wpr
  • wpr
  • Preferred Member Topic Starter
14 years ago
Memo to NFL, please fix regular season OT rule 


After 60 minutes of a Week 15 game last Dec. 19 in Tampa, the Bucs and Lions were tied, 20-20. The Lions won the overtime coin flip and, naturally, chose to receive.

In a little over five minutes, quarterback Drew Stanton guided the Lions 63 yards in eight plays before Dave Rayner trotted on to the field and kicked a 34-yard field goal.

Game over. Thanks for attending, Bucs fans. Drive home safely.

If you don’t think that outcome was significant, consider this. Had the Bucs won the game, they would have finished the season with an 11-5 record. That would have been good enough to beat out the Packers -- the eventual Super Bowl champions -- for a playoff berth.

But the Bucs never had a chance. Their offense stood helplessly on the sideline, unable to get another opportunity.

We’ve watched this scenario too many times since the NFL approved overtime in 1974. Two teams battle to a tie in regulation. Then the team that wins the overtime coin toss receives the kickoff, drives down the field and kicks a game-winning field goal without the other team getting a chance to respond.

It’s not fair. And it deflates overtime of a lot of suspense -- not to mention the fun factor.

That’s why the NFL needs to use the new overtime rule it adopted for playoff games in regular-season games, too.

As Broncos general manager Brian Xanders said, “It’s important to have consistency throughout all games.”

In March 2010, the NFL owners proposed a major change in the overtime rule for the postseason. If the team winning the coin toss kicked a field goal on its first series, the other team would get a possession and a chance to tie with a field goal, win with a touchdown or lose if it failed to score.

The rule change passed by a 28-4 vote. Only the Bills, Vikings, Ravens and Bengals voted against the proposal. Interestingly, the Vikings cast a dissenting vote despite the fact they had lost in the NFC Championship Game a few weeks earlier when the Saints won the coin toss and kicked a field goal on its first possession.

Driving the league’s competition committee to recommend the rule change was the increased accuracy of kickers since 1994, when kickoffs were moved from the 35-yard line to the 30, creating better field position for teams that won the coin toss and received.

According to the statistics examined by the committee, teams that won the coin toss at the start of overtime games won 59.8 percent of the time since ’94. Further, the team that won the coin toss won 34.4 percent of the time on its first possession.

The numbers weren’t as compelling last season. Of the 17 games that went into overtime, only two were won by a field goal on the first possession by the team that won the toss. Coincidentally, the Lions were involved in both games. On Nov. 7, they lost, 23-20, to the Jets after New York won the toss and Mark Sanchez quickly drove the Jets into position for Nick Folk’s game-winning field goal.

Like Xanders, Lions coach Jim Schwartz thinks the playoff overtime rule should apply to the regular season.

“I think if the rule’s good for overtime (in the playoffs), it’s good for the regular season also,” Schwartz told Booth Newspapers when the rule was passed. “The only thing that concerns me about the playoffs is that the first time this system may be used, it might be in the Super Bowl. There might not be overtime in the playoffs, and the very first time it’s used is the Super Bowl. That’s your biggest stage and your biggest game. To me, to have something untouched that’s broken out then might be a little interesting.”

As it now stands, the NFL is taking a risk. It’s not going to practice a fire drill until there’s a real fire.

Instead, it should add fun to regular season overtime and make it more of a cliff-hanger by applying the same rule as in the postseason. As Wilford Brimley would say, It’s the right thing to do.



That is such BS. They had lots of chances all game long. Score more points and it won't go into OT. With 2 minutes left and a tie game, TB had a 1-10 on Detroit's 15. They did not try to score a TD. 1 yard run to right guard. 2 yard run left end. 4 yard scramble by Freeman up middle. Kick FG.

In OT, their defense had a "chance" Man up and stop the Lions. They were the ones that failed. This concept of "let's give everyone a chance" is so much PC garbage. These guys aren't 10 year old little leaguers and we need everyone on the team to get a chance to play in the game.

Why not just adopt the High School rule of putting the ball on the 10 yard line for both teams and seeing who can stop the other team from scoring?
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Zero2Cool
14 years ago
I'm not sure how I feel about overtime rules, although I do think each team should have one offensive possession.
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Formo
14 years ago
Yeah.. the current OT rules, for the sport of football, doesn't work. If it were in a often-changing possession sport (like hockey), sudden death rules, well, rule.

But in football, I don't think the ball changes possession enough to warrant a sudden death OT. Of course, I'm one that loves the college OT rules. But I'm also ok with the playoff OT rules too.
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Porforis
14 years ago

Memo to NFL, please fix regular season OT rule That is such BS. They had lots of chances all game long. Score more points and it won't go into OT. With 2 minutes left and a tie game, TB had a 1-10 on Detroit's 15. They did not try to score a TD. 1 yard run to right guard. 2 yard run left end. 4 yard scramble by Freeman up middle. Kick FG.

