This here extra point distance thing, it ain’t as simple as it looks, you know? They used to have it closer, but then they went and moved it back. Makes it harder for them kickers, I reckon.
So, after a team goes and gets themselves a touchdown, they get a chance to get some more points. They can kick it, or they can try to run it in again. Now that kick, that’s what they call an extra point. Used to be, they’d kick it from real close. But they changed that, now it is from a long way.
- They can try for one point, just kick it through them poles.
- Or they can try for two, run it or throw it in again.
Now in that there big league, the NFL I hear ’em call it, they got this whole setup. One fella snaps the ball, another one holds it. They gotta do all this from way back, from the 15-yard line, they call it. Then you add all them other yards to the end, where they gotta kick it through, and that’s a long way! I heard someone said it’s a 33-yard kick. That’s like kicking it from here to Bessie’s barn, pretty much.
That extra point, they call it a PAT too, some fancy letters. But it’s just a kick after a touchdown. Now, if they don’t wanna kick it, they can try to run it in from closer. That’s worth two points, if they make it. Two points is better than one, but it is harder to get. So sometimes they go for two, sometimes just one.
Used to be, this extra point distance was shorter. Back in 2014, I reckon, they changed it. They moved it back, made it a 20-yard field goal, or something like that. I don’t know all them numbers, but it was closer, that’s for sure. Now it’s further, from the 15-yard line. Them kickers gotta have a good leg now!
Now, you add that 15 to the 10 yards from the end zone to where the kicker is, and then some more, that’s how you get to that big number. 33 yards! That’s a long way to kick a football, especially when all them big fellas are running at you trying to stop it. I seen it on the TV, they all jump up and try to block it. It’s quite a sight!
If they wanna try for them two points, they gotta start from closer. Depends on where they’re playing, I guess. Some places it’s the 3-yard line, some places it’s the 5. But it’s closer than that extra point kick, that’s for sure. That extra point distance is a long way.
So, you see, this whole extra point thing, it’s a bit more to it than you might think. It ain’t just kicking a ball, it’s about where you kick it from. And that extra point distance, well, it makes all the difference. They moved it back, made it harder, and now them kickers, they really gotta earn their keep. It ain’t like the old days, no sir. They made it further and that makes the one point extra point harder to get.
Some of them teams, they’re good at getting them two points. They got them big, strong fellas who can just run right through everyone. But most of the time, they just kick it. It’s safer, I suppose. But that long extra point distance, it makes it a bit of a gamble. You never know if they’re gonna make it or not.
But they are all strong men. They can kick the ball very far. But sometimes, even with the strong leg, the kick is not good. Then they don’t get the one point. They have to play more to get more points. The extra point distance is long, so the kick is hard.
So next time you’re watching them play that football, and they get a touchdown, you pay attention to that extra point. See if they kick it, or see if they try to run it in. And remember that extra point distance, ’cause it’s a long way to kick that ball! That’s the whole thing right there, that distance. Makes it hard, makes it exciting. That’s why they moved it, I reckon. To make it more exciting for all the people who watching them play.
