Tomlin gives suggestion Steelers won't be shy about going for 2

Tomlin gives suggestion Steelers won't be shy about going for 2

By Mark Kaboly
Tuesday, May 26, 2015



Good for 2

Steelers have the highest conversion rate on 2-point conversions since 2001:

Team Conv.-Att. %

1. Steelers 16-22 72.7

2. Bears 21-29 72.3

3. Rams 19-30 63.3

4. Titans 16-27 59.3

5. Giants 15-26 57.7

Practice is all about routine, at least with the Steelers.

So it came as no surprise that, during the team phase of the offseason's first organized team activities Tuesday, the offense huddled near the 20-yard line — that's what it always does.

Coach Mike Tomlin, however, had other ideas.

The Steelers, coming off their best offensive season in franchise history, gathered as a full unit for the first time in more than five months, and their first drill was practicing 2-point conversions.

“Coach told me we were going to do it, and I was a little prepared for it,” quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said. “It was a little surprising knowing that we haven't put in red zone yet and they haven't put in red-zone defense yet. That's going to be a big part of the game now: teams consciously going for two or at least debating it.”

Tomlin addressed the team before the start of the drill.

“We are not going to talk about it,” he said. “We are just going to do it.”

The NFL last week amended its extra-point rule, pushing back the ball 13 yards. That makes what was a 20-yard kick 33 yards. Kickers converted point-after attempts more than 99 percent of the time last season.

The numbers don't suggest there will be much difference in converting Pats* — kickers made 32 of 33 field goals from 33 yards away last season — but Tomlin could be contemplating attempting more 2-point conversions than longer extra points.

And why not? Tomlin has been successful with 2-point conversions during his eight years as Steelers coach. The Steelers are 10 of 13 converting 2-point conversions under Tomlin, including all four attempts last year.

Since 2001, the Steelers lead the league in 2-point percentage at 72.7 percent, according to ESPN Stats and Info. The New York Jets are last in the league at 27.7 percent.

“It's a long way in football, especially when there isn't a long way to stretch the field,” Roethlisberger said. “This new rule is such an advantage to domed teams and fair-weather teams.”

Roethlisberger was one of 90 players in uniform for the start of OTAs. Coming off a season in which he led the league in passing and had his best statistical season of his career that included back-to-back six-touchdown games, Roethlisberger nonetheless pointed out areas in which the offense needs to improve.

“We want to improve on third downs,” Roethlisberger said. “We want to improve in the red zone. We want to score more points. Some guys had some really amazing individual seasons last year, and we had a good season as an offense in general, but there is also room to improve.”

The Steelers would return all 11 starters on offense for the first time since 1982 if Martavis Bryant doesn't unseat Markus Wheaton as the No. 2 receiver.

That means the Steelers will have the same players in place that put up a team-record 436 points last year.

to read rest of article:

http://triblive.com/sports/-topstories/8441011-74/roethlisberger-brady-steelers#ixzz3bJjJaUAe

My vote all season long

tomlin headed up the proposal to the competition committee to move the ball to the 1 yd line for 2 pt attempts.

bring back randle-el!

Honestly I still don't understand why teams with a rate well over 50% didn't go for 2 already.

Let's take the Titans for example who have a rate of 60% during the years going for 2. If they score 50 TD's in a season and they would have gone for 2 all the time, they would have gotten 60 points out of that while only 50 when going for 1.

remember that time tomlin went for 2 from the 12 yard line?

that sucked...

I've always believed that it's best to let the circumstances of the game dictate your decision on going for 1 or 2.

It's an aggressive mindset to got for 2 "most of the time" and I'm pretty sure some coaches will.
(Chip Kelley comes to mind).

I don't like to chase points later in the game to make up for an early failed 2 point attempt.

tony hipchest wrote:

remember that time tomlin went for 2 from the 12 yard line?

Tomlin: "I don't live in my fears, at that juncture we were obviously looking for a definitive splash play there. you know we as coaches know that we are going to be judged by those calculated decisions that you make, but I think if you die, you die with your boots on.”

