INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indianapolis Colts were not surprised by the NFL's decision to move extra-point kicks back to the 15-yard line, making kicks about 33 yards long. Defenses can two score two points on returns of blocked kicks. The two-point conversion will remain at the 2-yard line.

"I think we've been preparing for this since last year's preseason," punter Pat McAfee said. "We got a heads up they were thinking about making the move permanent. For guys like Adam Vinatieri and other fantastic kickers, I don't think it's going to be that big of a deal. I think it's going to put more of an emphasis on kickers, and if you have a good kicker it's going to show. It's going to become a much more important position. It's going to boost the profile of kickers. I think it's a good thing. I'm happy about it."

Vinatieri, who handles extra-point duties for the Colts, is 20-of-21 (95.2 percent) on kicks from 32-33 yards since 2001, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

"Whenever you make it harder on a guy, I don't know if there are open arms with that," Vinatieri said. "I understand what they're trying to do. It's a level across the board every kicker is going to have to deal with it the same."

Vinatieri added that things could get tricky for kickers late in the season when weather conditions become a factor. The Colts have three outdoor games in December -- Pittsburgh, Jacksonville and Miami.

"I still think the success rate will be high," Vinatieri said. "I think you'll see a difference late in the year, December, January, playoff games if you're playing in adverse conditions on a crummy field. Then that starts to play into it a little bit. Do you go for it or do you kick longer extra points? We'll see."