Let's say you're a head football coach and your team has just gone up 6-0 on its first possession. You have an All-American kicker that hasn't missed an extra point in his career.Instead of immediately kicking the extra point, why not spread the field with four or five receivers and see how the defense reacts? If you think the defense isn't prepared for the play you've called, run the play. If you don't think your odds of success are overwhelming, just take the five-yard, delay-of-game penalty and kick the point after.
What is the downside of this strategy? You might even catch the opposition with its PAT-block team on the field, forcing a time out. Maybe not a great idea for a team that found its kicker at a halftime contest -- I'm looking at you, Texas Tech -- but NFL teams particularly have almost nothing to lose by kicking a 24-yard PAT instead of a 19-yarder. Just make sure, if you run the two-point play, you think it has about a 90% chance of succeeding.
Someone feel free to tell me why this is a bad idea.
