Sudden Death Overtime in the NFL is Unfair

I think it is closer to 65%.

So what is your solution?

Here is a good take.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=clayton_john&id=2826668

The article I linked leaves out some information.

How often does the team winning the OT coin toss score on the first drive? Answer, about 1/3.

Or they can let the team that kicks off get the last posession so they get an equal number of chances to score.

Of course they wouldn't punt if they were behind which changes the game a little and gives a slight advantage to the team that kicks off in OT.

But it is a much bigger advantage right now to the team that wins the coin toss.

It's never going to be "fair." The college system isn't fair as the team that draws the ball second has a decided advantage depending on how well they contain the first team.

For that matter, let's just have the kicker decide it. Start them with a 20 yard field goal and just keep moving them progressively back by 10 yards until one of them misses (kind of like the shoot-out in soccer). Beyond 50 yards, move them back 5 yards at a time. If they both miss, just keep it going until one of them doesn't. Fair is fair.

I think, at the least, they need to guarantee both teams get 1 possession. If the team who wins the coin toss doesn't score you just play it out, if they do score the other team get's the ball.

If they went towards the college rule tweak it a bit where both teams take possession at midfield.

Keep the rules the way they are now, only thing is to get rid of the overtime coin toss and give the ball to the road team. If they can go into someone else's house and force overtime, they deserve the first possession of OT.

WWRD wrote:

I think, at the least, they need to guarantee both teams get 1 possession. If the team who wins the coin toss doesn't score you just play it out, if they do score the other team get's the ball.

If they went towards the college rule tweak it a bit where both teams take possession at midfield.

Or do that. As far as the kicking idea, it probably makes more sense to start from the 30 or 35 to shorten the duration. I also forgot to mention that it's a "real" field goal, as in, the other team's defense lines up against the kicking team's kicking formation (like a goalkeeper).

You could also just give them five kicks each and take the most points (and teams could fake field goals and try to score touchdowns to get an advantage).

Dirt wrote:

Keep the rules the way they are now, only thing is to get rid of the overtime coin toss and give the ball to the road team. If they can go into someone else's house and force overtime, they deserve the first possession of OT.

That was going to be my other suggestion. I'm just trying to keep the game from going into multiple OTs.

Or they could just go back to having ties in the regular season and then play extra periods in championships and playoffs until someone wins. I sort of liked ties.

HRE wrote:

Or they could just go back to having ties in the regular season and then play extra periods in championships and playoffs until someone wins. I sort of liked ties.

I like this best. They already allow ties anyway.

In the playoffs make them play a full extra period but maybe make them 10 minutes. Then go again if it is still tied after each extra OT period. Like basketball.

I took a look at the article. What's a "K ball"? So kickers don't use a regular football anymore?

luv2run wrote:

Here is a good take.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=clayton_john&id=2826668

I would like to the offensive lines of each team square off in a 4 x mile.

Several of the owners are pushing for a change in this rule...maybe next year we'll see it changed.

Go Vikings!

pennywise de clown wrote:

I took a look at the article. What's a "K ball"? So kickers don't use a regular football anymore?

brand new balls they use only for kicking. see below.

While teams are allowed to practice with regular game balls during the week, the ones used on special teams are off limits until shortly before kickoff. They're shiny and new, and even have a name -- the K-Ball.

Life isn't fair you little cry baby bitch. Why in the world does everything have to be fair? The Nashville Oilers could have called heads last night but they didn't. Why was it fair for them to get to call the toss and not the Steelers? Shut up!

I used to think that the sudden death overtime concept was bad. Now I realize that if the NFL went with an overtime similar to college football, a lot of teams would get conservative and play for a tie in regulation. I think many teams would have the ball on their own 35 with 1:00 to play and sit on it, waiting for overtime. With the present rules, they try to get into field goal range not knowing if they will even see the ball in overtime.

I don't see how ties complicate the playoff scenario. It can make it eaier.

Last year the Eagles went 9-6-1

That tie put them clearly ahead of the 9-7 teams and got them into the playoffs and clearly behind the 10-6 teams for a lower seed.

I am still sticking with no OT in regular season and 10 min OT periods in the playoffs, no sudden death.

Sudden death only makes sense in hockey where any team can score at any time.

It's pretty hard for the defense to score in football.

I don't mind the sudden death, but make the team score a touchdown. I don't like how teams get to the 25 or 30 and then stop and kick a field goal. It is a lot harder to move the ball all the way down the field, so the advantage of the team with the first possession is diminished and everyone likes a touchdown more than a field goal anyway. The first team to score a touchdown in overtime wins.

How old are you? Flipping a coin is unfair?! You can't get any more fair than that. You've got a 50/50 chance of getting the ball.

If they just flipped a coin and decided the game off of that alone, it would be "fair". To get a chance to play again after the flip...that's even more fair.