NFL Tries to Take Step in the Right Direction with Bad Decision

The NFL announced this week that they will be changing the overtime system for the playoffs next season. While it will remain sudden death for the most part, the new rule states that if a team should score on a field goal in the opening possession, the other team will receive the ball for a possession. What this will do is prevent a team from putting together a short drive and scoring on a field goal without the other team even having a chance to score. Any field goals after the opening drive or touchdowns scored at any time will result in the end of the game.


If you're confused by this rule, you're not alone. NFL overtime has been criticized for many years, but this new rule change addresses only one of the two major issues. The biggest problem people have with the old rule is that a team can lose without ever getting a possession. This rule change is meant to prevent this, but it seems to be an odd roundabout way of addressing it. One team can still win without the other ever having a chance for a possession. Rather than guaranteeing both teams will get a chance, they have determined teams will only get a chance if the other team only scored an easy field goal. They have recognized that it's not fair for a team to not have a chance while still refusing to guarantee them that chance. It really doesn't make sense.

The new rule also ignores the problem of ties. The fact that teams can still tie in the NFL during the regular season is absurd. No one ever leaves a football game satisfied that their team has tied. It is a completely ludicrous way of concluding a game. There are two reasons why this rule still remains. First, is the rigid TV scheduling of the NFL. Have you ever noticed that the games switch at precisely 4:15 whether it's over or not? If you aren't in that team's market, you're not watching the end of that game. An open ended overtime system would wreak havoc on this careful timing. The second reason is the rigorous nature of the sport. The reason NFL teams play only one game a week with a bye for 17 weeks is because football is such a physically taxing game that any more games may put the players at risk for serious injury. Tacking more time onto games would really fatigue those teams and put them at a disadvantage come next week.

Such precautions are proven unnecessary by college football. In college overtime each team gets the ball on the 25 yard line for one possession. Whoever is leading after each team gets their possession wins. If it is still tied each team gets another possession with the order switched (team a gets the ball first when during the first overtime they played defense first). Even after long overtime sessions, you don't see teams collapsing or legs falling off during the next game. While NFL players are older and practice more, I really don't see what fatigue you avoid by having teams play the length of the field rather than 25 yards. With the skill of NFL kickers (minus the Redskins), the NFL would have to consider moving the ball back farther, but still a back and forth overtime allows for more excitement and equal play.

I am also surprised by the fact that the NFL would make the playoffs the guinea pig round for this new rule. What if it turns out to be a complete disaster? You really never know how these new rules are going to turn out. Even if this rule wasn't a completely confusing and roundabout solution, there's no guarantee that it would work. You really don't want teams walking away from the playoffs feeling cheated by a weird rule change that completely hurt them.

The new overtime rule is a bad solution to fix only part of a real problem. It will be implemented at the wrong time and could potentially blow up in the NFL's face. I am surprised the NFL owners agreed to this by such a large majority (only 4 voted against). Let's hope this is just a step in the right direction and not the actual solution to the NFL's overtime woes.