Time to change Overtime?

[LukesDad88]

Considering the way things worked out, I'm sure most Card fans would have preferred OT and a coin flip rather than the TD, but was anybody else worried it was going to go to OT, and the coin toss?

After the San Diego/Indy game and with how close this game came to OT, I think it's time for them to make some adjustments to the system.

What do you guys think, and what changes would you make?

 

[AzCatsFanatic]

I think that the college football overtime is probably the best overtime in all sports. I'd love to see that implemented in the NFL.

 

[Mulli]

I say keep it the way it is. Or instead of the coin flip, have two players run for the ball like in the XFL.

 

[Jersey Girl]

I think that the college football overtime is probably the best overtime in all sports. I'd love to see that implemented in the NFL.

I tend to agree with this viewpoint.

 

[conraddobler]

Yeah college ot is like a bonus game complete with different strategy and everything, I would favor that one myself.

 

[slanidrac16]

Don't change a thing. This game is made of 3 components. Offense, defense, and special teams.

If you lose the coin toss, your special team and defense needs to step up. If you win the toss, your offense needs to step up.

You lose when one don't perform.

 

[RugbyMuffin]

This is the pros.

Leave it the way it is. Either win it in regulation, or the let the best TEAM, not offense, win.

I think it is more front runner BS.

Just cause the Colts don't make it far in the playoffs they need to start questioning this and that.

I bet if the roles were reversed, nobody would have said boo about it.

 

[moklerman]

I say leave it as is. In the NFL it's called "sudden death" for a reason. No other sport has that. College is ***** about it and completely devalues the role of special teams(they don't even kick it off in OT do they?) and defense. NBA is a whole period. MLB isn't sudden death and can go on forever. Hockey is another period and then chance after chance of slapshots.

It's one of the few things left about the NFL where it shows the brass balls you gotta have to win when it's all on the line.

 

[daves]

Just change the kickoff spot

Before the NFL moved kickoffs from the 35 yard line to the 30 to increase scoring, there was almost no advantage to being the receiving team. Historically up to that point, kicking and receiving teams had won almost the same number of games in overtime. Since the change, the team that receives the kick has had a significant advantage.

Moving the opening kickoff of each overtime period back to the 35 would be the simplest way to make things more fair again.

A slightly more complicated way of doing it would be to take inspiration from the fairest way for two people to share a piece of cake: one person cuts the cake in two, the other person chooses which piece he'd like. Similarly, the team winning the coin toss could choose from what yard line the kickoff will take place, and the other team could choose whether to kick or receive. Then if the receiving team were to win the game on the first drive, the kicking team couldn't complain that they were screwed by bad luck on the coin toss - they had the opportunity to choose the spot of the kick farther upfield, causing the other team to elect to kick - or to receive from farther back, resulting in a lower chance of scoring.

...dave

 

[Preacher]

I say keep it the way it is... but ban field goals in overtime.

Only TD's, drop kicks, and safeties win.

 

[Sandan]

Leave it the way it is

 

[TruColor]

I say keep it the way it is... but ban field goals in overtime.

Only TD's, drop kicks, and safeties win.

Drop kicks. I like it.

All 32 teams would be trying to lure Doug Flutie out of retirement.

 

[D-Dogg]

Don't change a damn thing. It is fine. College is stupid. Scoring more in "overtime" than the first four quarters is dumb as hell.

NFL overtime is perfect as is.

 

[82CardsGrad]

I actually prefer something more closely aligned to the meaning of Overtime versus sudden death. Hey, this is indeed the NFL. Are any of you satisfied with just 4 quarters of play? I'm not! Play another full quarter and whoever has the most points at the end of that quarter, wins...
Sudden Death means nothing more than flip a coin, guess right and win... STUPID...

 

[Stout]

There's only one change to make, if any. People are too worried that the team that wins the coin toss will win the game? Make it so that, if a team scores on their first possession, the other team gets a shot too. They get a kickoff. If they fumble away the kickoff, they lose. Otherwise, they get a possession to try and win. Not from the 25 yard line or whatever college does; that's idiotic and only drives up the score.

 

[Spielman]

Yeah college ot is like a bonus game complete with different strategy and everything, I would favor that one myself.

That would be why I hate it.

Honestly, were the NFL to implement it, my level of interest in the league would go down significantly. I don't want football games decided by a minigame. Shootouts suck ass in hockey and penalties are annoying as hell in soccer. Plus you'd have people setting yardage and TD records constantly, divorcing the league even further from its history. (You could get around that by not counting OT stats in the same category as regular stats, but college football isn't that bright, and I see no reason to believe the NFL would be either.)

Plus, to me, nothing is more exciting than sudden death. At any point, the game can be over in favor of either team... that's just cool.

At the same time, I don't know how anyone can argue that the current system is fine. The team that wins the flip is winning well over 50% of the games. A coin flip should never have that great an impact on the outcome of a game. And in the past, it didn't.

Before the NFL moved kickoffs from the 35 yard line to the 30 to increase scoring, there was almost no advantage to being the receiving team. Historically up to that point, kicking and receiving teams had won almost the same number of games in overtime. Since the change, the team that receives the kick has had a significant advantage.

Moving the opening kickoff of each overtime period back to the 35 would be the simplest way to make things more fair again.

Yup. I say this all the time. Before that point, the split in regular season games was 50% won by the coin flip winner, 47% won by the coin flip loser, and 3% ties. Most people can live with that. But I'm not sure that just moving it up 5 yards would be enough now, given the higher levels of offense and the greater accuracy of modern FG kickers. But it'd be a simple fix that would make things a lot more fair.

 

[LukesDad88]

I like the idea of moving the kickoff up five yards, too. The disparity has come since they moved the kickoff back five yards. Back in the day, average starting field position after a kickoff was around the twenty yard line. Since they moved it back, average field position following kickoff is the thirty. That means they just have to move the ball 35 yards these days. Twenty years ago, kickers weren't as accurate beyond 42-43 yards, With starting field position at the 20, they had to travel 55 yards. That's a 20 yard disparity.

 

[AntSports Steve]

Change the rule so that both teams must have at least one possession.

If the receiving team doesn't score, then its sudden death like the current tie-breaker system.

If the receiving team does score, then the other team gets a chance to tie it up again.

 

[Ryanwb]

I would implement this:

If a team scores a TD first, the game is over. If they kick a field goal, the other team gets a possession and can win it with a TD or tie it and the game goes into sudden death. I hate the "play for the field goal" thing in overtime, no fun there

...or something like that