# The NFL has moved the extra point try back to the 15. Opinions? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [September 13, 2015, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nfl-has-moved-the-extra-point-try-back-to-the-15-opinions/731009 "2015-09-13T01:15:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2015, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nfl-has-moved-the-extra-point-try-back-to-the-15-opinions/731009/1 "2015-09-13T01:15:01Z")
I’m all for it. I don’t know what the overall stats are but from the 2 it was just too easy. Now, it’s the equivalent of a 32-33 yard field goal. I’d like to see college follow suit. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2015, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nfl-has-moved-the-extra-point-try-back-to-the-15-opinions/731009/2 "2015-09-13T01:35:32Z")
My suggestion: the extra point try can be taken from anywhere, and in any way, desired, but the opposing team has to do it the same way, like in [HORSE](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variations_of_basketball#H-O-R-S-E). ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2015, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nfl-has-moved-the-extra-point-try-back-to-the-15-opinions/731009/3 "2015-09-13T02:22:18Z")
I hate the extra point. I don’t know what the solution is but NFL kickers are simply too good these days, even missed field goals are rare . Extra points just seem like a reason for more commercials ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2015, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nfl-has-moved-the-extra-point-try-back-to-the-15-opinions/731009/4 "2015-09-13T02:55:36Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > I hate the extra point. I don’t know what the solution is but NFL kickers are simply too good these days, even missed field goals are rare . Extra points just seem like a reason for more commercials I love it for this reason mostly. Let’s make it more difficult and more interesting for us viewers ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2015, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nfl-has-moved-the-extra-point-try-back-to-the-15-opinions/731009/5 "2015-09-13T02:57:11Z")
Stephen Gostkowski will now be known forever in trivia as the first NFL player to kick the new extra point in a regular season game. The only question remaining is, who’s going to miss the first one? ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2015, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nfl-has-moved-the-extra-point-try-back-to-the-15-opinions/731009/6 "2015-09-13T03:02:17Z")
Hate it. There was no reason to make the change and it adds no value to the game. Change for the sake of change is stupid. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2015, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nfl-has-moved-the-extra-point-try-back-to-the-15-opinions/731009/7 "2015-09-13T03:30:30Z")
It should be from the 2, but the snap should be aligned with where ever the touchdown was scored, up to within 6 yards of the sideline. Steep angles would make the kick more interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2015, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nfl-has-moved-the-extra-point-try-back-to-the-15-opinions/731009/8 "2015-09-13T03:31:10Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Hate it. There was no reason to make the change and it adds no value to the game. Change for the sake of change is stupid. I disagree. The old way became stupid as kickers’ proficiency increased to the point that the extra point was automatic. In order to score, you should have to actually do something. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2015, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nfl-has-moved-the-extra-point-try-back-to-the-15-opinions/731009/9 "2015-09-13T03:46:48Z")
I’ll put in as being for it but I’m not sure its really going to make a lot of difference. Let it play out over the season, look at the stats, and ask me again; I may be more definative then. ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2015, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nfl-has-moved-the-extra-point-try-back-to-the-15-opinions/731009/10 "2015-09-13T04:03:29Z")
Over the last four years, kickers have made 99.8% of PATs (not an exaggeration, I looked it up). During the same time period, they made 91.8% of kicks from 32-34 yards. Based on the number of PATs attempted last season (a little over 1200), we could expect an average of 5 missed PATs per week of football. That is, of course, if the same number of PATs are attempted as kicks, which I expect is the point of this whole move, to reduce that number. But it probably won’t change too too dramatically, so we can probably expect around 4 per week. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2015, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nfl-has-moved-the-extra-point-try-back-to-the-15-opinions/731009/11 "2015-09-13T04:18:16Z")
> [@Raygun99](#): > > Over the last four years, kickers have made 99.8% of PATs (not an exaggeration, I looked it up). During the same time period, they made 91.8% of kicks from 32-34 yards. Based on the number of PATs attempted last season (a little over 1200), we could expect an average of 5 missed PATs per week of football. That is, of course, if the same number of PATs are attempted as kicks, which I expect is the point of this whole move, to reduce that number. But it probably won’t change too too dramatically, so we can probably expect around 4 per week. I would assume that the PAT percentage would be a little higher under the new rules since they kick from the center of the field. ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2015, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nfl-has-moved-the-extra-point-try-back-to-the-15-opinions/731009/12 "2015-09-13T04:25:22Z")
