NFL could change overtime format for playoffs

[Revering4Blue]

NDIANAPOLIS (AP)—An NFL spokesman said Saturday the league could change its overtime format for playoff games at a meeting next month.

Under the new format, both teams would get the ball at least once unless the first team to get the ball scores a touchdown, Greg Aiello said. If the first team to get the ball makes a field goal and the other team ties the game, action would continue until a team scores again.

Under the current rules, the first team to score wins.

“There have been various concepts that have been discussed in recent years, but this one has never been proposed,” Aiello said.

The competition committee will discuss the new concept with teams and players at league meetings March 21-24 in Orlando, Fla., when it could come to a vote. At least two thirds of the teams would need to agree to the changes for new rules to be adopted.

The competition committee met with the players’ union and players on Thursday during the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. Discussion continued when the competition committee met with a general managers’ advisory committee on Friday.

The debate about the rules gained steam after the NFC championship game, when New Orleans beat Minnesota 31-28 in overtime and Brett Favre’s Vikings never got the ball in the extra period. Under the proposed rule, Minnesota would have gotten another possession because the Vikings didn’t allow a touchdown.

Overtime was adopted for regular season games in 1974, a sudden-death format that allowed games to end in a tie if neither team scored in 15 minutes. Overtime for playoff games always has been sudden death.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_yl...v=ap&type=lgns

[reds1869]

I like it, and hope they adopt this format for the regular season as well. Why in the world wouldn't they adopt it for the games that decide the playoff teams: the regular season?

[KronoRed]

Not a fan of such a silly format, just do what they do in college.

[reds1869]

Originally Posted by KronoRed

Not a fan of such a silly format, just do what they do in college.

At least the proposed format bears some resemblance to the game that preceded it. The college overtime is just a glorified scrimmage.

[Yachtzee]

Playoff rules should be the same as regular season rules.

[Sea Ray]

Originally Posted by Yachtzee

Playoff rules should be the same as regular season rules.

My guess is they're using the playoffs to test and tweak this new system and then they'll take it to the regular season as well. Of course right now the system is different but I agree with your concept that the rules should be the same

[KronoRed]

I don't like the whole "allow a FG and get a chance, but a TD and you don't" just seems goofy.

If you want to avoid the college problem, move them back to the other 25 yard line.

[Roy Tucker]

Originally Posted by KronoRed

I don't like the whole "allow a FG and get a chance, but a TD and you don't" just seems goofy.

I agree. Seems hokey. Just guarantee that each team will get the ball once in OT. After that, its sudden death. Simple and clean.

And I think experimenting with a new rule that hasn't been proven out in the playoffs could very well backfire and cause more problems than it solves. If anything, I'd experiment in pre-season just to see if it works.

[improbus]

How about this. The first team to six points in OT wins. A touchdown should end the game as it gives the defense ample chance to stop the offense (unlike a FG.)

Also, imagine the decisions that this would create. A team 4th and 2 on the 35 would have to debate on whether to go for it or kick the field goal, hope for a stop and kick another one. It seems like a way to reward good offense, good defense, and good special teams.

This seems like the proper compromise.

[top6]

My proposal is this.

Eliminate overtime in the regular season, and if teams are tied at the end of 4 quarters it's a tie game.

In the playoffs, play sudden death over time as is, but always give the team with the lower seed the ball. Alternatively, just keep playing 7 minute over time periods until someone has won.

[Sea Ray]

Originally Posted by top6

My proposal is this.

Eliminate overtime in the regular season, and if teams are tied at the end of 4 quarters it's a tie game.

In the playoffs, play sudden death over time as is, but always give the team with the lower seed the ball. Alternatively, just keep playing 7 minute over time periods until someone has won.

I hate ties. As a fan I watch a competitive event to see a winner and a loser. I'll take a sorry OT system over a tie

[top6]

Originally Posted by Yachtzee

Playoff rules should be the same as regular season rules.

They are currently not the same, since a regular season game ends in a tie after 1 overtime, and a playoff game goes into another overtime.

Originally Posted by Sea Ray

I hate ties. As a fan I watch a competitive event to see a winner and a loser. I'll take a sorry OT system over a tie

I'm not the biggest fan of them either, but I don't have the strong aversion others do. What I really hate is a game being decided on a coin toss. I also personally dislike the college system, or shoot outs in soccer or hockey, because I don't think winners should be determined by all of a sudden playing another game. (I guess I don't mind shootouts so much when you get less points for winning by shootout than a normal game, but something like that would never work in the NFL.)

I also think the number of ties would be fairly minimal. Teams would not play for the tie at the end, I would be willing to bet. There still would be ties, though, but I personally feel that trade off is worth it.

[macro]

One problem I have with the college OT rules is that the points and stats count. Teams and players should NOT have their NCAA scoring rankings affected by cheap overtime touchdowns.

If they're going to play it that way, fine. But don't let the stats count. Yes, I know stats count in other sports, but teams aren't handed a scoring opportunity on a platter in other sports the way they are in NCAA football.

[Sea Ray]

This idea is an improvement over what we've got currently but I still have to ask, why if they score a TD is it OK for the other team not to get a possession? It seems to me the problem with the current system is that one team can win it w/o the losing team ever getting a possession. Just what problem are they solving?

Hopefully they'll tweak this at the Spring meeting

[oneupper]

My proposal is that the first possession of overtime should be determined BEFORE the game begins and not after regulation ends.

You could either have a fixed rule (Visitor gets the choice, for example)
or determine it at the initial coin toss.

This way both coaches would know ahead of time the consequences of a tie game at regulation and coach accordingly (go for the win, for example, if they know they are not getting the ball first in OT).

There is no totally "fair" way to do this, as shown by the college format, where there is an advantage of letting the other team get the ball first and then playing knowing what their outcome was.

So, if you can't make it totally fair, at least make it less uncertain.