National Football League

Adam Vinatieri on extra-point changes: 'I'm a traditionalist'

Published May. 20, 2015 11:29 a.m. ET

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By Jason Rowan

Adam Vinatieri, 42, will enter is 20th NFL season this fall, so it should come as no surprise that he has seen plenty of changes during his storied career.

The most recent alteration to the way the league operates on the field, however, has the veteran Indianapolis Colts kicker hearkening for a simpler era, especially when it comes to his job.

The NFL on Tuesday announced that league owners approved moving extra-point attempts back to the 15-yard line, among other changes to post-touchdown protocol, meaning the previous gimme chip shot will now come from about 33 yards away.

Vinatieri would prefer the rules to stay the same, but insisted he understands the NFL has to update the game at times to spice things up.

“I’m a traditionalist,” Vinatieri said on Tuesday, via Colts.com. “I like the way it (was), but I understand they are trying to change the league to make it different.”

He also indicated there doesn’t figure to be much a difference with extra points early on in the season when the weather is nice, but a longer attempt could prove a bit more dicey once the winter winds begin to blow and field conditions deteriorate, making a two-point conversion attempt from the 2-yard much more attractive.

“Early in the year, I don’t think it changes much,” Vinatieri said. “I think come playoff time, when it’s windy, cold and fields are in crummy conditions, it might change some stuff.”

As noted in the Colts.com report, kickers converted 91 percent of field goals attempted from 30-39 yards, a more than decent rate. The new rule certainly will make a coach’s decision much more difficult. And for the fans? It arguably will make for much more entertaining scenarios to watch … except for fans who are staunch traditionalists like Vinatieri.

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