Kicker Kai Forbath says he won't have to change his approach with the league-approved extra point rule change, which moves PATs back 13 yards.
When the NFL announced the new extra point rules for the 2015 season -- moving back the extra point 13 yards -- the tinkering was an attempt to make a nearly automatic play more difficult, and therefore more entertaining.
If Redskins kicker Kai Forbath has anything to say about it, the PAT, at least from his kicking perspective, should remain nearly automatic, and therefore give fans more of the same.
"It's a makeable kick," Forbath said after OTA practice Wednesday. "But if you miss one, they're going to go for two [points] a lot more often now. So, it's just like every other kick, it's going to be the same thing every time. [I'm] not too concerned about it."
Back in May, NFL owners approved moving the extra point kick back to the 15-yard line, the equivalent to about a 33-yard kick, while keeping the two-point conversion at the two-yard line. If the defense returns a blocked extra point or takes away a failed two-point try for a touchdown, they will be awarded two points. Under the previous rule the ball was dead on a failed try.
"I don't know how much it affects us," Redskins longsnapper Nick Sundberg said. "I think it affects the NFL quite a bit. A lot more teams are going to be going for two [point conversions]. Maybe we might have ten more misses a year, but it's still a pretty solid kick that most guys are going to make."
"I think pretty much every [kicker] who has a job in this league can make a 32-yarder pretty consistently," Forbath said.
The numbers back him up. Kickers have made 99.5 percent of PATs over the last four seasons. Last season, kickers made 90.1 percent of field goals between 30 and 39 yards.
Since 2012, Forbath has only missed two kicks in 20 attempts between 30 and 39 yards. And, as he begins to gear up for more kicks in that range, Forbath says he won't have to change anything in his training.
"I've always kicked PAT's like I kick 50-yarders," Forbath said. "It's the same swing every single time. For me, it's the same thing."
There may be certain factors that come into play – colder weather, windy conditions, overall special teams play – that corner coaches into utilizing a two-point attempt more often.
And without a template to see how other teams have used the change to their advantage, head coach Jay Gruden is still unsure about how he'll approach scoring plays.
"As far as changing the way we do things because of the new extra point, we'll obviously study the two-point conversion a lot more – defending it and obviously trying to get it," Gruden said. "As far as how many times we'll do that, we don't know yet, but we'll see."
Luckily for Sundberg, he won't have to change anything.
"It's still eight yards," he said, referencing the distance he has to snap the ball. "It's still eight yards."
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