ONE COMMONLY OVERLOOKED part of game planning is defensive reaction to a 2-point conversion. This oversight can often be fatal since, in many cases, when the offense goes for 2 — the game is on the line.
Two-point plays are few and far between. NFL statistics show that any given team will go for 2 points only twice a season. As a matter of fact, statistics show that the NFL went from 116 successful 2-point attempts in 1994 (the year that the 2-point rule went into effect) to an all-time low of 66 conversions in 2003.
Two-point conversions have an average of 44-percent success rate compared to a 95 percent success rate for kicked extra points. College and high school 2-point ratios, however, are higher than the NFL’s. NCAA rules state that teams must go for 2 points after the second overtime period.
2-Point Conversion Philosophy
The offense usually has one of three things it’s trying to accomplish by attempting a 2-point conversion.
- It’s trying to tie the game with a 2-point conversion.
- It’s attempting to take the lead.
- It’s trying to make up for an earlier missed extra point.
No offensive play list would be complete without a pre-conceived plan for a 2-point play. How many defensive coordinators do you know that have similar preparation?
Two-point plays are similar to 4th down plays in that film study of your opponent may not offer any clues as to how they will approach that particular kind of play call. If you’re lucky enough to see your opponent in action on a 2-point conversion, it may shed some light on how their offensive coordinator thinks and what his philosophy might be for that situation.
Preparatory Questions
When you’re making game-plan preparations to defend an opponent’s 2-point conversion, you should develop a checklist of the following questions.
1. How athletic is the quarterback? Can they sprint him to the corner with a run or pass option?
2. How do their receivers match up height-wise with your defensive backs?
3. Do they like to use pick plays or crossing routes?
4. What personnel package do they prefer?
5. What is their best running play?
6. What is their best play-action pass?
7. Will they use motion to pick or flood?
8. Do they move the ball to a hash mark? In high school, with the ball on the hash, the offense will have two-thirds of the field to work with to the wide side.
9. Do they use their base goal-line package in this situation?
10. Do they load up with receivers which removes defenders from the box? With an empty backfield QB draws are always a distinct possibility.
Defensive Reaction
You can ask the same preparatory questions regarding defensive reactions.
- Do we play zone or man? We only have to defend 12 yards of the field.
- Do we use man coverages which are susceptible to picks, rubs and crossing routes?
- Do we bring pressure with a pass or run blitz or do we play a base look?
- How do we adjust to wide formations?
- Do we remove defenders from the box or do we adjust with the secondary only?
- What kind of charge do we want from our linemen?
- Are the linemen going to be in run- or pass-rush stances?
- Do we tighten down on line shades or do we get on the edge?
- Is it advisable to bring defenders off the edge of the formation to get quick force contain on the QB or to offset any QB naked keep?
- Will linebacker stunts inside be productive?
Is It Going To Be A Kick Or 2-Pointer?
Another aspect of 2-point defense that must be addressed in any well-thought-out game plan is what to do after the offense scores a touchdown and their extra-point team comes onto the field in either a swinging gate or water-bucket alignment.
Close observation of a team’s most recent games reveals that many high school and college teams use this wrinkle. Some coaches see this as the perfect opportunity to go for 2 points while the defense is in disarray or is mentally affected by getting beaten for the touchdown. Other coaches see this as a golden opportunity to add insult to injury or see it as an easier way to score 2-points rather than going against a forewarned defense that has time to make a 2-point call.