Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger would love the chance to go for two points after every touchdown this year.
It’s an idea that has been oft touted by sportswriters but never seen in real life. After all, even if you only get in half the time, you’re scoring just as many points as you would by converting an extra point field goal after every touchdown.
But that doesn’t happen, now, does it? And now with the lengthened extra points, which only converted 94.2 percent (lowest in decades), the appeal to change philosophy is that much greater.
With that in mind, it’s not surprising that Roethlisberger told reporters on Tuesday that he wants the Steelers to go for two every single time.
“Why not?” Roethlisberger said, via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. “Put it in our hands. I want the ball. Any player would relish that opportunity. When we get into that situation, we feel extremely confident.”
Big Ben has reason to be “extremely confident.”
As Fowler notes, the Steelers led the NFL last year in both attempts (11) and conversions (eight) when going for two. Even if that ratio went down slightly with a larger volume of attempts, the Steelers would still be coming out ahead.
Given the mastery Roethlisberger has of his offense, and given the weapons around him, this is something head coach Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Todd Haley must consider as a viable plan of attack.
That said, NFL coaches are typically reluctant to break away from their comfort zones, so nobody should hold their breath waiting to see the Steelers make the change.