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According to Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports, the NFL is moving back the spot of the ball for extra points from the 2 to the 15 yard line. However the proposals by both the Eagles and the NFL's competition committee to move the spot of the ball for 2-point conversions to the 1 yard line were rejected. This change was approved during the NFL owner's meetings in California. A three-fourths majority (24 owners) was needed for passage.
NFL owners approved a change to extra point: Kicks from the 15, 2-point conversions stay at the 2, source says.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) May 19, 2015
Additionally, defenses can now return the conversion for a score:
BREAKING: NFL changes PAT rule for 2015. Kicks will be from 15-yard line, 2-point try will stay at 2-yard line & defense can return.
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 19, 2015
A total of three proposals to change the extra point were made: one by the New England Patriots, one by the league's competition committee, and one by the Philadelphia Eagles. The one by the competition commitee has passed. These were the proposals:
"New England has suggested snapping the ball from the 15 for a one-point kick, meaning a 32- or 33-yard conversion, or placing the ball at the 2-yard line for a 2-point try.
Philadelphia proposes snapping from the 15 for the kick, but moving the ball to the 1 for a 2-point conversion. The Eagles also want the defense to be able to score the points if it returns a turnover on the 2-point conversion to the other end zone.
The competition committee offers the same as the Eagles, except the 2-point conversion would come from the 2-yard line."
As of the 2014 season, extra point kicks took place from the 2-yard line. Now the kick will be moved back in an effort to make the attempts less automatic. There is reason to believe that the change will have minimal effect:
NFL kickers made 34 of 35 field goals (97.1%) when the line of scrimmage was the 15-yard line and they made 84 of 88 (95.5%) when the line of scrimmage was between the 14- and 16-yard lines in 2014.
The Eagles proposal to change the 2-point conversion was interesting. That the defense can score adds some extra excitement to the game. Then there's the Tim Tebow factor. Reports indicate the Eagles could experiment with Tebow as a short-yardage specialist had the rule been changed.
What do you think of the change?