Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Topic for Debate: The New Playoff OT Rules Change


The NFL owners voted to change an element in the overtime rule, giving the team that loses the coin toss at the start of overtime to get a possession if the coin-toss winning team scores a field goal with the first possession.

Agree? Disagree?

And for the record, the Bills were one of the four teams to vote against the rules change proposal. The vote was cast by new coach Chan Gailey who claimed that his opposition was based on the rule change creating two different sets of rules/strategies for regular season & playoffs.

3 comments:

  1. I think they should've done it for both regular and post season. Not sure what the logic is behind creating this tiered type of system. I mean, if statistics prove that getting the ball first is too big of a boon, then why is it okay to have things unfair during the regular season when the regular season record is what gets you into the playoffs. Their logic doesn't hold water.

    The only compelling reason I've heard for *not* changing the system is fear over player safety. Looking at it closely, though, this hardly holds water. The same people who wring their hands over player safety by having players play a fifth quarter in an OT game are some of the same folks pushing for two extra games in the regular season. Gee, won't that increase a player's chance to get hurt?

    I do have one question, though, about the new system they voted in. So if the team that first gets the ball ends up kicking a field goal, the other team gets a chance to score. What happens if the second team only kicks a field goal as well? Ultimately, I say go to a system similar to the college game or just have them play a full extra quarter and take the score at the end of that game.

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  2. I just can't buy the "it's a defense's job to stop the drive" response to anyone who has a problem with the randomness of the coin flip. The mark of a good defense is never that they allow zero points scored.

    Actually, I kinda like the rule change at this point, since what would happen if both opening drives yielded field goals is the game reverts instantly to sudden death.

    And no wonder the coaches seem largely opposed. Could you imagine now having to be in the position of having to make the field goal/go for touchdown decision in overtime...in the playoffs. The job just became a tad more stressful.

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  3. But you said earlier that you were in favor of it. Am I missing you being clever because I only got 6 hours of sleep?

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