Gary Mihoces

USA TODAY Sports

The uprights that reach to the sky on NFL goalposts will be 5 feet higher this season.

The simple aim is to help officials better eyeball whether field goal tries that fly high split the uprights. But when it comes to making that structural change, the devil is in the details.

It's not just welding 5 extra feet of tubing atop the previously 30-foot uprights. Engineering goes into ensuring goalposts hold true when one kick might decide a game.

A quick fix won't cut it.

"That is because from a structural analysis standpoint, we had to make sure that the goalposts were going to be able to withstand the wind loads of all areas of the country," says David Moxley, director of sports construction sales for Sportsfield Specialities, Inc., (SSI), the New York firm handling the switch to its aluminum goalposts in 23 of the NFL's 31 stadiums.

Why not add 10 feet? Or 15? Moxley says that would really tax the engineering.

How about lasers atop the uprights? That would pose a challenge, too. Anybody who's watched a field goal try hit an upright and make that "bonk" sound as it caroms either way knows that can be iffy.

"As a purist of the game, think of how many field goals get bumped off the uprights and go in our out," says Moxley. "If you put a laser in ... you can't necessarily replicate the bounce of an upright. There's no bonk. That bounce can mean a lot of things with how the football is going."

All NFL goalposts this season will sit atop crossbars attached to goosenecks 10 feet above the ground, meaning the top of each post will extend 45 feet into the air (compared to 40 previously).

The change was proposed by the New England Patriots. In 2012, they lost 31-30 to the Baltimore Ravens after kicker Justin Tucker's 27-yard field goal flew higher than the top of the right upright.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick protested the kick was wide. He drew a $50,000 fine from the NFL after running toward an official and reaching at his arm at the end of that defeat.

A field goal can be reviewed on replay. But, according to the rules, only "when it is lower than the top of the uprights." So that was no help to the Patriots in Baltimore.

New England's suggestion was approved by NFL owners in March. Some dubbed it "The Tucker Rule."

And there's another new rules interpretation related to the extra length on the uprights. That's the designation of a 15-yard penalty for "dunking" the ball over the crossbar in celebration. That will now be viewed as a violation of the rule which prohibits using the ball as a prop.

During a game last season between the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints, there was a nearly half-hour delay after Saints tight end Jimmy Graham dunked the ball and knocked the crossbar askew.

"I don't think we ever contemplated that the goalpost would ever be thrown off kilter and there (would) be a 20-minute delay of the game as they try to right them," Rich McKay, president and CEO of the Falcons, said after the dunking ban.

"When you add 5 feet to the top and make them even heavier, I think we were concerned about how it would impact the game from a competitive standpoint," said McKay, who also serves as chairman of the NFL's competition committee.

SSI, which makes goalposts for hundreds of colleges and high schools, had them in three NFL stadiums last season: Arizona's University of Phoenix Stadium, Charlotte's Bank of America Stadium, and New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, shared by the New York Giants and Jets.

This offseason, SSI added 20 more NFL stadiums. It's also installed goalposts at some practice facilities. Other firms in the NFL goalpost mix are Gilman Gear, Aluminum Athletic Equipment and First Down Football Products.

This week, Moxley oversaw installation of new goalposts at FedEx Field in Landover, Md., home of the Washington Redskins. Also this month, his firm's goalposts went up at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, home of the Ravens. He says the NFL wants the work done by Aug. 1.

"We will meet their deadline," said Moxley. "All the NFL cared about was it was done on time, and it was safe."

He says the price is about $8,000-$10,000 for two goalposts, depending on how they are mounted to the ground (via a sleeve, a steel base plate or a hinged mount for speedier lowering).

At the three stadiums where SSI previously had goalposts and verified engineering, all it had to do was install new uprights. At the other venues, it had to custom-fit each gooseneck to existing mounts or build new ones.

Moxley says installation takes a crew of three stadium workers about two hours, using ropes and a couple of 10-foot ladders. There's also bolting, measuring and leveling. Goalposts weigh roughly 500 pounds, but the extra 5 feet add nearly 20 pounds more.

When new ones go up, Moxley says he is not tempted to tee up a ball and kick the first one through uprights.

"If you saw me kick an extra point, you might laugh and cry at the same time," he says.

But when he sees an NFL kick go between his firm's product, he does do some quiet celebrating.

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