Hawaii 5-0 wrote:

tony hipchest wrote:

remember that time tomlin went for 2 from the 12 yard line?

Tomlin: "I don't live in my fears, at that juncture we were obviously looking for a definitive splash play there. you know we as coaches know that we are going to be judged by those calculated decisions that you make, but I think if you die, you die with your boots on.”

bring back kris brown so we gotta go for 2 every time

Rossi: Changed Pats* look like sure things with Steelers K Suisham

Steelers kicker Shaun Suisham has converted 60 of 71 (84.5 percent) field-goal attempts between 30 and 39 yards in his career.

By Rob Rossi
Sunday, May 31, 2015

Shaun Suisham sure sounded worried.

“I only answer questions with my holder around,” Suisham said as he walked off one of the Steelers' practice fields Thursday to end Week 1 of organized team activities.

He was joking with that line. So was I with the one before it.

But the real joke is on the NFL because the PAT will continue to mark the professional game's unofficial break point for anybody who isn't actually trying to boot a football through the goalposts.

And that's because guys such as Suisham are way too good. For all of the talking points from NFL officials, GMs such as Houston's Rick Smith yapping about “adding skill to the play,” the point too easily ignored was the skill this league's kickers already display.

Extra points aren't easy. NFL kickers have made them look that way.

They've made mostly all short kicks look easy.

Only one kicker missed at least three attempts between 30 and 39 yards last season. Over the past five seasons, kickers have converted 92.8 percent of 33-yard field goals.

to read rest of article:

http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/8458083-74/suisham-kicker-season#ixzz3bvtf17Tx

Stella Nation wrote:

Honestly I still don't understand why teams with a rate well over 50% didn't go for 2 already.

Let's take the Titans for example who have a rate of 60% during the years going for 2. If they score 50 TD's in a season and they would have gone for 2 all the time, they would have gotten 60 points out of that while only 50 when going for 1.

https://vimeo.com/65921206




.

teegre wrote:

Stella Nation wrote:

Honestly I still don't understand why teams with a rate well over 50% didn't go for 2 already.

Let's take the Titans for example who have a rate of 60% during the years going for 2. If they score 50 TD's in a season and they would have gone for 2 all the time, they would have gotten 60 points out of that while only 50 when going for 1.

https://vimeo.com/65921206




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Steelers explore two-point options during OTAs

By Mike Prisuta

Recent rule changes have given teams something new to think about.

What has become the standard opening to an OTA proved to be decidedly one-sided in OTA No. 5.

The Steelers' first-team offense was unstoppable on two-point conversion attempts against the Steelers' first-team defense no matter who was keeping score.

"Our first group was 4-for-4," quarterback Ben Roethlisberger assessed.

Free safety Mike Mitchell had it "three-zip" in favor of the offense on his scorecard.

What it all means remains to be seen but the Steelers have been nothing if not consistent in their desire to explore their options on extra points now that the NFL has moved the line of scrimmage back to the 15-yard line for point-after-touchdown attempts.

The ball will stay at the 2-yad line for a two-point attempt, and the Steelers have opened all five of their OTAs last week and this week with some exploratory two-point work as a result.

"We’re trying to really get into seeing what's best for us, what's best for our team," Roethlisberger said. "A typical season, you go in and you have two or three two-point plays because you really don't plan on using them too much and if you do maybe you use the second one way down the road.

"This is going to be something where, we may use this 15, 20, 50 times; who knows? You need to have multiple plays."

Defensive end Cam Heyward pointed out all the two-point work to date has been competed without shoulder pads, without hitting and tackling.

"Wait 'til the pads come on," Heyward suggested.

to read rest of article:

http://www.steelers.com/news/article-1/Steelers-explore-two-point-options-during-OTAs/22d8018e-1477-42bd-83ae-bd35dbbef3db?campaign=social_20150603_46932276&adbid=10153446783864905&adbpl=fb&adbpr=146175949904