The NFL has finally wised up and realized the current overtime system is flawed. Nearly 70% of teams that win the coin flip preceding the extra quarter elect to receive the ball and wind up winning the game in sudden death. Does that sound like a fair way to determine a winner of a game that was played to an equal tie for 60 minutes prior to the flip? Not at all. Of course it’s taken years to finally get to this point, but it looks like the NFL is exploring the idea of modifying and improving the current overtime system.
The proposal says that each team will have at least one possession. If the game is tied after each team has it once, then they keep playing in a sudden-death fashion. Now all of a sudden, the same issues that govern the four quarters of a full game apply in overtime — turnovers, field position, offense, defense and special teams. In the current system, all you need is to win a toss, go about 45 yards, and make a field goal to win. The only flaw in the new proposal is that the system would be solely applied to the postseason; it should be applied to all games. I’m pleased the NFL is listening to criticism and looking at ways to improve what already is the country’s most popular sport. Let’s see them enact it now.
UPDATE: I didn’t realize that the current proposal doesn’t guarantee a possession for each team if the first team scores a TD. That’s an improvement, but not completely what I’m looking for. I want to see each time have it once.
