Bengals’ Mike Nugent: PAT rule changed ‘to make players fail more’
Bengals kicker Mike Nugent was critical of the NFL rule change that moved point-after attempts to 33 yards from 19 yards, reports the Cincinnati Enquirer.
The rule change was made prior to this season and four kickers missed extra points in Week 1. Nugent was among them, although his attempt was blocked by the Raiders in a 33–13 Bengals win in Oakland. Nugent made his three other extra-point attempts and also converted two field goals in the game.
“There’s only [one] reason they moved it back—they want us to miss more,” Nugent said, according to the Enquirer. “Whoever came up with the rule got what they wanted.”
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Throughout the NFL, four extra points were missed in Week 1. Eight were missed all of last season.
“It’s a rule that was changed to make players fail more, which I just don’t; this is an offensive-driven league. Everyone wants to see points. Everyone wants to see 65-64. But to change a rule to make less points, it just confuses me, and I completely just disagree with it.”
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Nugent also objected to his blocked extra-point being officially considered a “miss.”
Now in his 11th NFL season (sixth with the Bengals), Nugent has converted 81% of his field goals (192 of 237) and 98.2% of his extra-point attempts (276 of 281).
- Mike Fiammetta