Fair point. I don’t know the hash mark will make that big of a difference but then again that data isn’t (easily) available, so it’s a bit of an unknown. Let’s say about 3 a week. ---
**Author:** ![Mince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Mince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mince)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2015, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nfl-has-moved-the-extra-point-try-back-to-the-15-opinions/731009/13 "2015-09-13T04:47:47Z")
Opinion? The extra point will be only slightly more difficult than before and still successful greater than 90% of the time and just as boring. 2-point conversions are significantly more difficult (~50%) and much more exciting. If the NFL and fans are that concerned about the issue, make 2-point conversions mandatory. Maybe award more points according to difficulty, like 1 point from 2-yard line, 2 points from the 4. I’m just confused why this is a sudden issue. Kickers have been kicking the extra point 99% of the time for 70 years. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2015, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nfl-has-moved-the-extra-point-try-back-to-the-15-opinions/731009/14 "2015-09-13T05:14:15Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > I disagree. The old way became stupid as kickers’ proficiency increased to the point that the extra point was automatic. In order to score, you should have to actually do something. The old way offered the possibility of a fake kick to go for two. That’s pretty much off the table now. ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2015, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nfl-has-moved-the-extra-point-try-back-to-the-15-opinions/731009/15 "2015-09-13T05:27:59Z")
Not entirely true. If you look at the stats from some of the kickers in the 50s through the 70s, and even into the 90s in some cases, career PAT averages were usually in the 94-97% range. Even in the early 00s, it was still about a 98% conversion rate. Which doesn’t seem like a big difference until you realize that the difference between 98% and 99.8% is the difference between missing 1 in every 50 (about 1.5 misses per week) and and 1 in every 500 (about 1.5 misses per season). ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2015, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nfl-has-moved-the-extra-point-try-back-to-the-15-opinions/731009/16 "2015-09-13T05:33:27Z")
And I have to correct myself a little - it’s a 99.3% make rate currently, which actually does have a bit of an effect on my math - it’s more like 0.5 misses per week. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2015, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nfl-has-moved-the-extra-point-try-back-to-the-15-opinions/731009/17 "2015-09-14T00:18:37Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > Stephen Gostkowski will now be known forever in trivia as the first NFL player to kick the new extra point in a regular season game. The only question remaining is, who’s going to miss the first one? And the “winner” is Randy Bullock with the Houston Texans! ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2015, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nfl-has-moved-the-extra-point-try-back-to-the-15-opinions/731009/18 "2015-09-14T00:41:55Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > The old way offered the possibility of a fake kick to go for two. That’s pretty much off the table now. Actually, I’d expect more fakes. Having the ball spotted on the 15 gives the kicking team a LOT more room to run one. At the 2 everyone is bunched up far too much, you can’t get a receiver open that close in. ---
**Author:** ![NetTrekker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nettrekker/32/2909_2.png) [@NetTrekker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NetTrekker)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2015, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nfl-has-moved-the-extra-point-try-back-to-the-15-opinions/731009/19 "2015-09-14T02:15:25Z")
> [@Raygun99](#): > > Over the last four years, kickers have made 99.8% of PATs (not an exaggeration, I looked it up). During the same time period, they made 91.8% of kicks from 32-34 yards. Based on the number of PATs attempted last season (a little over 1200), we could expect an average of 5 missed PATs per week of football. That is, of course, if the same number of PATs are attempted as kicks, which I expect is the point of this whole move, to reduce that number. But it probably won’t change too too dramatically, so we can probably expect around 4 per week. What’s surprising is that there aren’t more botched snaps/holds. IMO, they should have increased the distance between snapper and holder to increase that difficulty a bit. ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2015, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nfl-has-moved-the-extra-point-try-back-to-the-15-opinions/731009/20 "2015-09-14T02:27:48Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > The old way offered the possibility of a fake kick to go for two. That’s pretty much off the table now. 😕 The old way also offered the possibility of snapping the ball and then giving it a lengthy sermon on the virtues of constancy, which is another thing that never happened. (Here, this is [the one and only fake kick-PAT I’ve heard of](http://nflfilms.nfl.com/2012/09/04/tdif-first-two-point-conversion-in-nfl-history/) in the NFL, and I was able to find one more through google. It’s just not something anyone ever thought about.) As to the OP: the old way had become a completely boring waste of time. The new way is less of a boring waste of time, therefore the change is good. Easy. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nfl-has-moved-the-extra-point-try-back-to-the-15-opinions/731009.md?page=2)