Kicking is just too easy

[sheajets]

Nowadays it's almost a shock when any kicker misses from under 50. And I expect anything from 50-55 to go through 80% of the time. A lot of it has to do with improved field conditions, better stadium environments (no more Shea dirt or Soldier Field winds) and just kickers who are more fit and take more time to practice their craft.

Are narrower goalposts inevitable? Is there any other way we can make kicking more challenging?

I would suggest using perhaps slightly less inflated football for field goals. For instance on kickoffs the NFL uses "juiced" footballs that nearly fly out of the stadium. This fits their agenda to eliminate returns. But if you remember in the earlier part of the 2000's, the NFL actually used slightly deflated "dead" balls on kickoffs to encourage more returns and you would regularly see balls bounce at the 10 and 5 yard line after the kicker put all his leg into it.

Would it make sense to bring back those deadballs just for field goals? It would be nice to see the 50 yarder become special again. I remember it used to send shockwaves around the league when someone hit from 55. Now it's ho-hum. it would also add more strategy to the game. Teams now are too comfortable settling on 50+ yarders to tie or win games. Make 'em get closer. Make 'em go for it on that 4th and 2 at the 36 with seconds remaining. Nothing from 45 on should be a given.

[Reaser]

FG's still get missed (see: Lions 5 for 15 on the season, Bengals miss to end OT, Gano's miss in the 4th, etc) ...

Kicking isn't easy, it's just that football went to more and more specialization so there's more kickers every year and in theory the 32 best are in the NFL. So you wouldn't expect them to miss 20 yarders like you still see happen in major college football. I find games lost by missed short FG's much more annoying than games won by made 50+ FG's.

If defense's were actually allowed to play defense then teams wouldn't get in FG range nearly as often, and specifically for the FG"s themselves, there's now so many restrictions on teams against trying to block FG's, these days they can't do a whole lot (for example, as a Jets fan you'll remember "the push" from last season) ... So that's what I would like to see changed, lift majority of the restrictions on trying to block kicks.

Of course, in a perfect world football would be played outdoors on grass, as it's supposed to be.

[superbowlfanatic]

The factors listed above have all contributed to increased FG percentage over the decades.
As a kicker, I think the single biggest factor is the improved specialty of long-snapping, combined with the newer rules to protect long snappers, who no longer have to worry about getting their heads bashed in after the snap. Now, the snaps are so nearly perfect, making the placement so very easy for the holders, that placekicks are virtually similar to "practice kicks", and the only pressure is when an outside edge defender can penetrate, or stresses that the kickers allow into their own heads.
When you watch FG tries and replays, the 3 facets of a kick are seamless and well-rehearsed.
Most NFL's FG attempts that are missed happen because the kicker looks up too soon to watch his kick, instead of keeping his head down on follow through. Nugent kept his head down during his miss in the tie game yesterday - he just choked, and let the pressure get into his head, messing up his mechanics, or aiming/line-up spot.
Cowboys Dan Bailey is a machine, as is his snapper and holder.
But consistent turf helps too - it's still perfect when the weather is not.

[Byron]

FG's still get missed (see: Lions 5 for 15 on the season, Bengals miss to end OT, Gano's miss in the 4th, etc) ...

Kicking isn't easy.

Cowboys Dan Bailey is a machine, as is his snapper and holder.

All true. Bailey said in an interview last season that "it isn't easy" but it is well rehearsed. The better kickers make it look easy--as do the better athletes at any position. I have no issues with the field goal as it is; no need to make changes just because something is done well the majority of the time.

[John Grasso]

If you want to add some more strategy around field goal kicking - on a missed field goal
give the defense one point plus the ball at the spot of the kick.

[Rupert Patrick]

I still like the horizontal top bar idea, a bar on top of the goal post, and it has to go inside the rectangle to be good.

[oldecapecod11]

They sit on the ball, time expires, and you have a 1-0 game. Thrilling!

[sheajets]

They sit on the ball, time expires, and you have a 1-0 game. Thrilling!

Technically you can have a 1-0 game in the NFL today!

[ChrisBabcock]

Technically you can have a 1-0 game in the NFL today!

A forfeit?

[rhickok1109]

I still like the horizontal top bar idea, a bar on top of the goal post, and it has to go inside the rectangle to be good.

It may be apocryphal, but I read a story about Efren Herrera, who was a soccer player at UCLA when he was asked to try out as a placekicker for the football team. In the tryout, all of Herrera's kicks were accurate, but they all went under the crossbar.

The coach told Herrera that they couldn't use him because he didn't seem to have the leg strength to get his kicks over the crossbar.

Herrera responded, "They're supposed to go OVER the crossbar?"