Goodell supports change to overtime rules
Per Pro Football Talk…
Commissioner Roger Goodell, in a press conference held in conjunction with the annual league meetings in Orlando, spoke out in support of the tweak in the overtime rules proposed by the Competition Committee.
The proposal would prevent the team that receives the kickoff in overtime during a playoff game from winning with only a field goal on the first drive.
This is definitely a case where the league could let perfect get in the way of better, and while the proposed system is better, it still has its faults. First, there is still a lot of emphasis on the coin flip because the team that gets the ball first in overtime (Team A) would get it first once sudden death starts if Team B were to match Team A’s field goal. There’s also the matter of Team B not getting a chance to match Team A’s touchdown since the game would be over. No matter how you slice it, the loser of the coin flip is at a disadvantage.
Goodell supports a system that would retain the sudden death format, and I tend to agree with him. That’s why I like the blind bid idea that we’ve discussed at length on another post. It successfully devalues the initial possession (by using poor field position) so that sudden death can proceed as normal. Due to the sheer difficulty that some have in getting their heads around how the bidding process works (and how it devalues possession), I know that this idea will never come to fruition.
So this proposed change is better than nothing.
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Not a bad post until this comment:
“Due to the sheer difficulty that some have in getting their heads around how the bidding process works (and how it devalues possession), I know that this idea will never come to fruition.”
A little arrogant, wouldn’t you say John? Right…that’s why the idea will never come to fruition, because people just aren’t intelligent enough (or as intelligent as you) to be able to “get their heads around it” and understand its merits the way you do. It has nothing to do with it being a completely ridiculous concept to put into a football game, because a man of your intellect wouldn’t support a completely ridiculous idea, right?
“First, there is still a lot of emphasis on the coin flip”. I’d think a guy as bright as you could get your head around the fact that a coin flip gives an absolute 50-50 chance at possession. But you continue to confuse possession with winning, and the two aren’t the same, no matter how you try to spin your stats.
Here’s a crazy thought…there are guys in the NFL who have lived and breathed the game longer than either of us have lived, who might know a little more than you about how to make their game fair and competitive, that disagree with you.
Now there’s something that must be difficult for you to get your head around.