Buckle up.
Your NFL experience is about to change.
Extra points have gone from 20 to 33-yard kicks. Even if most kickers make 90 percent of their 33 yarders, that means about once every four games an extra point will be missed. Compare that to about once per season, if that, and you have what's called a game changer.
The league didn't go as far as putting the ball at the one or one-and-a-half yard line for two point conversion attempts. That would have really shaken things up by adding even extra incentive for coaches to go for the deuce.
Head coach Bill O'Brien and his staff of assistants are featured in this slideshow.
Still, the one out of ten chance that an extra point will be missed might be plenty to sway coaches to hold up a peace sign after a touchdown and keep the offense on the field.
The scores could get wacky. How do you feel about 22-11? Or 19-15? It just doesn't look right.
But never mind score sheet aesthetics. The real question is how much of a riverboat gambler your local head coach turns out to be. If they had moved the two point line inside the two, then the math would say go for it almost all the time. But a full two yards decreases the probability and takes certain plays out of the mix.
For instance, from the one, the quarterback sneak is a healthy option. From the two, it's likely off the table. From the one, your fullback could get the ball. From the two, it'll take more intestinal fortitude to make and execute a call like that.
The first time a team loses a game because they missed an extra point will send fan bases into therapy and light up talk radio lines begging for the 13 yards back. This is what the league wants: more competitive point after scenarios. They got it, but for one year. They also will allow defenses to score two points if they get the ball and run it into the opposite end zone, a no brainer.
The NFL will only put this new rule in play on a trial basis. However, after the toothpaste gets out of the tube, it'll be difficult to get it back in. We'll be watching it play out with great interest and some extra Rolaids in our pockets.
