As the NFL prepares to consider a proposal from the Patriots to push the extra point try back to the 25, another change could be looming that would affect the degree of difficulty for all kick attempts.
During Wednesday’s conference call to present and discuss the proposed rule changes, Falcons CEO Rich McKay addressed the question of whether the goal posts could be narrowed.
“We have talked about that a lot this year,” McKay said. “We have looked at it and I think it will be something that will be talked about a lot going forward. Really, that discussion gets a little past the extra point and starts getting to the actual field goal statistics themselves. We are at a place where field goals are made 86.6 percent of the time. Which is really an amazing thing because in 1970 that number was around 59 percent. We have really moved up. We have had some really good discussions about that. I do not think there is enough momentum to do it this year, but I think there will be discussions with the goal post going forward.”
The Patriots also have proposed extending the goal posts by five feet, which would reduce the situations in which the kick goes over the top of the apparatus. In those cases, it’s harder to determine whether the kick was successful.
Here’s another solution that could make the concept of the field goal more interesting -- put another crossbar atop the structure and require the kick to pass through the ensuing box.
Regardless of what happens, the fact that the NFL constantly is willing to explore ways to change the game shows that the NFL constantly wants to improve the game. As long as that attitude prevails, it’ll be hard for any other major American sport to gain on pro football.