Are NFL Kickers Choking On XP’s Like They Are Tricky 3-Footers In Golf?

As you may already know…. I absolutely HATE the new NFL extra point. The reasons for this are multiple.

1. The NFL claims the old XP was “boring” and this new 33 yarder makes it more “exciting.”
Well, I dunno about you, but the new XP is not exciting, it’s just fucking annoying when your guy misses one.

2. The XP was mostly stupid when the NFL did NOT have a 2-point conversion. But now that it does, a regular TD should just be 7 points. If you want to try for two, then it’s 6. Traditional football “math” works when TD’s are 7, and FG’s are 3. The risk of going for 2, is perfectly off-set by how sucky it feels to have a TD that’s only worth 6.

3. There’s no logic to a 33-yard XP. None. If 33 yards is “better” then why not 38? Or 40? Why not give teams an option for a 2-point conversion by hitting a 50-yarder?

So… whatever. It sucks, and sadly most hoople-head football fans claim to “love it.” I hope their team loses a playoff game on a missed XP.

Which brings me to my main point: I really think these kickers are CHOKING on these 33 XPs like golfers who choke on short putts.

How?

Look at the numbers. They are crazy. Of the top 20 FG kickers (sorted by total FG’s made this year) there have only been 5 TOTAL misses from between 30-39 yards.

Meanwhile on XP’s from that same “Top-20” group of kickers, there have been 41 missed XP’s!

FORTY-F***ING-ONE!

Now, I know your first response: “Look at the percentages, Czabe, not the raw miss totals.”

Okay, I get it. Most kickers attempted between 30-50 XP’s and your comparison sample of 30-39 yard FG’s is usually between 8-12 attempts.

Still, looking the numbers, there’s no way there is some serious CHOKING going on here. The photo above of Dan Carpenter DOINKING himself in the face with his helmet after GAK! missing another XP is proof that these guys are SPOOKED by missed XPs.

They feel the un-spoken teammate pressure of “don’t f*** up our once-automatic extra point, loser!”

Oh yeah, Carpenter went 23-27 on FG’s this year, and 34-40 on XPs.

You read that right. He missed MORE XP’s than FG’s by a 6-4 margin.

Of the top-20 kickers, a full SEVEN of them missed at least 3 XP’s! Jacksonville’s Jason Myers was a true horror show missing 7 by himself! And he kicks is warm weather Florida, and has two road dates a year inside against Houston and Indy! Arizona’s Chandler Catanzaro missed 5 kicking indoors!

Is this all “great” and “exciting” or “stupid” and “unfair.” I’ll leave that up to you. But as far as wondering if the new rule is – for now, at least – in these guys heads?

That’s not even a debate.