NFL Changes PAT Rule

It was experimented with in the preseason, but now the NFL has passed a ruling to change how points after touchdowns will be attempted.

With a vote of 30-2, the NFL owners decided it was time to add a different element to the point(s) after touchdown (PAT) by voting to move the snap back to the 15 yard line (in essence, a 33-yard PAT try) for a one point attempt or to leave the ball on the two-yard line and allow the offense to attempt a two point conversion.

This will theoretically force coaches to consider going for two more often, since the chance of making a 33-yard field goal is lower than making a 19-yard PAT (92.8% vs. 99% since 2010).

This rule is a step in the right direction to make every single play in football important, but it would make for a more interesting decision had the owners voted to place the ball at the 20 or 25-yard line to attempt PAT's.

Along with this change, the owners also voted to allow defenses to capitalize on mistakes, giving them a chance to return a blocked field goal, recover a fumble, or intercept a pass, and return it to their endzone for two points.

Some kickers are not in favor of the rule change, including current free agent Jay Feely, who took his opinions to social media.

His argument that injuries are more likely to happen may have the correct premise, but in reality, an offensive lineman can be injured on any random play throughout the course of a game (and not to mention slightly inaccurate, as NFL teams averaged 40.4 touchdowns in the 2014 regular season). That's equivalent to saying that the owners should vote to do away with first downs, since there are more first downs than any other downs in a football game, therefore decreasing the number of first downs will decrease the number of injuries.

The NFL is on the right track to making the game more exciting, and ultimately, making it a better experience for fans to attend games, instead of watching them on television from the comfort of their homes and HDTV's.

Could we see the same rule implemented into the college game in the near future? Only time will tell, but with the decreasing crowd attendance at college football games across the country, the NCAA Rules Committee may need to bring this significant rule change proposal to the table.