Blair Walsh Seems Unconcerned About Longer PATs

If certain factions within the NFL had their way, the only kicking being done by kickers would be field goal tries. Kickoffs and extra points would be eliminated from the game entirely.

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So far there isn’t enough traction inside the league office to entirely do away with kickoffs or PATs, but the rules keep being adjusted to marginalize those areas of the game.

Kickoffs have gotten moved up to the point where any kicker with a decent leg can consistently boom it through the end zone or at least deep enough to make return men think twice about bringing it out.

And now it’s being reported that that the NFL has taken a step toward getting rid of point-after kick attempts by moving the line of scrimmage back to the 15 yard line, making the kick 33 yards. Presumably, this move will encourage teams to go for 2 more often, bringing a greater level of excitement to the normally routine point-after process.

Vikings kicker Blair Walsh has one of the strongest legs in the NFL, so you wouldn’t expect him to be too badly affected by the new rule.

And indeed, Walsh is giving no indication that he is intimidated by the new PAT kicking distance, as this tweet attests.

But Walsh and other kickers certainly know that their special niche position is on the way toward being rendered almost obsolete. It’s easy to envision a future where kickoffs are done away with entirely in favor of giving teams the ball on the 20 to begin every drive. You can also see a scenario where, instead of merely encouraging teams to go for 2 more often by making the 1 more difficult, the NFL just gets rid of PAT kicks entirely.

Some day soon, kickers may have one job and one job only: kicking field goals. And eventually they might figure out a way to get rid of those as well, taking the “foot” almost entirely out of football.

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