Following much discussion about the need to make extra point field goals more challenging in recent years, the NFL owners decided to vote in a new rule yesterday in San Francisco that will move the PAT kicks further back to increase the potential for a kicker to miss rather than the automatic single points that have been awarded for decades. A move to make the kicks 30+ yards aimed at making the extra point more challenging and because of that further challenge, more entertaining being passed with a near unanimous vote from all 32 teams.

At face value the move makes sense, kicks move back from the two yard line to the 15 yard line to make the PAT a 33 yard attempt rather than the 20 yard chip shots that have rarely been missed. Modern kickers still being able to knock down a dead center 32-33 yard attempt making the rule change one that won’t overly impact the game, but something that is an improvement due to the increased difficulty giving the game more entertainment. Owners agreeing that a further extra point kick would be a rule change that should be passed.

However two teams did not vote to pass the new rule. One of those teams being the Oakland Raiders as Mark Davis decided to opt to keep tradition in place with the original extra point kick spot. Deciding to go against the grain as only one other owner, Dan Snyder of Washington, decided to vote against the motion to tinker with the extra point spot.

#Raiders were one of 2 teams that voted against moving PAT attempts to 15 yard-line. — Raiders Beat (@RaidersBeat) May 19, 2015

Al’s legacy RT @JanieMcCAP: NFL’s new PAT rule passed 30-2, only #Raiders and Washington voted no. — Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) May 19, 2015

It could be Davis trying to be different from the pack by voting against the rules change, but there could also be value in voting against the rule for a competitive angle as there is bound to be one team this season that loses a game due to the new rule. For example Sebastian Janikowski is 151-158 from 33 yards or less for his career, making it likely that a handful of kickers will miss a crucial single point kick from the new distance. Automatic field goals are boring, but all it will take is one bitter loss on a single point attempt for owners to start rethinking their votes in hindsight during the 2015 season. Davis won’t be one of those owners as he opted to keep things as they were, but it will be interesting to see how the first season of the new rule impacts the owners of teams whose seasons could sway on their decision to move the kick back to the 30+ yard range.