Eliminate FG and extra points from football?

[SeattleUte]

I rarely agree with Frank Deford. But today's essay on NPR was right, in my opinion. He says field goals are ruining the pro game. Kickers are too good. They now regularly kick fgs from longer than 50 yards, now approaching 60. (Interesting factoid: he credits the rise of soccer in the U.S. for this, as now these superhuman kickers all do the socceresque side kick and they're mostly Americans.) Coaches rarely go for it on fourth. 88% of FGs are made. What's the point of trading FGs? Deford says get rid of fgs, and I agree. Also, he says extra points are just a silly waste of time, even more pernicious than fgs and a problem for the same reason -- they add a boring element to the game. Who needs to see those kicks automatically sailing through the uprights?

Discuss.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Fantastic idea.

[FMCoug]

Can we start in college? This season? Right away?

[MarkGrace]

Arizona's kicker hit a 61 yarder this weekend with no problem. It's insane how good the kicking is in the NFL. Then you watch college games and it's almost uniformly terrible.

[MarkGrace]

Can we start in college? This season? Right away?

BYU has already started.

[SoCalCoug]

So, if there were no field goals or extra points, what would be the point of the goalposts? Would those start disappearing?

I kind of like the idea, but the kicks are so ingrained in the history and identity of the game, that there's no way that ever happens.

[FMCoug]

BYU has already started.

We've always been trend setters.

[The_Douger]

Eliminate extra points. They're dumb. Keep 2pt conversion.

FG's are appropriate.

[Uncle Ted]

BYU has already started.

LOL.

Maybe they could just change up the goal posts a bit. Make it smaller, a moving target or something.

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

My stance on kickers has been stated before. I am in favor of eliminating them all together. I think at a minimum you should not be able to kick a FG if you are inside the 25 yard line in the NFL.

[BoylenOver]

My stance on kickers has been stated before. I am in favor of eliminating them all together. I think at a minimum you should not be able to kick a FG if you are inside the 25 yard line in the NFL.

What about reducing the number of points inside the 25? Anything inside the 5 is one; 5-25 is two; 26+ is three.

[Surfah]

I like kicks. I don't want to see them eliminated. I disagree that they are too easy these days. Ask Billy Cundiff. But if they're so easy, maybe they should make everyone drop kick instead of place kicking.

[TripletDaddy]

History is replete with great games that came down to FGs and PATs. Hardly boring, at all.

Kaneshiro and this last BYU Utah game come to mind.
Wide Right.
Automatica Gramatica.

Why the disdain for the kicking game?

[RC Vikings]

I heard Deford also and couldn't agree with him more. It would be a simple fix to making the game much better. After they get rid of field goals the next thing to get rid of is free throws. Have a system like hockey where a foul results in two minutes on the bench. Have some 4 on 3 and 4 on 4 would open up the court and keep the flow of the game going. Free throws and field goals are boring.

[SeattleUte]

I heard Deford also and couldn't agree with him more. It would be a simple fix to making the game much better. After they get rid of field goals the next thing to get rid of is free throws. Have a system like hockey where a foul results in two minutes on the bench. Have some 4 on 3 and 4 on 4 would open up the court and keep the flow of the game going. Free throws and field goals are boring.

I disagree re free throws. Free throws are awesome. He began with the point htat 88% of fgs are made. As soon as free throws at that rate maybe we can talk about getting rid of them.