Saturday, October 17, 2009

A Comment about Points after Touchdowns

I've been watching a lot of college football today (go Penn State!), and I've been watching football in general all my life. I just have to lay out a comment about PATs-- points after touchdowns. Is there any good reason for having them?

Let's face facts here... at least 95 out of 100 extra points will be made in the college and pro level. It's basically a slam dunk, other than the rare blocked or flubbed kick. So, what's the point of having extra point kicks at all if they're basically guaranteed points? Shouldn't you have to earn your points in a game where, for the rest of the game, every yard is a battle? Extra points are a boring way to score, and arguably the easiest way to get a point in any kind of game anywhere, other than a breakway slam dunk in basketball.

Now as you well know, in both the college and pro level, a team can opt to go for the two point conversion, which is a pass or run from the 2 yard line, but it's rarely ever attempted unless a specific situation calls for it. I personally like the two-point play because the whole offense and whole defense are involved in the play and you really have to strategize and fight your way to score.

My opinion would be to go with one of the following two options in order to boost the game of football:

1. Eliminate extra point attempts altogether in favor of a mandatory two-point play after a touchdown,

or,

2. Instead of the 2-point play, make it worth 3 points per score, as a greater incentive to scrap the kick and go for the bonus points after a touchdown.

That's my 2 points, err, cents, on how to make the great game of football even more intriguing.

No comments: