2015 Pro Bowl Goal Posts Narrowed From 18 Feet to 14 Feet

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The NFL has narrowed the goal post from 18 feet to 14 feet for the 2015 Pro Bowl.
The league also increased the number of timeouts to two per quarter.
The 2015 Pro Bowl is on Jan. 25 in Arizona.

The 2015 Pro Bowl will feature a new rule: narrowed goal posts down to 14 feet, per NFL.com. This year’s Pro Bowl will be played at the University of Phoenix Stadium on Jan. 25.

This year’s Pro Bowl will feature narrower goal posts.

According to NFL.com’s Dan Hanzus, the league announced on Jan. 20 that the width of the goal posts will be narrowed from 18 feet to 14 feet. This marks the first time the goal-post width will be changed in almost a century — the NFL has stuck to the 18 feet, six-inch width since the 1920s until now.

Hanzus says the NFL made the rule change as it “continues to toy with making kicks more challenging.” When the 2014 NFL preseason kicked off, the league moved the distance for the extra point from 19 yards to 33 yards. As a result, kickers missed three more attempts (eight) compared to those from a season ago from a shorter distance (five).

NFL executive vice president for football operations Troy Vincent confirmed to ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss on Tuesday the league’s intention of challenging kickers with the rule change. He said,”It’ll allow us to see exactly how skilled the kicker position has actually become.”

The Indianapolis Colts’ Adam Vinatier will kick for the AFC while the Philadelphia Eagles’ Cody Parkey will do the honors for the NFC in the 2015 Pro Bowl, per Weinfuss.

Hanzus touches on another new rule for this year’s Pro Bowl: the increased number of timeouts. Instead of having three timeouts per half, each team can utilize two per quarter. If a team uses only one timeout in the first or third quarter, the unused timeout will carry over into the second and fourth quarter, respectively.

Hanzus stresses the new Pro Bowl rules instituted in 2014 will still be in effect this year. These are:

Offensive and defensive MVPs: The media will vote for two game MVPs. One will be for offense while the other is for defense. Both lucky players will receive a brand new GMC vehicle and and MVP medallion.

Game within the game: There will be a two-minute warning for every quarter.

No kickoffs: A coin toss will determine possession to start the game. The offense will spot the ball on the 25-yard line at the beginning of each quarter and after the other team scores.

The #NFL has decided to test narrower goal posts and longer PATs in this year’s #ProBowl. http://t.co/6rZDEKeGhY— Sports Talk Florida (@SportsTalkFLA) January 20, 2015

Rosters: Each team will feature a 44-man roster.

Cover 2 and press coverage: These defenses are now allowed. In years past, only man coverage was permitted.

Game-clock stoppage: If the offense fails to gain at least one yard from the two-minute mark of each quarter onward, the game clock will be stopped.

Game timing: “The game clock will start after an incomplete pass on the signal of the referee, except inside the last two minutes of the first half and the last five minutes of the second half,” says Hanzus.

Play clock: A 35-second/25-second play clock will be utilized.

Sacks: A quarterback sack outside of the final two minutes will not stop the game clock.

The 2015 Pro Bowl will be at 8 p.m. ET on Jan. 25 at the University of Phoenix Stadium, per Hanzus. This year’s game will pit Team (Cris) Carter against Team (Michael) Irvin. Last year, Team (Jerry) Rice beat Team (Deion) Sanders, 22-21, on a last-minute touchdown pass by Alex Smith to DeMarco Murray.

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