 2007; prior to this, the AFL mandated a one-platoon system, from which two players on each side of the ball, the "specialists" and the quarterback or kicker, were exempt.)

- Formation: Four (4) offensive players must line up on the line of scrimmage. Three (3) defensive players must be down linemen (in a three or four-point stance). Only the "Mac" linebacker may blitz on either side of the center. Alignment is two (2) or more yards off the line of scrimmage. No stunting or twisting. Offensive motion in the backfield: One receiver may go in a forward motion before the snap.

- Timing: Four 15 minute quarters with a 12-minute halftime. The clock stops for out-of-bounds plays or incomplete passes only in the last minute of each half or overtime or when the referee deems it necessary for penalties, injuries or timeouts. Each team is allowed three (3) time-outs per half. In the last minute of the game, the clock stops if the team with the lead has the ball and fails to advance the ball past the line of scrimmage; this discourages teams with the lead from "taking a knee" (i.e., having the quarterback kneel shortly after taking the snap from center) near the end of a game.

- Movement of the Ball and Scoring: Four (4) downs are allowed to advance the ball ten (10) yards for a first down, or to score. Six (6) points for a touchdown. One (1) point for a conversion by place kick after a touchdown, two (2) points for a conversion by drop kick and two (2) points for successful run or pass after a touchdown. Three (3) points for a field goal by placement or four (4) points for a field goal by drop kick. Two (2) points for a safety.

- The Kicking: Kickoffs are from the goal line. Kickers may use a one-inch tee. All kicks must be made by either place kick or drop kick; punting is prohibited. The receiving team may field any kick that rebounds off the net and/or lands in the field of play. Any kickoff untouched which is out of bounds or hitting an overhead structure (i.e. scoreboard) will be placed at the 20-yard line or the place where it went out of bounds, whichever is more advantageous to the receiving team. If a kickoff goes beyond the end zone and stays in bounds (such as kicking it into the field goal "slack net" or if the ball goes under the net), the ball will come out to the 5-yard line. The touchback is not automatic; players must attempt to advance the ball out of their own end zone if it is caught there. The same is true if a missed field goal attempt goes beyond the end zone and under the net. If the receiving player chooses not to take the ball out of the endzone (takes a knee) or is tackled in the endzone, the ball is placed on the 2½-yard line. Any field goal or extra point attempted by drop kick is worth one additional point (thus 4 points for a drop-kicked field goal or two for drop-kicked conversion). (Drop kicks are extremely rare in actual play.)

- Passing: Passing rules in Arena Football are the same as outdoor NCAA football in which receivers must have one foot inbounds. A unique exception involves the rebound nets. A forward pass that rebounds off of the endzone net is a live ball and is in play until it touches the playing surface.

- Overtime Rules: Overtime periods are 15 minutes during the regular season and the playoffs (teams get 3 timeouts per 2 OT periods). Each team gets one possession to score. If, after each team has had one possession and one team is ahead, that team wins. If the teams are tied after each has had a possession, the next team to score wins. If a game is still tied after 15 minutes a new period will begin and play continues in true sudden death thereafter.


Here's the Arena Football League's goal post: