Ben Roethlisberger Says Steelers Should Go for 2-Point Conversion After Every TD

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said Tuesday he hopes the team eschews extra points entirely in 2016 in favor of two-point conversions.

"Why not?" Roethlisberger said, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. "Put it in our hands. I want the ball. Any player would relish that opportunity."

Roethlisberger isn't the only quarterback itching to go for two, with New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees also supporting the idea.

"Personally, I feel like if we went for two that we could make it more than 50 percent of the time," Brees said during an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show on Wednesday (h/t Jason Wilde of ESPN.com). "So I'm all for it."

The NFL saw an increase in two-point attempts last season after moving the line of scrimmage on extra points back to the 15-yard line. Teams attempted conversions 94 times in 2015 after going for it on only 59 occasions a year prior.

The Steelers led all teams with 11 attempts, seven more than in 2014. They converted eight times, good for a 72.4 percent success rate that was the best in football among teams with multiple attempts. Overall, teams converted 47.9 percent of their two-point attempts.

"Personally, I definitely agree with Ben and Drew," Packers head coach Mike McCarthy said Wednesday, via Wilde, regarding their comments. "I think especially with Aaron being our quarterback, I would have zero issue as an offensive coach going for it every single time."

NFL teams made 94.2 percent of their extra points in 2015. Mathematically, two-point attempts were slightly more efficient. Each two-point attempt produced an average of 0.958 points, while extra points produced 0.942 points.

Category	2014	2015
Two-Point Attempts	59	94
Two-Point Conversions	28	45
Two-Point Conversion Percentage	47.5%	47.9%
Extra-Point Percentage	99.4%	94.2%
Points Produced Per Attempt - 2-Point Conversions	.950	.958
Points Produced Per Attempt - Extra Points	.994	.942

That's a noticeable change that bucks the trend of previous seasons, where the near-automatic extra point from about 20 yards had a slightly higher efficiency. These numbers don't take into account mitigating factors, such as it being easier to stop a two-pointer when a defense knows it's coming. In the macro sense, it may have always been smarter to roll the dice on the conversion.

Now that the math is starting to back it up, sentiments like Roethlisberger's should increase throughout the NFL. The Steelers are also in a unique situation, as they have perhaps the NFL's best offense. Le'Veon Bell is one of the league's most versatile running backs. Antonio Brown has led the NFL in receptions the last two years, and Roethlisberger is better than anyone at extending plays from the pocket.

"When we get into that situation, we feel extremely confident," Roethlisberger said.

Roethlisberger also speaks from the position of having watched his kicking game leave points on the board time and again last season. The Steelers ranked 18th in extra-point percentage and tied for 19th in field-goal rate. Chris Boswell brought stability to the position after the Josh Scobee nightmare, but it's fair of Roethlisberger to wonder if the team might have better results with the ball in his hands.

 

Follow Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) on Twitter.