DTBH Posted January 31, 2009 Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 http://www.tampabay.com/sports/football/bu...ticle972138.ece TAMPA — The NFL will re-evaluate its overtime policies in the offseason, commissioner Roger Goodell said in his annual Super Bowl address Friday. The rules, which some say are unfair to the loser of the coin toss, were pushed to the forefront after the Colts lost to the Chargers in an AFC wild-card game this month. The Chargers won the overtime coin toss and marched 75 yards in 10 plays for a touchdown to clinch the victory. The Colts never touched the football. One solution under consideration, Goodell said, would be a requirement that teams not attempt field goals on the first overtime possession. Another possibility would be moving the opening overtime kickoff forward from the 30-yard line, making it less likely for the receiving team to have prime field position. "What we've seen in our statistics is that, historically, about 30 percent of the games in overtime are decided with a team who wins the coin flip scoring on the first possession," Goodell said. "That number has risen to about 47 percent, and I think that's significant. "When you couple that with the fact that our field goal kickers are much more accurate than they have been in the past, that is a danger." The NFL has not been shy changing rules, and there are at least minor alterations annually. But major changes are harder to pass because all modifications require passage through voting by the league's 32 franchises. Other topics covered: • The league's television blackout policy isn't likely to change, Goodell said, despite tough economic times and the impact on ticket sales. Five Lions games were blacked out in the Detroit area in 2008, meaning the team didn't sell out before the 72-hour window before the game. "The blackout policy is a long-standing policy in the NFL," he said. "It's served us well. It's served the public well. I do not anticipate any changes." • Regarding the players' union's assertions Thursday that teams are being untruthful about profit numbers used in collective bargaining negotiations, Goodell labeled a union report on league finances as "fiction" while emphasizing he thought the sides could reach an accord and hopefully avoid a work stoppage in 2011. 49ers: Jimmy Raye, 62, agreed to become the team's seventh offensive coordinator in seven seasons. Raye, a former Bucs assistant in the mid '80s, replaces fired Mike Martz. Coach Mike Singletary wanted a veteran coordinator who would build game plans around a sustained running attack. Rams: Kevin Demoff, a senior assistant for the Bucs the past three seasons, was hired as executive vice president of football operations and chief operating officer. Jurisprudence: Former Vikings great Carl Eller refused to cooperate with Minneapolis police during a run-in in April because he knew he was drunk and wanted to delay or prevent an alcohol test, Judge Dan Mabley said in a seven-page ruling. Mabley found the Hall of Famer guilty Monday of fourth-degree assault of an officer and second-degree refusal to submit to chemical testing. Eller, 67, will be sentenced Feb. 23. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClevelandFanForLife Posted January 31, 2009 Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 this is ridiculous. it is the one rule that drives me crazy more than anything in the nfl. the game can still be decided by a coin flip. JUST MAKE IT LIKE COLLEGE. it is without a doubt the most fair way to do it. even if you made it so that each team received a kickoff in overtime it would be more fair. this needs to change asap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballpeen Posted January 31, 2009 Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 That would screw up TV schedules throwing things off time. I say go to the college system in the playoffs and just have ties in the regular season...then you would see coaches actually try 2pt conversions as a part of the game. I wonder how many 2 pointers were actually tried last year before the last few minutes of the 4th qtr, and take away botched snaps that resulted in a 2 pt conversion? I would move the start point for conversions up a yard and see if that put more 2 pointers in to the game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gips Posted January 31, 2009 Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 I think they should make ot 1 full quarter if its still tied after that quarter allow 1 drive for each team starting at their own 30 and if no score or re-tied at that point call it a tie... Alternative: Allow each team a drive from their own 20 until 1 team scores and the other cant match that score it would end ties all together but could be troublesome if neither team can score repeatedly.. The nfl will likely do something none of us want to see..lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dencyguy Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 That would screw up TV schedules throwing things off time. I say go to the college system in the playoffs and just have ties in the regular season...then you would see coaches actually try 2pt conversions as a part of the game. I wonder how many 2 pointers were actually tried last year before the last few minutes of the 4th qtr, and take away botched snaps that resulted in a 2 pt conversion? I would move the start point for conversions up a yard and see if that put more 2 pointers in to the game. (Replying to a couple of posts here) I say make the change as minimal as possible. I like the idea of allowing both teams to get a shot, but I also like the idea of doing your job on defense. The game is only won or lost by a coin toss if you let your opponent march down the field. Letting the kicking team kick off from the 35 yard-line would make the field position less of an advantage for the receiving team--then let the defense try to, I dunno, stop the other team rather than giving up a 2-play, 70 yard TD drive and then complain about the rules being unfair. Also, the ball is moved up already on two-pointers. When the scoring team kicks, it's snapped from the three. When they go for two, it's moved up to the two yard-line; presumably that's what you're suggesting, and not that they move the LOS to the one. Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tobalaz Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 This is the way I look at it. You just had four quarters to win the game and you didn't. You should have taken care of your business THEN and you wouldn't be in position to win or lose at the toss of a coin. I say keep the coin flip and when considering a win/loss record a tie counts as a loss. So if a team is 9-6-1 with 4 conference wins and a team is 9-7 with 5 conference wins then the 9-7 team goes on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballpeen Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 I didn't know that.....on the 2....or maybe I did and hadn't seen one in so long, just forgot. Extending games won't happen....TV rules...Networks hate OT games...especially the late games as it bodgers up the rest of their nights programming. I still say leave ties in reg season....many of the existing games end up tied because they play for a tie. Take away OT....teams won't tie that often...I don't know how many games go in to OT each year...but it is way more then the number of ties teams had before OT came in to place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
We need Tom Tupa Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 A solution to the overtime problem was proposed in 2002 by Chris Quanbeck, an electrical engineer (and Green Bay Packers fan). Quanbeck's idea was to auction off possession of the ball in the natural currency of the game: field position. The team that was willing to begin closest to its own goal line would receive the privilege of possession. http://www.slate.com/id/2209436/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mz. Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 Or the two teams could play an impromptu game of "Name That Tune" where the visiting team gets to start off the bidding on how many plays they think it'll take to get into field goal range from their 20. Least number of plays bid takes it. If they don't make it, and the subsequent field goal, the bididng starts again with the home team starting it off... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canton Mike Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 I still say leave ties in reg season....many of the existing games end up tied because they play for a tie. Take away OT....teams won't tie that often...I don't know how many games go in to OT each year...but it is way more then the number of ties teams had before OT came in to place. I loved it before "overtime". You would see more teams going for it on 4th down, 2 pt pats, etc. In short, we would see more FOOTBALL than teams just playing to get to overtime. I'm solidly in favor of no OTs in regular season play & both teams get the ball in playoff OTs. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamWest Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 Gotta admit, I can't stand the college OT system. Everyone always says NFL OT is worse than college, but I disagree. Start with the ball on the 30 and try to score? Dumb. I like the whole new game way they do it, with a coin toss and kickoff. I can see the unfair advantage that a team gets by getting the ball first, though. I also don't understand how you think making games tied at the end of regulation resulting in a tie would result in more 2 pt conversions. The reason teams don't try more 2 pt conversions is because it is a 30% chance. It is basically a 100% chance for XPs. If a team was down 1 pt after a touchdown to end the game, they would tie 100% of the time with a FG. They would lose 70% of the time with a 2pt conversion try. I would rather tie 100% than lose 70%. If you change the ball placement to the 1, it will mess with the whole game. It may become more profitable to go for 2 pt conversions every time (<50% odds). This doesn't seem like a good rule change. Leave it alone Goodell, games go to overtime so rarely. If you don't want it to come down to a coin flip, win the game in regulation or PLAY SOME D. That said, I like the thought that the first possession wouldn't be allowed to kick FGs. Interesting idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thaak Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 I could see making OT one full quarter... but ultimately I think its fine the way it is. Seriously. Why does it need to be fair? So the other team won the coin toss... just play good D and you won't have to worry about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kshutchins Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 How about a shoot out sort of ending? Both kickers make field goal attempts from various yardages. First team to miss loses. There really are many possibilities that the competition committee doesn't seem to have considered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballpeen Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 Not really Adam...as the season presses on, ties are just slightly better than a loss, but no where close to a win....again...It would take some research, but the NFL didn't have anywhere near as many ties in a season before OT as it has OT games today. At least it seems that way....we might start digging and find it is about the same as a percentage. But in this edit...I found this: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writ...nks/11/20/ties/ It may support your position more than mine. (shrug) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewEraDawg Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 I think I like the option of no field goal on the first possession . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballpeen Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 That wouldn't be a bad option.....but again...OT rules are set as much for TV schedules as anything else. They want those things over in as close to the 3 hours allotted as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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