According to the Toronto Sun interview with NFL Vice president of officiating Dean Blandino, there will be a study conducted by the NFL to determine whether the uprights should be narrowed. The study is expected to kick off this season as the NFL kickers have not been able to make less than 80% of their field goal attempt in over a decade. They have also not made less than 82.4% since 2009. Blandino said that the study would affect both the extra point and field goal. He added that success rates had escalated over the years starting from long snapper to holder all the way to kicker. Studies will be conducted this year.
In order to determine how far inside the uprights all successful field goals and extra points are kicked the NFL will conduct a study that will involve placing microchips inside the kicking balls. However, in the meantime the balls will be used before the season and in case the study is successful the practice will go on until the regular season. According to Blandino’s statement when speaking to the sun, in case the study goes on as planned the uprights will be narrowed in the 2017 season. He added that a committee will hold a discussion regarding the matter and then come up with a conclusion for 2017. He is waiting to see how this year goes on.
During the first year of the NFL’s 32-yard extra point, kickers league wide managed to make 94.1% of their attempts. This is to mean that if NFL does not narrow the uprights the conversion rate of the field goal attempts and the extra points will be affected. This reduces the value of the extra point when compared to a two-point conversion. If the extra points were to drop, the two-point conversion would be appreciated. However some NFL coaches would ignore it out of fear.
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