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VeteranFrom the Back of the Freezer
Both teams got the ball (and the Giants won) and another chance to fix the NFL's overtime issue was wasted. But it doesn't mean that the NFL's overtime system isn't still a problem. And Heaven forbid a Super Bowl game ever goes overtime.
So I pulled this one from the back of the freezer (it was originally posted on my old website), defrosted it, and present once more my plan for "Modified Sudden Death."
Working Overtime
Originally posted December 2, 2005
While most of us were eating turkey and stuffing, some dedicated folks were working overtime. And as we relaxed and reclined on Sunday afternoon, there were plenty of others going the extra mile. Of course, I'm describing our friends, those hard-working NFL players.
There were four overtime games this past week. In two of these, both teams were on offense at least once. But the other games-San Diego-Washington and Denver-Dallas-were over in a combined one minute and 55 seconds. San Diego and Denver won the coin tosses in their games and the winning scores came two and three plays later, respectively.
Which got me thinking. Is it really fair that, after 60 minutes of hard-fought football, the flip of a coin and one bad play can cost your team the game? Without you even touching the ball once? I don't think so.
Now I'm not one of those who spouts inaccurate stats to make my case. Many people incorrectly believe that most overtime games end with one team never touching the ball. As a matter of fact, both teams have at least one possession in more than 70% of overtime games. But it's that 30% that concerns me.
Here's how the NFL's "Sudden Death" overtime system currently works: There is a coin toss to determine which team receives the ball. First team to score wins. Period. As was the case in the afore-mentioned two games this past weekend, one team can lose the game without touching the ball in overtime. Fair? Not really.
There are some who prefer the college football overtime rules. In college, each team gets the ball on their opponents' 25-yard line. After one team has a chance to score, the other team gets a chance to match or beat that score. It can (and sometimes does) continue like this for what seems like forever (or 7 overtimes, the longest such game under this system-one free viewing of this blog next week to the first person who names this game). Eventually one team scores more than the other, or everyone gets bored and goes home.
But the real problem with this system is the bastardization of the game. Football has three distinct parts: offense, defense, and special teams. There is no special teams play in college overtime, and the field is weighted toward the offenses. It would be like having a basketball overtime in which teams played half court 7-on-3 until someone scored more points. Or having a shootout decide a hockey overtime (oops, they do that now-and it works).
Rest easy, fans. As usual, the Czar of Sports has a plan. I call it "Modified Sudden Death." Catchy, no? Here is how it works:
If one team receives the kickoff and eventually turns the ball over or punts, the game immediately becomes sudden death. Both teams would have had at least one "possession" under these rules. We'll define a possession as starting as soon as the ball is kicked off (with onside kicks not allowed). If you fumble the kickoff, well, you've wasted your possession. Likewise, if a team punts and you fumble the punt, your possession is over.
The difference comes if one team scores. At this point, Team A would kick off to the other team. Team B would have one "possession" to match or beat the previous score. If they score more points than Team A, the game is over and Team B wins. If Team B turns the ball over or scores fewer points than Team A, Team A wins.
If Team B ties the game, they would then kick off to Team A and we'd be back to where we started, with each team needing another "possession."
Here's the catch: keep the 15-minute clock normally used for overtime. If it runs out, the game is over-no matter where the teams stand. If it's tied, the game ends in a tie. If one team has the lead, that team wins.
Think of the strategy that would be used in today's NFL under the "Modified Sudden Death" rules. If you win the coin toss, do you want the ball first or would you rather kick off? If you kick off, presumably you'll get the ball back with good field position or you'll know how many points you'll need to win. But-if your opponent scores a touchdown and you don't have the guts to go for two-you know you'll need to score a touchdown and get the ball back again before the period ends.
Likely, games would proceed as normal, with both teams touching the ball, locked in a sudden death match-up. But other games would feature multiple overtime scores and coaching decisions galore. Just imagine if the Colts and Bengals game had gone to overtime a few weeks ago (a 45-37 Indianapolis win). There might have been 6 touchdowns scored in OT. Or picture a team scoring the second touchdown in overtime. Will they kick the extra point to tie or go for the win with the two-point conversion? The NFL's missing out on some excitement here.
Best of all, no one would be blaming the poor coins anymore. Or the refs for failing Coin Tossing 101 in college. And all of those hard working guys-offenses, defenses, and special teamers-could walk to the locker room knowing they had a real chance to win or lose the game.
And, most importantly, there'd be no more indigestion on Thanksgiving caused by your team not getting the ball in overtime.