Pittsburgh Steelers: 2-Point Conversion Every Time?

With the change of the distance it takes to make an extra point for kickers, would going for a 2-point point conversion make the games even more exciting, or would this idea cost teams games as well?

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had a very interesting quote (or possibly groundbreaking idea) while speaking with media before a minicamp this week about how he wants the Steelers to go for a two-point conversion every time in 2016.

Let’s think about this for a second. Either this is the craziest idea in a long time for an NFL team, or it is the most genius idea for a pro football team because it could actually work.

The extra point is now a 33-yard attempt for a single point to be tacked on following a touchdown, making it no longer an all-but-guarantee when the kick was taken from the 2-yard line and not where it currently sits at from the 15-yard line.

That said, the current Steelers field goal kicker is Chris Boswell, who in 12 games last season was 26-of-27 in extra point attempts (96.3 percent), and he was 29-for-32 overall in field goal attempts (90.6 percent) with his longest being 51 yards. He had no kicks blocked with field goals or extra points.

In the ’15 postseason, Boswell played in two games for the Steelers, finishing 4-for-4 in field goal attempts against the Bengals and 3-for-3 against the eventual Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos. Versus Cincinnati, his longest field goal was 39 yards, and he did not attempt an extra point. In the loss to the Broncos during the AFC Divisional Playoffs, Boswell (who started kicking for the Steelers in Week 5) had a 47-yard field goal and was 1-for-1 in extra point attempts.

So in that regard, the Steelers wouldn’t necessarily have to go for a 2-point conversion each time, but then again, it could be a genius idea. A point here or there could force the opponent to make a tough decision late in a game where they would be forced to go for a 2-point conversion of their own, depending on the game situation, as it would make for a great strategic move.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com wrote how Roethlisberger said the idea actually came from his head coach, Mike Tomlin, as the ESPN article stated:

"“According to Roethlisberger, coach Mike Tomlin brought up the no-kick approach last year. The way Roethlisberger sees it, even if the offense converts one of two tries, that’s as good as two successful kicks.”"

Last season, just five teams made 100 percent of their extra points attempt, and they were the Atlanta Falcons (34-of-34), Dallas Cowboys (25-of-25), Green Bay Packers (36-of-36), New England Patriots (52-of-52) and the Baltimore Ravens (29-of-29), with just two of those teams (Patriots, Packers) reaching the playoffs.

The Bengals made 98 percent of their extra points, and for the Steelers, they were 18th in the NFL at 94.1 percent in their team PAT attempts (32-of-34). Last in the NFL were the Jacksonville Jaguars at 82.1 percent (32-of-39).

According to Chris Adamski of TribLive, in 2015 the Steelers attempted the most two-point conversions with 11, converting eight of those attempts (72.7 percent), the best percentage for any team with more than one two-point conversion attempt.

Again, this may not be for every team, but when you have a quarterback like Roethlisberger under center, a running back like Le’Veon Bell and one of, if not the best wide receiver in the NFL in Antonio Brown at your disposal for a 2-point conversion, teams would be smart to try to gain the extra point given on a 2-point conversion.

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Tomlin and Roethlisberger might be on to something. They might be the only ones thinking about this, but they are only one of a few teams really talking about taking the extra chance, though the best bet is there are probably many teams in the league who are looking into this strategy as well and just not talking to the media about it.

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