In light of the NFL approving changes to the Point After Try (PAT) rules at Owner's Meetings in San Francisco this week, Oakland Raiders Special Teams coach Brad Seely joined Jim Miller and Pat Kirwan on SiriusXM NFL's Moving the Chains.
Kirwan: Let's talk about the League yesterday changing the extra point play, your concept of it, you've probably been thinking about it for a while. My opinion is it's not going to change very much. I think guys are still going to kick a lot, a lot more than go for two.
Seely: I think you're right Pat. That's the rule. The ball is still on the 2, if you want to go for two, the conversion rate is 48 percent. The kickers are going to have to prove that they can't convert those kicks from the 15.
Kirwan: There were just 5 blocked field goals all year from 33 yards or less. A lot of people are excited that the block turns into 2 points. I think the numbers would have to be radically different. Everyone is theorizing that the weather conditions are going to point people towards the 2-point play. Every team I can remember when they got to the 15-yard line, it was 4th and 1, they took the field goal. They didn't keep going.
Seely: It cracks me up, all these teams that are in the north are saying they're at a disadvantage, they're not at a disadvantage. They're playing the other team on the same field. Let's say you're in Buffalo and there's a blizzard going on, that's going to maybe changing your thinking. The other part of that is, you still have to score from the 2 in a blizzard.
Miller: You're going to have to have a fire call for this [PAT], this 33-yarder, so it's a bad snap or whatever, someone's got to throw the ball into the end zone. You're not going to make it running it or a short pass. Your thoughts on your principles of what the fire call is going to be for the guy who screwed up the 15-yard line 1-point play.
Seely: We were just coaching that up yesterday in the OTA for our field goal team. I said they're going to change the rules today probably and we always have it in there on a PAT in a fire situation – throw it up. Nothing bad is going to happen. Just let it go. Now you've got to treat those PATs like field goals, you got to make good decisions if you're the holder or the kicker with the ball. You can't do a Garo Yepremian, and throw it up in the air, now it could easily be 2 points. There's a lot of what ifs here. It comes back what kind of offensive football team you have. If you got a ground and pound team and you think you can run the ball, maybe you're more apt to go for two than those teams that are going to fling it around the lot.
