NFL Playoff overtime rules changed: Donovan McNabb probably still confused
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posted by Draft Day Suit A (usually) humorous look at sports written by popular parent bloggers and some of their friends. |
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Finally, NFL owners have voted to change OT rules for playoff games during their annual meeting in Orlando, FL, thereby eliminating the major role a coin flip plays in deciding the winner.
There were 134 overtime games from 2000-2007. Out of those, the team that won the coin toss won 60 percent of the time. Thirty percent of those 134 games were decided without the loser having ever touched the ball. That seems to be placing a lot of importance on a referee’s thumb-flipability or the trajectory and bounce rate of a coin. Tie games in a sport where men routinely crush each other should not be settled with a quarter.
Here’s how the new OT rules work:
There’s still a coin toss, but if the team who elects to receive first kicks a field goal, the other team has an opportunity to tie or win the game. A field goal tying the game would then result in the game conitinuing under the ”sudden death” rule. The first touchdown wins the game, either way.
Got it? So, no longer can a team win the toss, move the ball to the 35 and win the game, they can only hope to prolong it.
The vote to change the rule was pretty lopsided at 28-4, the opposing teams being the Ravens, Bengals, Vikings and Bills. I’m not sure why anyone would vote against this, but I don’t pretend to understand anything.
Donovan, this part’s just for you, so pay attention:
A game can still end in a tie, even if you don’t think that’s very cool or silly or whatever.
View Original Post at draftdaysuit.com
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