Aaron Rodgers says PAT rule threatens player safety
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers says although the new rule implementing a 33-yard extra point might change strategy and can be exciting, it also threatens player safety.
Thirty of the 32 teams voted in May to change a long-standing rule for the Point After Touchdown (PAT) after NFL kickers made 99.3% of their extra point attempts last season. Now after scoring a touchdown, teams have the option of kicking an extra point from the 15-yard line or attempting a two-point conversion from the two-yard line.
Teams made 163 of their 171 attempts (95.3%) on field goals between 30-35 yards in 2014.
Rodgers, the 2014 NFL Most Valuable Player, says he isn't a big fan of the rule.
"I think it goes against the league stance on player safety," Rodgers said, according to ESPN.com.
Rodgers says the extra point now becomes an important, especially when the weather gets colder in places like Green Bay.
"And it doesn't go for just Green Bay," Rodgers said. "Any place that is cold or has rain or inclement weather, it's going to be an interesting decision. Do you go for the two-pointer from the two or do you go for a 33-yard field goal?
“And with that, the play's not dead anymore," he added. "If there's an interception or a fumble, you can return it. So I think you're bringing some player safety issues involved into that play. It could make it more exciting, but I still like the one-pointer from where it was at."
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