When (if at all) should we start 'going for two'?

[brdmaverick]

While the guy has been the best kicker in the league for some time now his recent performance has transformed from a bad game to a bad trend.

With the extra point not being the 'automatic' that it once was at what point would you expect Belichick to start going for two (even when the chart doesn't call for it?

It's too soon now, right, but what if Ghost misses at least one kick in the next two games? Do we start then?

Would it ever be a good move?

 

[HeadHunter]

I don't think it would be a good move to do ever honestly. That would destroy Ghost's confidence even more. And it's already at an all time low. I believe BB is going to have him keep kicking all year regardless to try and get him over this mental block/mechanics issue. I know it's frustrating to watch, I said yesterday in the game thread that I never thought I would be cringing during extra points, but I was and I do on every single one now. BUT Ghost has been such a reliable kicker for us for soooooooo long, and I think that's why BB is going to stick with it this season and try to help him correct it. And while it makes me crazy when he misses, I think he deserve the season to try and work it out. I just hope it does not bite the team in the ass in a big moment.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

I don't think it would be a good move to do ever honestly. That would destroy Ghost's confidence even more. And it's already at an all time low. I believe BB is going to have him keep kicking all year regardless to try and get him over this mental block/mechanics issue. I know it's frustrating to watch, I said yesterday in the game thread that I never thought I would be cringing during extra points, but I was and I do on every single one now. BUT Ghost has been such a reliable kicker for us for soooooooo long, and I think that's why BB is going to stick with it this season and try to help him correct it. And while it makes me crazy when he misses, I think he deserve the season to try and work it out. I just hope it does not bite the team in the ass in a big moment.

He's had the yips twice before. Once he fixed them. The second time was just before he tore his quad.

 

[brdmaverick]

I think we as fans have to re-train our minds to accept that missing an extra point is not the EGREGIOUS offense that it used to be. During the stat that Ghost made his first 523 extra points in his career but missed 3 out fo the last 23. There should have a been a big asterisk noting that 500 of those first extra point attempts were from the 2 yard line (BIG difference).

Even though the kicks are from further our minds still haven't accepted that the kicks are 'missable'. The strange reality is that a missed extra point attempt is actually better than a missed field goal from that distance since it costs the team less points (1 vs 3). If you are like me even though you KNOW that be true it just doesn't FEEL true when it happens. It just FEELS like a PAT miss is worse than a missed FG. Unfortunately for him though he's missing both..........but he's certainly not alone (just look at the SEA-ARI game last night).

 

[chasa]

when there is no time left on the clock, we just scored a touch down, and are down by two points.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

Going for two, with our offense and our QB, has probably over a 50% chance of success. If that is true, we should be going for two a lot more often, even if Ghost were nailing every extra point perfectly.

For example, if we score ten touchdowns and six two point conversions, that's 72 points. If we score ten touchdowns and make nine extra points, that's 69 points.

Coaches are reluctant to change habits sometimes, even if the odds say that they should.

 

[oldrover]

Ironically, I said to my son when the Pats scored and made it 20-13, "they should go for 2."

I was specifically thinking, hey, Ghost is shaky lately, and this way it's a 9-point lead... plus I had confidence Pitt would not find the endzone again.

But going for 2 on a regular basis is not a percentage move.

 

[SalemPats]

While the guy has been the best kicker in the league for some time now his recent performance has transformed from a bad game to a bad trend.

With the extra point not being the 'automatic' that it once was at what point would you expect Belichick to start going for two (even when the chart doesn't call for it?

It's too soon now, right, but what if Ghost misses at least one kick in the next two games? Do we start then?

Would it ever be a good move?

i like this thread. I say with our two TE offense we should go for it every time

 

[archstanton543]

"Not unless the game situation calls for it".

 

[jmt57]

Back in the Paleolithic era when I was in my teens, virtually every high school team went for two. The reason was basic math: over the long run you would reasonably expect to score more points on two-point conversions than on one-point kicks.

At some point in the near future I would expect an NFL coach that has a good offense to decide that his team is better off going for two on a regular basis. The primary obstacle to that happening is job security for head coaches.

Lose a game because of a decision that goes against conventional wisdom will result in so much second guessing that in many cases the coach will get run out of town. It would have to happen with a coach with so much confidence that he's not worried about potentially being excoriated by both the public as well as his owner and front office.

In other words, when Bill Belichick and Ernie Adams calculate that it is logically the best move to make, then the Patriots will become the first team to go for two on a regular basis.

 

[ALP]

we need a regular season game, that we need Ghost to kick a FG w/ time expiring to win

i think successfully making a pressure kick might be the best way for him to get out of the funk (and obviously we need this to happen in the reg season, so we know how to proceed in playoffs)

 

[ALP]

Back in the Paleolithic era when I was in my teens, virtually every high school team went for two. The reason was basic math: over the long run you would reasonably expect to score more points on two-point conversions than on one-point kicks.

At some point in the near future I would expect an NFL coach that has a good offense to decide that his team is better off going for two on a regular basis. The primary obstacle to that happening is job security for head coaches.

Lose a game because of a decision that goes against conventional wisdom will result in so much second guessing that in many cases the coach will get run out of town. It would have to happen with a coach with so much confidence that he's not worried about potentially being excoriated by both the public as well as his owner and front office.

In other words, when Bill Belichick and Ernie Adams calculate that it is logically the best move to make, then the Patriots will become the first team to go for two on a regular basis.

i feel they should have done this years ago

 

[brdmaverick]

One thing I should throw out there is that one negative of going for two regularly is that it gives all other teams a greater sample size of the team's goalline packages (should that play a factor)?