Jun 14, 2016 3 min read

PITTSBURGH – As they have done for nearly every practice for the past year and a half, the Steelers kicked off their three-day mini-camp with what head coach Mike Tomlin dubbed “seven shots.”

The 11-on-11 drill pits the offense against the defense with seven plays run from the 2-yard line.

The Steelers run the drill so often they don’t flinch when head coach Mike Tomlin calls for the offense to go for a two-point conversion after scoring a touchdown – something he did an NFL-high 11 times in 2015.

The Steelers were successful on eight of those conversions last season and probably would have attempted more had quarterback Ben Roethlisberger not missed four games because of an MCL sprain.

If Roethlisberger has his way – and apparently Tomlin as well – the Steelers will go for two more often in 2016.

“I think we should go for it every time,” said Roethlisberger Tuesday. “Why not? If we do it every time and we are at 50 percent, if you don’t make it the first time but make the second one, there are your 14 points. Why not give it a shot?”

In that respect, Roethlisberger and Tomlin have some riverboat gambler in them.

Then again, when you are as successful at it as the Steelers were last season, why not?

“A quarterback with that attitude doesn’t seem like a problem to me. I like that,” Tomlin said. “Hopefully, he wants to go for two points every time. I hope our kicker wants to kick it every time. Then the ball ends up in my court. It doesn’t sound like I can lose if that’s the mentality of the men.”

Roethlisberger said he sits down with the coaching staff and picks out his favorite seven two-point plays, but basically the entire playbook is open – with the exception of deep passes.

“Coach Tomlin brought it up to me, it was last year,” Roethlisberger said, “We had a game plan going into every game. I think a lot depends on what team we are playing. What kind of team are they? Where are we? What (are the) environments and elements? I wouldn’t be surprised if we go for it even more than last year.”

Tomlin was so confident in his unit in 2015 he was caught by NFL Films cameras telling players to be prepared to go for two when the Steelers were driving in the fourth quarter at Denver in the AFC Divisional playoffs while holding a 13-12 lead. A touchdown and two-point conversion would have given the Steelers a 21-12 lead, effectively ending the game.

Unforuntately for the Steelers, running back Fitzgerald Toussaint lost a fumble in Denver territory and the Broncos scored a touchdown that put them ahead and sent Denver on to the AFC Championship.

Roethlisberger was all for going for two in that situation.

“Why not?” he said. “Put the ball in our hands. I want the ball. Any player would relish that opportunity.”