Jul
29
I want to get back to the NFL overtime situation I talked about a long time ago. Right now, the NFL’s overtime system is sudden-death; that is, the first person to score wins. This makes overtime less of a test of skill and more of a test of luck. Remember that a coin toss is done before overtime begins, and that the person who wins this toss has a choice to receive or kick. The person that receives in overtime has a huge advantage because if they score any points at all, they win. This means they could kick a field goal from as far as the 35 yard line or get all the way in for a touchdown. If a team gets points on its first overtime possession, it wins. That’s barely fair. Overtime, like the regulation period, should test all aspects of a team once again. The current system does not always do so, since teams can win before they even get the chance to switch sides. Baseball gets it with overtime (called “Extra Innings”) – both teams get a chance to hold the other team to as few runs as possible and to score as many runs as possible. In baseball, there is no coin toss; visitors always bat first. There’s nothing really wrong with that, and overall, I like how Extra Innings works.
College football gets overtime right. Both teams start at the opposing 25 yard line, and they try to get either a TD or a field goal. A coin toss still dictates who goes first, but its weight in the determination of the winner or loser is nowhere near as great, as the other team will get a chance on offense. After both teams take turns on offense, the team that scored more points wins. If they’re still tied, they do it again. Why doesn’t the NFL follow this method, or at least a variation of this method? If they think the 25′s too close, they could always start them at midfield or so. I think it makes a lot more sense. I’d be livid if I played hard, good football for sixty minutes just to lose to a stupid coin toss.
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