I think you're absolutely right. I caught some of their game against NO, and it was very winnable. Atlanta did however already beat them by 8 in Atlanta. I think both teams are a little better than their record. Atlanta has lost to NE, Dallas and NO, which are three of the best teams in the league. Other than the horrific loss to Buffalo, Caolina has lost to Philly, Atlanta, Dallas and NO, which is nothing to be ashamed of. Must win game for Carolina if they are to have any wildcard hopes though.
That's the funny thing about the spread. Atlanta's not going to win by 2. It's going to be 10 or else Carolina will win. Too bad you can't do strangles with sports like you can with options.
NFL needs to make a rule change. The extra point attempt after a touchdown should be moved back. As it is, in the NFL, the extra point is rarely a miss. The extra point is a virtual given. This would make many outcomes a bit more unpredictable.
AIR, the "point" of being close is to allow a reasonable shot at going for two. The two point possibility greatly adds to the suspense and the strategy. Coaches look at a virtually sure thing of one, and a possibility of going for two. Plus there's all the unusual stuff like blocked kicks and fake plays. I think it works pretty well.
The kicking game should be eliminated altogether, save for kickoffs and punts. To win a game, much less a superbowl, by a field goal is so... wrong. First thing that comes to mind are the Pats. Yes, I hate them.
Got to disagree with eliminating the field goal. A sucessful field goal attempt is often made because of skill. Field goals are often not a sure thing. The extra point is practically a given in the NFL.
A field goal is attempted after 3 tries for a first down (or other). It is the by-product of failure, or a coaches feebleness to "get some points on the board". Look, you have these fine tuned athletes scratching and clawing and generally busting on each other for yardage. After which you get some soccer player who does not go through the same rigors, in practice or the game, go up and either plunk a ball or completely muff a tackle during a runback... I'm sorry, it's anti-climatic and just plain fucked up for the amount of blood and sweat taken to get to that point. Now, if you want to include the drop kick, which is where the current kicking game evolved from in the first place, I have no qualms about that.
Bellichick screwed up big time. he bet the entire game on one play. he mucked it. what an idiot GO COLTS!
I wil post later. I have to finish writing 1000 times on the blackboard "I will not lay points on the road."