NFL Overtime Change

[philkid3]

So a friend of mine (who's an idiot, so this amazes me) suggested this idea, and I actually think I like it.

Very simple: first to 6 wins. So either you've got to get two field goals or a touchdown. Doesn't necessarily carry on too long, doesn't piss off the people who don't like the shoot-out format of college, and neutralizes the "win the coin flip" advantage.

I'm not sold yet, but the more I think about it, the more I like it. Thought I'd put it up to PSF votes.

[efin98]

Under that format it could still be a one sided overtime.
Under the college format the game will take forever.
The current format seems fine to me, the team that gets the ball first still has to drive down the field and anything can happen to cause the defense to get the ball.

Look at the New England/New York game: one play away from forcing a three and out and getting the ball back in decent territory, New England would have had their chance had they held them to a simple short pass on 3rd and 15 from the shaddow of the New York end zone and blew it letting the Jets drive downfield for the winning field goal.


Now if they were gonna change anything I would rather that they change the rules so that you have to score a touch down in order to win, either by regular offense drive or through a defenseive fumble recovery or interception return. No field goals allowed, they have to go for it on 4th down and safeties would instead be touchback with the ball on 50 yard line.

That way they have to select better plays to ensure the ball keeps moving and that they play better defence to ensure they don't drive downfield and pin them back against their own endzone when they get the ball turned over on downs.

[redlegsfan21]

I have long been against ties, hence my hatred towards soccer. I love the college format. It is probably the most even overtime one can get in football.

A little did you know: that the last tie in the history of MLB took place in Cincinnati as the Reds and Astros played to a 2-2 tie in 6 innings. Two years later, MLB instituted the "suspended game" rule which played a major part in this years World Series.

[Seattle1]

I voted for leaving it the way it is. Why mess with tradition? The grass may look greener on the other side of the fence, but in reality it isn't. It has weeds and stuff too.

[brady_branch]

Nobody's arguing with the college format. I voted for that.

[football junkie]

Nobody's arguing with the college format. I voted for that.

Brady (or should it be Cassel?) I don't like the college format. It's far too fair! Plus there is just something some fun about random + sudden death in the same sentence.

[CCN]

Brady (or should it be Cassel?) I don't like the college format. It's far too fair! Plus there is just something some fun about random + sudden death in the same sentence.

You forgot how exciting it can be. But in 1958 the greatest game in football history ended with an Alan Ameche plunge into the endzone and we would all be deprived of hearing about that great sudden death game 23 times per NFL game every time one goes into OT if the format was changed. What would I tell my grandchildren?

[brady_branch]

Plenty of momentous occasions would not have happened had there been a better system in place. Bucky Dent's home run, for instance, was the result of a coin flip. Bill Mazeroski's wouldn't have been sudden death if it had occurred a year later.

And yeah, if I was using the current Patriots QB/WR combo, I'd be cassel_moss. But I'm going to keep being brady_branch until they win another Super Bowl, at which time I might consider a change.

[redlegsfan21]

Plenty of momentous occasions would not have happened had there been a better system in place. Bucky Dent's home run, for instance, was the result of a coin flip. Bill Mazeroski's wouldn't have been sudden death if it had occurred a year later.

And yeah, if I was using the current Patriots QB/WR combo, I'd be cassel_moss. But I'm going to keep being brady_branch until they win another Super Bowl, at which time I might consider a change.

The difference between Bucky Dent's HR in the one-game playoff and the NFL OT rules is that in the NFL, only one team could have a chance to score. The one-game playoff, it's a regular game with each side getting 9 chances to score. Who knows, Dent's HR could have been a walk-off. In 2006, I remember turning off my TV after the OT coin flip for the Steelers and the Bengals. The Steelers won the flip, I walked away knowing the Steelers won that game before they even touched the ball. And they did win. Though 70.5% of the time, each team gets a chance to score.

[Brooklyn]

I voted for leaving it the way it is. Why mess with tradition? The grass may look greener on the other side of the fence, but in reality it isn't. It has weeds and stuff too.

Things evolve over time. Leaving something the way it is just because of "tradition" makes no sense.

When the NFL was set up, there was no overtime for regular season games. At some point in the 70's they instituted the sudden-death overtime. So if you are really looking at "tradition", that has already been changed.

College was also changed, much more recently

Nobody's arguing with the college format. I voted for that.

I'll argue agaisnt the college format. The overtime is a different game then the regulation game. No kickoffs. No punting. The game is essentially red-zone only, which takes a lot of plays out of the play book. I really don't like it at all.

I'm not opposed to the current NFL version. I would make two changes, though:

1. Games can't end in a tie. If it is tied at the end of one overtime, play another one (continuing field position like you would at the end of a quarter, not the end of a half). Games are tied at the end of the first OT once every 6 years or so - I'm not concerend with the players having to continue to grind it out.

2. I don't like the idea of both teams not being able to touch the ball. My suggestion is to have the game end when a team has the lead and has the ball. This will always give the other team the opportunity to come back.

[football junkie]

And yeah, if I was using the current Patriots QB/WR combo, I'd be cassel_moss. But I'm going to keep being brady_branch until they win another Super Bowl, at which time I might consider a change.

It's never going to happen! But Cassel might win one this season.