The Steelers set an NFL record last season by scoring eight two-point conversions, and coach Mike Tomlin says they may go for two even more this year.
Although Tomlin wasn’t willing to tip his hand completely, he said this morning on Mike & Mike that he’s on the same page with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who wants to go for two every time.
“Our comfort with pursuing it is steeped in our preparation -- it’s part of our practice plan,” Tomlin said. “Having Ben at the quarterback position increased our level of comfort.”
Tomlin indicated that he would have gone for two even more often last year had it not been for injuries to Ben Roethlisberger that forced Michael Vick to start three games and Landry Jones to start two. Tomlin said the Steelers practice two-point conversions a lot on both sides of the ball.
“Because we spend a lot of time working on it, we feel comfortable on offense and defense in that situation,” Tomlin said.
Last year the Steelers went 8-for-11 on two-point conversions, meaning they scored about 1.4 points per attempt, and they went 32-for-34 on extra point kicks, meaning they scored about 0.9 points per attempt. Every time they kicked an extra point, they were leaving half a point on the board. If Tomlin goes for two more often this year, he’s doing the smart thing.