In a way, the Denver Broncos leaped to a conclusion.
They leaped. And the conclusion was unforgettable.
In one of the wildest endings in franchise history, Broncos rookie safety Justin Simmons bounded over the middle of the New Orleans line Sunday and blocked the go-ahead extra-point kick. The game was knotted, 23-23, with 1:22 to play.
Denver teammate Will Parks scooped up the ball and returned it 84 yards to put two points on the board for the Broncos, the margin of victory in a 25-23 win. It was the first game-winning defensive two-point conversion _ largely because that rule was adopted only last season.
Instead of losing for the fourth time in six games and surrendering more ground in the division to Oakland and Kansas City, both 7-2, the Broncos improved to 7-3 and stayed in the hunt.
On Monday, the fallout of that memorable play left some around the league wondering whether the risky maneuver _ the Broncos call it "Leaper" _ will cause kickers to adjust their approach, and whether it should be outlawed by the NFL.
"I'm not a big fan of the play, but I also view it as a strategy that has evolved," said retired NFL kicker Michael Husted, who thinks kicking units might have to start countering with hard counts, the way quarterbacks do, in an attempt to draw leapers offside.
"Timing is everything," said Husted, now a coach and consultant for Husted Kicking. "For me, I didn't like having to wait too long for the ball to be snapped. However, if we had a plan in place with two or three hard-count options and I knew which one we were going to use before each kick, then I could be prepared and ready for the snap."
Another possible strategy for the kicking team could be adjusting the alignment to have an up-back specifically assigned to reroute anyone bounding over the line.
The leaping strategy is somewhat rare but nothing new, and recently was used by Seattle linebacker Bobby Wagner, who cleared the long snapper and blocked an Arizona field goal that way in a 6-6 tie last month.
"I think it's dangerous," Cardinals coach Bruce Arians wrote in a text Monday. "To stop it, (the) center has to raise up into the jumper."
In a recent interview with Sirius XM NFL Radio, Arians elaborated on his concerns about the play, even though it's a penalty for the leaper to make contact with the snapper. Kam Chancellor has hurdled the line for Seattle, and Jamie Collins (now with Cleveland) has done it for New England.
"The Competition Committee went through that play and the officials wanted it taken out," Arians said, according to ProFootballTalk.com. "The committee left it in, but it cannot be officiated. Whether he touches, whether it was leverage, was his foot within the framework of the defensive lineman's feet before he jumped, all those things that go into that call, I think it's bad for football.
"Because what you're going to have to do now is start having centers raise their face up and get kicked in the face and things that are just dangerous to the players. I think it's a dangerous play as it is and should be taken out of the game."
It's in the game, though, and now so are the Broncos.
