OT Rule Officially adopted for Regular Season

[The King]

The playoff OT rule is now applicable during the regular season.

Score a TD and win, kick a FG the opponent gets a shot.

[ddaryl]

seems weird to me. If the opposing team gets a shot for a FG they should get a shot for a TD to.

[ServoBillieves]

McNabb rule in effect...

[stuckincincy]

McNabb rule in effect...

Political Correctness rule now in effect...

[Historian]

Go back to ties....

:ill:

[zone]

Much more exciting that way.

[PromoTheRobot]

I don't know why it's so freaking hard for people to get that both teams should have offense on the field at least once. You don't end baseball games if a team scores in the top of extra innings.

PTR

[ghz in pittsburgh]

I don't know why it's so freaking hard for people to get that both teams should have offense on the field at least once. You don't end baseball games if a team scores in the top of extra innings.

PTR

Baseball is not a fluid, dynamic game. When you in defense, you are not allowed to go offense and score runs.

[BLeonard]

I don't mind the rule one way or the other. Sudden death, as it was in the past, was fine with me and I'm also fine with the "Need a TD to win on first posession" rule that they have in place now.

The issue I had was the rule not being the same for Regular Season and playoff games. If you can win a Regular Season game by kicking a FG on the first posession in OT, you should be able to win a Post Season game that way as well. At least now, the rules are the same across the board.

In a perfect world, I'd like to see them do OT like they do basketball. Instead of 5 minutes or football, though, make it 10 minutes. If a team can keep the ball for that long and kick a FG as time expires, they deserve to win.

My major gripe was having different rules for regular Season and Playoffs... At least that's been fixed.

-Bill

[BLeonard]

I don't know why it's so freaking hard for people to get that both teams should have offense on the field at least once. You don't end baseball games if a team scores in the top of extra innings.

PTR

But, a hockey game could end if a team wins the OT faceoff, goes right in and scores a goal... The team that didn't win the faceoff never had a shot on offense in that situation, either.

-Bill

[OpIv37]

When I hear those complicated OT rules, all I can think of is

"Don't do what Donny Don't Does: the 10 Do's and 500 Don'ts of Knife Safety."

http://simpsonswiki.net/wiki/The_10_Dos_and_500_Don%27ts_of_Knife_Safety

[ServoBillieves]

When I hear those complicated OT rules, all I can think of is

"Don't do what Donny Don't Does: the 10 Do's and 500 Don'ts of Knife Safety."

http://simpsonswiki.net/wiki/The_10_Dos_and_500_Don%27ts_of_Knife_Safety

Ernest Borgnine approves.

[PromoTheRobot]

But, a hockey game could end if a team wins the OT faceoff, goes right in and scores a goal... The team that didn't win the faceoff never had a shot on offense in that situation, either.

-Bill


Baseball is not a fluid, dynamic game. When you in defense, you are not allowed to go offense and score runs.

True, but in hockey teams play offense and defense at the same time.

In football they call the defense "the defense" because it's their main job to prevent scoring, not put up points. Hence, if a football team loses because the other team scores on the first possession it is not an even game. The team that got to play offense first gets a huge advantage.

PTR

[BLeonard]

True, but in hockey teams play offense and defense at the same time.

In football they call the defense "the defense" because it's their main job to prevent scoring, not put up points. Hence, if a football team loses because the other team scores on the first possession it is not an even game. The team that got to play offense first gets a huge advantage.

PTR

Like I said, I'm fine with it either way, as long as it is consistent in all games played. If you can win one way on OT during the regular season, that shouldn't change in postseason. That was my major issue.

But, I don't think there was a s big of an advantage to winning the coin toss as you believe. IIRC, the team that won a coin toss had a 52% chance of winning the game and only about a 30% chance of winning on their first posession. Now, that percentage, I believe, went up when the kickoff was moved from the 35 to the 30... But, now that it's back at the 35, I'd think the numbers would go back to around the same numbers as I stated above.

Ultimately, I don't think it's a big of an issue as many think it is. Hell, in 2010, the Bills played in 3 OT games, none of them ended on the first posession (meaning both teams had the ball) and they still lost all three.

This only covers from 1974-2003, but gives a decent look at OT games: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_percent_of_teams_that_win_the_coin_toss_win_in_overtime_in_the_NFL



The NFL has had 325 overtime games since the rule was adopted in 1974. The results:
•Both teams have had possession 235 times (72.3%).
•The team that has won the toss has won 169 times (52.0%).
•The team that has lost the toss has won 141 times (43.4%).
•223 games were decided by a field goal (68.6%).
•86 games were decided by a TD (26.5%).
•One game was decided by a safety (0.3%).
•There have been 15 ties (4.6%).


So, in 325 OT games, only 90 of them ended with only one team having posession of the ball. That's 27.7%... Now, keep in mind, some of those games ended with the team scoring a TD on their first drive, whch would end the game with this new rule as well. So, the number of times where a team wn the toss and simply kicked a FG to win on their first drive is likely below 25% and could be closer to 20%.

Again, like I said, doesn't bother me either way, as long as the rules are the same for every game, regular season or playoffs.

-Bill

[MattyNH]

I am fine with the rule but what I dont get is why they did just playoffs last year and now are doing regular season too. There was no big event or anything. It is like they woke up and got some common sense...if its good for the playoffs it is good for any game....I didnt get why they said just playoffs last year!

[Skooby]

NHL rules change for the playoffs, but I understand the NFL wanting to train its fans.

[MattyNH]

NHL rules change for the playoffs, but I understand the NFL wanting to train its fans.

Well ok that is true but there is a legitimate reason for that. Most fans don't want to stay out til 2Am until a goal is scored on a Wednesday night in the regular season. The playoffs is a different story. With the NFL you are talking 1 extra possession and then maybe a continuation if the team ties it up, it will be relatively rare. In the NHL, a lot of games go to OT.

[Buffalogic]

just leave it the way it was jeez

[Skooby]

Well ok that is true but there is a legitimate reason for that. Most fans don't want to stay out til 2Am until a goal is scored on a Wednesday night in the regular season. The playoffs is a different story. With the NFL you are talking 1 extra possession and then maybe a continuation if the team ties it up, it will be relatively rare. In the NHL, a lot of games go to OT.

Great point, thanks.

[JohnnyGold]

read this once, its stuck with me forever.

best way to settle the OT dispute:

first team to score 6 points wins.

[YardRat]

I think the opposing team should get a possession even if the first team to possess scores a TD.

[gr8slayer]

Long overdue in my opinion.

[Thurmal]

This rule change is stupid and I'm tired of Goodell changing every damn part of what was an already great game.

So what if both teams don't get a chance on offense. NEWS FLASH -- defense is part of the game too. The team that gets the ball first doesn't win an overwhelming majority of OT games anyway.

See how much you like it when Buffalo becomes the first team to score a FG first in OT and then lose via an ensuing TD. You know the Bills will be the first team screwed by this too; its their way.