Keep Your Mitts Off Overtime
March 21st, 2010In this video, veteran St. Petersburg Times columnist Gary Shelton reveals he’s tired of NFL officials constantly trying to monkey with things.
(Given the primate that is currently swinging around St. Petersburg, Joe thought that was an apt verb to use.)
Shelton sort of believes overtime could be better, but he’s tired of NFL officials always tinkering. Joe totally agrees with that. Why does the NFL annually, constantly, try to tinker with rules?
Up until Friday, Joe believed that every team should get a chance to have an offensive possession in overtime. Then Joe was listening to the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, “The Big Dog,” Steve Duemig, who won Joe over.
In short, a football squad is a team: both offense and defense. Lose the coin flip for overtime? Play some defense and you’ll get the ball.
At any rate, as usual, Shelton offers another solid video offering.
[UPDATE: Per @mortreport, the NFL competition committee voted unanimously 8-0 in favor of a change in the NFL’s overtime format for playoff games. Joe has a hunch this will be a sticking point in the NFLPA negotiations. Players don’t want to play more than they do now and the NFL wants an 18-game regular season schedule. Joe doubts we will see a change to overtime as a result.]
March 21st, 2010 at 9:53 am
I agree. I’ve always been of the thought that if you don’t win the coin flip, play defense and get the damn ball back so your offense can win it.
March 21st, 2010 at 10:11 am
Wow! Joe must not have very strong core beliefs about overtime to be won over by a radio host. I will continue to believe each team should have an offensive series. Facts prove that the team that win the coin flip in overtime win. Yes, there is defense. But, let’s keep in mind, the reason the teams are in overtime is simple … the offenses were dominating the defenses. Think, Joe, think!
March 21st, 2010 at 11:14 am
Who cares about overtime, have you seen the other rule change they are considering? To cut down on injury and protect recievers, they are considering a rule change that would put an end to big hits over the middle. Defensive players would not be aloud to lunge at a reciever untill that reciver has taken two steps and had time to defend himself…..
Are they trying to completley ruin this f**king game?
March 21st, 2010 at 11:24 am
I also agree that both teams should get one possession at least. OT came about in ’74 when FG kickers percentage was way lower than what it is today. I like to use this argument which Peter King uses all the time. If there is no advantage of who wins the coin toss, why does practically every time choose to receive the ball? And why play 60 minutes of football and have it decided by a lousy coin toss?? It was a shame that this happened with the Vikings-Saints playoff game. That was a complete travesty. The Saints get a good kickoff return, several questionable calls and they win on a frickin FG on the first possession.
I am not a huge fan of what they are proposing (where you win with a TD and the other team doesn’t get the ball), but it is better than nothing. Rule changes happen all the time. Why not this? Receivers used to be belted by CBs and Ss all the way down the field. They changed that rule. Used to be no replay. Used to be able to do a head slap. So times change. Kickers are too good now.
March 21st, 2010 at 11:56 am
JDouble, I saw that too. They are screwing with the game too much, esp. its physicality. The NFL seems to be changing rules just for the sake of changing rules nowadays.
March 21st, 2010 at 11:59 am
That last comment would be mine.(Wasn’t there an old movie called “M”?? Peter Lorre as a killer, was that it??)
March 21st, 2010 at 5:43 pm
First team to 6 points, should be the rule. it would stop the decent kick return then 2 first downs and kick a field goal to win, in overtime. I mean that is what they are trying to stop from happening.
March 21st, 2010 at 8:00 pm
Glad that Bill Polian is now on the reasonable side of this debate. I almost forgot that they moved the kickoff spot back to the 30. Another thing that aids a team in OT along with the kickers getting so much better these days. With the forcing the team to score at least a TD, it does allow the other team the chance to play defense as the opponents like to say.