Horse Droppings: NFL Changes Extra Point Rules, Broncos Barth Approves

The Denver Broncos and the rest of the NFL got a bit of fun news on Tuesday as the league announced it would be making some (pretty drastic) changes to extra point rules starting in the 2015 season.

In this edition of Horse Droppings — crap you want to know about the Denver Broncos — we take a look at said new rules as well as one particular Broncos player’s reaction, and what he says it’ll do to the value of his position moving forward.

You don’t want to miss it, but let’s start here:

The Broncos placed two players in the top 10 of Pro Football Focus’ final player rankings, and neither is Peyton Manning. Who knew? Also, they ranked Chris Harris Jr. as the number one cornerback in the NFL, and the third best defender in the league behind only J.J. Watt and Justin Houston.

And Harris signed with the Broncos on a hometown discount.

What a guy!

Perhaps Demaryius Thomas — not on the list — should take note and do the same.

Do the Broncos Have More Wheeling/Dealing to Do?

Oct 23, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos running back Ronnie Hillman (23) carries the ball in the third quarter against the San Diego Chargers at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Are the Broncos done wheeling and dealing? Could they trade a running back? What about Andre Caldwell? We look at both scenarios here at Predominantly Orange, starting with my theory that there maybe too many backs in the stable. Tylor Walden then takes a look at whether or not Andre Caldwell could be on the chopping block…

There is definitely validity to both theories, as the Broncos seem to have plenty of depth at running back and at WR/STs where Caldwell makes his most significant impact. If John Elway deemed it necessary, he could save a nice chunk of change by shedding Caldwell’s contract one way or another.

NFL Moves Extra Points, Changes Rules

The extra points have been moved from the 2-yard line to the 15-yard line, increasing the difficulty and significantly increasing the odds that games could be decided by extra points, now.

As Broncos kicker Connor Barth said — and proved last season — most kickers can make 32-33 yard kicks in their sleep. He is apparently one of them, as he did not miss from that range last year at all. Also included in the rule change is the opportunity to score 2 points for the defense, which can now return a blocked kick or intercepted pass for.

The rule has been that way at the collegiate level for a long, long time. The NFL was foolish not to have adopted it. As it pertains to the new extra point rules, Broncos kicker Connor Barth wasn’t overly impressed, per the Denver Post (above). Perhaps unintentionally, he took a little dig at Brandon McManus in addition to the new rule:

“It would weed out the strong-legged kickers who aren’t accurate,” he said. “It would make our value go up.”

I’m a bit confused, because the article from the Post seems like Barth doesn’t like the rule, but if the value of kickers went up, that seems like a good thing for him. Especially since he was the better field goal kicker last year between he and Brandon McManus.

At any rate, the Broncos are certain to do more planning for 2-point conversion plays, and that’s something Gary Kubiak can attest to.

Other Things

The Broncos have so many wide receivers on the roster, it was easy for me to pass over that position group and not really dissect it, but there will be at least two or three new players on the roster this year at that position that weren’t last year, or at least at the end of last year.

After Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, Cody Latimer, and Andre Caldwell, there are a lot of guys who were UDFAs last year, futures pickups, and UDFAs this year. There aren’t any veteran free agent pickups or draft picks.

That position will provide some fun competition this year.

Next: Broncos Could Trade a Running Back