Should the NFL Eliminate Extra Points?

The extra point has become virtually automatic in NFL games. So automatic, in fact, that the league is considering doing away with it.

According to media reports, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is considering a proposal that would make a touchdown worth seven points, and then add another scoring option.

Speaking Monday to nfl.com, the commissioner noted that there were only five missed extra points out of about 1,200 attempts in the 2013 season. "So it's a very small fraction of the play, and you want to add excitement with every play," Goodell said.

The commissioner added: "There's one proposal in particular that I've heard about. It's automatic that you get seven points when you score a touchdown, but you could potentially go for an eighth point, either by running or passing the ball, so if you fail, you go back to six."

Someone who likes the idea is New England Coach Bill Belichick. "I would be in favor of not seeing it be an over 99 percent conversion rate. It's virtually automatic. That's just not the way the extra point was put into the game."

The discussion comes as the league is preparing for the 2014 Super Bowl, which is scheduled for Feb. 2 in East Rutherford, N.J. However, no timetable was given for dealing with the extra point situation.

However, tinkering with this situation would also be altering some of the game's fundamentals, such as making a touchdown worth something other than six points.

-- What do you think? Should the NFL eliminate extra point kicks? Tell us in the comments below.

See also:

• When Does 2014 Super Bowl Start?