Well, they've done it. Now, we'll see...

The NFL has decided to change the extra point rule in order to add some excitement to the play following a touchdown.

In the last five years, the success rate for an XP kicked from the 2 (essentially a 19-yard FG) has been literally 99% - one out of one hundred missed or blocked. It's hard to argue for the two point conversion when you're risking a sure point - and the success rate last season on the few attempts (it was tried on less than once every twenty opportunities) was just 47.5% last season. Unless you needed two to tie at the end, why bother?

So the thinking is three-fold: 
1) Make the one-point harder, thereby more interesting to watch.
2) Increase the interest in the two-pointer without skewing the balance too much the other way.
3) Give the defense a reason to give a bleep about defending it.

Here's how they did that - 
1) The line of scrimmage for a kick for one point will be moved back to the 15. This makes it a 32-33 yard kick, which last year kickers in the NFL converted 92.5% of the time. Still relatively straightforward, but not a given any more.
2) The two-pointer is still going to be from the 2 yard line. (So the Eagles will have to decide ahead of time if they want to go for two! No more of Chip Kelly's bizarre line formations!) Do the math: if you have a 92% chance of one point, or a 47% chance of two, the multiplication slightly favors going for two now. Slightly. Don't go nuts; this isn't the XFL!
3) Extra points are now "live", which I don't believe means that the clock moves, but it definitely means that the defense can return a blocked kick or a fumble or interception for a two-point score!

For me, it looks like a win-win situation. Add interest, keep the kickers involved (and in fact feature them more), make it a more important strategical part of the game, yet don't change the fundamental nature of the game (for example, changing the goal-post width)...and just in case they've missed something terrible, the rule will be reviewed next off-season for reform or removal if it doesn't work.

I'm all for it!