Giants' kicker Josh Brown excited for new extra point rules

On Tuesday, the NFL decided that the placement of the football on extra points will be moved from the two to the 15-yard line. Points after touchdowns will different than we've come to know them. Although the change is sure to make Giants kicker Josh Brown's job more difficult, he's looking forward to it.

“I’m excited about it,” Brown said to Michael Eisen of Giants.com on Tuesday. “I believe it adds higher value to a person that come out in December in bad weather and still be consistent. Those qualities are still very exciting to me. It’s a play that you won’t turn the TV off for anymore. Every point matters in this game and now with the longer extra point, there’s added difficulty to it. It’s not a gimme. There are levels of excitement that are going to make the game more appealing when scores are very, very tight.”

Brown is right. The now 33-yard PAT attempt is no longer a lock, especially in the windy MetLife Stadium during the thick of the winter. A kicker's job is rarely about the glory. You are either successful in your attempt, or you run the risk of becoming the easy target to blame. Still, the new rule change certainly adds more value to Brown's position, and he is wise to acknowledge and appreciate that.

“You have to stay alert now,” said Brown, who is entering is third season with the Giants. “We’re talking 33 yards. Lots of things can happen. Guys push PATs all the time that barely go inside the uprights. This is a field goal. It isn’t a PAT anymore. There’s a lot more value on it just the point that is at stake. And late in the season, weather’s really going to come into play. Frame of mind, consistency – coaches are going to have to make decisions based on the health of the kicker, how’s he been kicking, where’s his head? Maybe he missed on earlier in the game that was shorter than 33. All of these things are going to come into play. It really raises the bar for field goal kickers and their mental state.

“I think it places a higher demand on field goal kickers to be more consistent throughout the season. It really demands you to stay in tune in the game. I think a lot of guys do stay in tune, but they also get the option sometimes after touchdowns to take the play off, because it’s such a short attempt, typically, in the past, and you’re not all there.”

Brown admits that the new PAT attempt won't be that much more difficult, but it will require a new mindset for every kicker who has taken for granted what was formerly a 20-yard attempt.

“I don’t think your mindset changes completely,” Brown said. “I just don’t think you can take the down off. You have to play it as a field goal. My frame of mind has always been, every kick is a winning kick. Every kick is important. That doesn’t mean I haven’t taken PATs off. I have, admittedly. I think this is one of those things where players aren’t going to have the ability to do that anymore.

“It’s not hard at all,” he said. “You have to make good contact, you have to get through the ball. It’s not a distance thing. It’s a matter of kicking it as you would a 50-yarder, or a 45-yarder. You have to hit the ball well. You can’t just slough through.”

Brown believes that the greatest impact this rule will have is on teams that play their late-season home games in inclement climates.

“It’s going to be interesting when the weather changes,” Brown said. “There are certain teams that aren’t going to have that factor. This could be wins and losses. This could mean playoff contention. This is a big, big, big move. And as we saw last preseason, percentages dropped. It’s going to be rapid. Especially for guys that are dome kickers and don’t get to acclimate consistently outdoors. You come up to Buffalo, you come up here, you go to Minnesota, you go to Denver in the middle of December and you get a gusty day and you kick from 33 yards, there’s a possibility you’re going to miss.

“I need to be focused and you need to trust me, and the value on having a good kicker is increased for those specific teams in those areas where weather can be an issue.”

In the end, Brown is pleased with the idea that this rule change will add competitiveness, drama and excitement to the game of football.

“As a player, ultimately, you want to leave the game better than you found it,” he said. “And I think that has a number of different meanings. But this can be a good addition to the game. You try to find ways to make it more appealing and competitive and I think this is a good start to that. There have been so many rule changes in the last five or six years based on just safety. Those are all very important. But I think now adding something that can ultimately add some drama and some excitement to the game is a nice change.”

Brown will get his first opportunity to kick a live 33-yard extra point against the Cowboys in prime time on the first Sunday of the 2015 NFL season.

(h/t New York Giants)

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