One of the more embarrassing games in the NFL this year occurred on Sunday in Cincinnati where the Bengals and Eagles played to a 13-13 tie. Neither team was able to score in the overtime period, resulting in the game being called as a tie — the first in the NFL since 2002. Last month I thought the Raiders/Jets game was heading to a tie until Sebastian Janikowski nailed a 57-yarder with his donkey boot. Perhaps Sunday’s game between the Eagles and Bengals would have ended differently had a certain key player on a certain team actually been aware of the NFL regular season rules. Let’s let Donovan McNabb share his thoughts after the game:
“I’ve never been a part of a tie,” McNabb said. “I never even knew that was in the rule book. It’s part of the rules and we have to go with it. I was looking forward to getting the opportunity to get out there and try to drive to win the game. But, unfortunately, with the rules, we settled with a tie.”
…
“In college, there are multiple overtimes, and in high school and Pop Warner. I never knew in the professional ranks it would end that way. I hate to see what would happen in the Super Bowl and the playoffs.”
And in case you’re wondering whether or not McNabb was being facetious, you can catch a glimpse of the video to see how matter-of-fact he was when he made that statement. Have they not seen the end of the season when teams are fighting for playoff spots and they say “A win plus a ___ loss or tie would send them to the playoffs?” That’s how I knew ties occurred. Plus, a tie last occurred in 2002 when McNabb was in the league. Maybe someone from the Eagles coaching staff should have made them realize that there wasn’t going to be a second overtime. Perhaps they would have tried slightly harder to make something happen if they knew it was a “now or never” situation. That knowledge might have helped. Just guessing.
