Converts: 1 point or 2?

The Place for BC Lion Discussion. A forum for Lions fans to talk and chat about our team.
Discussion, News, Information and Speculation regarding the BC Lions and the CFL.
Prowl, Growl and Roar!

Moderator: Team Captains

User avatar
Lions4ever
Hall of Famer
Posts: 3430
Joined: Wed Oct 02, 2002 7:25 pm
Location: Vancouver Island

As we score so few touchdowns this isn't really a pressing issue for this team.
User avatar
B.C.FAN
Team Captain
Posts: 12580
Joined: Mon Nov 15, 2004 10:28 pm

The final 2015 stats show the success rates on 1-point and 2-point converts have been pretty consistent all year.

CFL TOTAL
1 point: 277 of 324 (85.5%)
Points per attempt: 0.855

2 point: 54 of 82 (65.9%)
Points per attempt: 1.318

Overall: 331 of 406 (81.5%)
Points per attempt: 0.948

Team by team, B.C. was tied with Winnipeg for the league lead in 2-point convert success (86%) but ranked last in 1-point convert success (71%). Calgary led the league with 17 2-point attempts, 13 of which were successful (76%).

Overall, Calgary was the only team that averaged more than 1 extra point per TD:

Extra Points Per Touchdown:
Cal (52/47) 1.11
Ham (55/57) 0.96
Tor (46/48) 0.96
Edm (43/45) 0.96
Sas (43/45) 0.96
Wpg (32/34) 0.94
Ott (42/47) 0.89
Mon (33/38) 0.87
BC (39/45) 0.87

After Calgary, most teams were around the league average except Ottawa, Montreal and B.C.

The lesson is clear: Going for 2 points pays off, especially for teams that struggle with 1-point converts. If the Lions match Calgary in touchdowns on Sunday, the Lions will lose unless they regularly go for 2-point converts.
User avatar
Lions4ever
Hall of Famer
Posts: 3430
Joined: Wed Oct 02, 2002 7:25 pm
Location: Vancouver Island

Given that there is about a half a point yield advantage arising from the 2 point convert, except in obvious situational circumstances, you'd think going for 2 should be the standard.

But coaches are dumb/tethered to their coach-think mindset so it probably won't work that way.
User avatar
B.C.FAN
Team Captain
Posts: 12580
Joined: Mon Nov 15, 2004 10:28 pm

I've been a big fan of 2-point converts since the rules were changed last year so I've copied this quote from the Sinkfield thread here for comparison of this year's convert success rates against last year's.
Blitz wrote:Here is a summary of two point convert attempts and success so far this season.

B.C. 8/16
Calgary 6/12
Hamilton 6/7
Ottawa 3/5
Edmonton 2/3
Montreal 2/3
Saskatchewan 2/4
Winnipeg 2/2
Toronto 1/2

Our Leos have attempted the most two point converts, followed by Calgary. Both have a 50% success rate.

Hamilton has been very successful so far.
Through 13 weeks of the 2016 season, CFL teams have been successful on an average of 58% of 2-point converts. That means they averaged 1.16 points per 2-point attempt.

In the same period, CFL teams have been successful on 90.3% of their 1-point convert attempts. That means they averaged 0.903 points per attempt.

Simple math suggests that over the course of the season, 2-point attempts are likely to produce more extra points per touchdown than 1-point attempts, despite a lower success rate.

Adding up the total points scored on converts (1 and 2 point) shows the total extra points per touchdown. Here are last year's final figures from a previous post in this thread:
Extra Points Per Touchdown:
Cal (52/47) 1.11
Ham (55/57) 0.96
Tor (46/48) 0.96
Edm (43/45) 0.96
Sas (43/45) 0.96
Wpg (32/34) 0.94
Ott (42/47) 0.89
Mon (33/38) 0.87
BC (39/45) 0.87
B.C., with Richie Leone kicking, was the least productive team at converts last year while Calgary, which attempted the most 2-point converts, was the most productive.

Here are this year's extra points per convert attempt through Week 13 by comparison:

Hamilton (39/35) 1.11
Winnipeg (29/27) 1.04
B.C. (32/33) 0.97
Montreal (23/24) 0.96
Edmonton (32/34) 0.94
Toronto (29/31) 0.94
Ottawa (24/24) 0.92
Saskatchewan (17/20) 0.85
Calgary (34/41) 0.83

Hamilton, with the best success rate on 2-point converts among teams with more than 3 attempts, is the most productive team at converts overall, up from second most productive last year.

B.C., which ranked last in 2015, has attempted the most 2-point converts this year and has jumped to third overall in productivity.

Calgary, which attempted the most 2-point converts last year and was the most productive team overall, has attempted fewer 2-pointers this year and has fallen to last overall in convert productivity.
Huge Talent
Starter
Posts: 176
Joined: Fri Sep 23, 2016 7:12 pm

Maybe i'm more of a purist, but i think the 2 pt should be reserved for desperate comeback type situations. I like that they moved back the kick, so perhaps they could move back the 2 pt attempt as well. Actually, shouldn't they be the same? maybe both from the 10 or something. Then the fake comes into play, or a broken play, block etc could result in a scramble for the 2 points.
Post Reply