In OT, their defense had a "chance" Man up and stop the Lions. They were the ones that failed. This concept of "let's give everyone a chance" is so much PC garbage. These guys aren't 10 year old little leaguers and we need everyone on the team to get a chance to play in the game.

Why not just adopt the High School rule of putting the ball on the 10 yard line for both teams and seeing who can stop the other team from scoring?

Originally Posted by: wpr 



Wow, I was about ready to tear into you, assuming that you posted the article because you agreed with it. Glad I didn't have to do that!

Same thing goes for bad penalties. With very, very few exceptions, there are NO penalties that ever change a game more than a bad play. If you want to win a game, play better than the other team, and one bad call that swings against you won't matter.
Formo
14 years ago

This concept of "let's give everyone a chance" is so much PC garbage. These guys aren't 10 year old little leaguers and we need everyone on the team to get a chance to play in the game.

Originally Posted by: wpr 



That's great and dandy, and I would NORMALLY agree with you if this were in a topic OTHER than OT rules in football.

The point of OT is to start at nil-nil. Both teams get to wipe their slate clean and give it a shot to win. But with the current rule, both teams don't always get that shot.

Perception is reality, and the perception is that a coin flip has as much ability to determine a win/loss as the teams on the field do.
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Porforis
14 years ago

The point of OT is to start at nil-nil.

Originally Posted by: Formo 



According to who, you? Maybe that's what you were taught, maybe that's true in other sports, but I must have missed that page in the rulebook.
wpr
  • wpr
  • Preferred Member Topic Starter
14 years ago

That's great and dandy, and I would NORMALLY agree with you if this were in a topic OTHER than OT rules in football.

The point of OT is to start at nil-nil. Both teams get to wipe their slate clean and give it a shot to win. But with the current rule, both teams don't always get that shot.

Perception is reality, and the perception is that a coin flip has as much ability to determine a win/loss as the teams on the field do.

Originally Posted by: Formo 




No the point of overtime is to get rid of the pesky tie that owners decided that they and the fans hate. Everyone has a chance to win in regulation. There is no need to "share".

The reason owners changed it for playoffs is because of the NO/MN game. I had/have no problem with the rules that were in force before.

Moving the kickoff up 5 yards will lower the odds of a team taking the kick and moving down field for a FG attempt.

Look at it this way, it keep gutless HC-es who are afraid of losing their job a tiny bit more honest. There would be more playing for ties and OT if the HC knew he was going to get at least one possession for sure. I hate it when I am watching a game and the coach sends in running plays to play for a FG and a tie. bah. If they trow for the end zone 3 times and don't make it and they end up kicking a FG I am ok with that. Odds are the defense did a great job stopping them.
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wpr
  • wpr
  • Preferred Member Topic Starter
14 years ago

Wow, I was about ready to tear into you, assuming that you posted the article because you agreed with it. Glad I didn't have to do that!

Same thing goes for bad penalties. With very, very few exceptions, there are NO penalties that ever change a game more than a bad play. If you want to win a game, play better than the other team, and one bad call that swings against you won't matter.

Originally Posted by: Porforis 



naw I post articles that I don'[t agree with too. I feel we need to get some conversation going on the topic.
Sometimes I don't have enough time to post my opinions. Sometimes i just want to see what others will say.
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Formo
14 years ago

According to who, you? Maybe that's what you were taught, maybe that's true in other sports, but I must have missed that page in the rulebook.

Originally Posted by: Porforis 



Well.. Considering it's a TIE at the end of regulation..

2+2=??
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Formo
14 years ago

No the point of overtime is to get rid of the pesky tie that owners decided that they and the fans hate. Everyone has a chance to win in regulation. There is no need to "share".

The reason owners changed it for playoffs is because of the NO/MN game. I had/have no problem with the rules that were in force before.

Moving the kickoff up 5 yards will lower the odds of a team taking the kick and moving down field for a FG attempt.

Look at it this way, it keep gutless HC-es who are afraid of losing their job a tiny bit more honest. There would be more playing for ties and OT if the HC knew he was going to get at least one possession for sure. I hate it when I am watching a game and the coach sends in running plays to play for a FG and a tie. bah. If they trow for the end zone 3 times and don't make it and they end up kicking a FG I am ok with that. Odds are the defense did a great job stopping them.

Originally Posted by: wpr 



I normally wouldn't have a problem with the rule changes if they abolished the FG winning it in OT.

I know I'm not going to change any minds, and it's not my purpose here. I'm just stating that under current rules, the general perception is the coin flip has as much say as the outcome as anything else. The MN/NO game exposed that to the T.

Yes, teams have PLENTY of shots to 'win' the game during regulation. But a series of bad calls/non-calls in OT has a far greater effect on the outcome of the game than it should (under current rules). And I'm 100% ok with them trying to fix that (hence the recent rule changes for playoffs).
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