Overtime Rule Change Proposal

[DCOrange]

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2021/03/04/ravens-to-propose-revolutionary-spot-and-choose-overtime-procedure/

 

My guess is that this will not pass, but perhaps it will be like the 4th and 15 rule where it keeps coming back as more teams get frustrated with the current way things are. The rule is laid out in the article above, but basically, this is how it would work.

 

One team chooses the spot where the ball will begin in OT (i.e. the offense's own 10 yard line). The other team then gets to choose if it wants to take the ball at the 10 or play defense from the 10 and bank on getting a quick stop and getting the ball back around midfield after the punt.

 

The winner of the coin toss decides if they want to be the team setting the spot or be the team making the call on taking the ball (I imagine teams would always choose the latter).

 

Edit: Forgot this part: this rule was submitted with two different variations. One being that it's sudden death, so if you take the ball from your own 10 and score, that's the ballgame. The other variation that was submitted (and has the Patriots backing in addition to the Ravens) is that OT is 7.5 minutes long and you just play it out; most points at the end of it wins or it can end in a tie there.

Edited March 4, 2021 by DCOrange

[17islongenough]

Just go to college rules.  

[Orlando Tim]

This is an awful idea- if two teams are tied play to sudden death.

[papazoid]

#1 - overtime should be for a definite period of time. enough so that each team would likely get the ball once. say anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes.

#2 - in the unlikely event it stays tied after that, then sudden death.

[Buffalo03]

Keep it how it is now bit go back to 15:00 OT quarters. The 10:00 quarters are crappy. It leads to more ties

[CA OC Bills Fan]

Leave as is or move back to 15 minute quarters. I hate the college OT and see no advantage to go to this new proposal.

[Rochesterfan]

18 minutes ago, 17islongenough said:

Just go to college rules.  

 

I hate the college rules - it is just as bad as the stupid Hockey OT rules.

 

It is fine the way it is.  - adjust the clock if needed.

[GunnerBill]

I don't know why you all hate ties so much. How many games go to overtime over the course of a season? 15? 20? Just call them ties and be done with it. In the playoffs I'd insist each team possess the ball once and if it remains tied after that then sudden death. 

[Royale with Cheese]

10 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

I don't know why you all hate ties so much. How many games go to overtime over the course of a season? 15? 20? Just call them ties and be done with it. In the playoffs I'd insist each team possess the ball once and if it remains tied after that then sudden death. 

 

Go back to eating your crumpets and drinking your warm beer.  This is 'Merica, we don't tie unless it's a hog.

[Rubes]

Honestly, I don't care what else they do with the rules, the only thing I want to see changed is no ties. Ever.

 

[PrimeTime101]

I like my rule better

 

NEW OT RULES

1. Beginning of over time ball is spotted at the 50.

2. After the toss each team will have as many shots at the end zone or fg as they wish.

3. If they do or don't get a FG or TD the other team takes over at the 50.

 

So every drive starts at the 50. No matter what. 

 

This lasts for 10 minutes. Team that is ahead after 10 wins.

 

IF its a tie after 10 mins., they go for an extended 5 minutes.

If a tie after the extended 5 minutes then the game ends in a tie..

 

this turns into a cat and mouse strategy game. Depending on the situation does one continue to play up tempo? Keep running the game clock with confidence in defense?

 

This would be my new rule.

 

Or play an extra 15 minutes of game... let them duke it out.. after 15 minutes if its a tie its a tie.

[mushypeaches]

Ties are the best. 

 

They force coaches into interesting logic/strategy in OT that they actually have to think about sometimes.  Seeing them fail can be fun (or excruciating, like McDermott's 2017 Snow Game brain cramp)

 

Impact on standings is fun

 

They happen so rarely that they're interesting and unique

 

Frankly, I miss ties in hockey too, and the changes to OT and adding shootouts didn't really move the needle in that sport either

 

More gimmicks in football would be unnecessary

 

[Logic]

Let each team pick their best fighter. 

The two men then square off at the 50-yard-line in three two minute rounds. 

May the best man (and team) win.

I know who the Bills are picking in this scenario...





 

[BADOLBILZ]

2 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

I don't know why you all hate ties so much. How many games go to overtime over the course of a season? 15? 20? Just call them ties and be done with it. In the playoffs I'd insist each team possess the ball once and if it remains tied after that then sudden death. 

 

 

Ties really are anti-American.   We want decisive results and instant analysis and ties are counterproductive to those endeavors.  You are just used to it because soccer is a sport where you eventually just reach a point where both teams are too exhausted to score.   That's not sport, it's aerobics.   Always hated that about the game.    Hockey has a similar problem.   4 OT playoff games are bullish*t. 

[Doc]

Two men enter...

[Brianmoorman4jesus]

Everyone always tries to reinvent the wheel with overtime. I say play an 8 min quarter. Whatever the score is after is the score.

[Motorin']

Madden has a really fun feature that would make NFL OT must watch. 

 

Each team gets one drive from their 20. Punting is not allowed. Extra points are not allowed. Highest score wins.

 

If the score is tied after 2 drives, the ball is placed at the 50. Each team alternates on O for one play. The next play starts where the ball was downed. If one team scores a TD, game over. 

 

If it comes down to the last play of 8 plays, the winner is determined by the spot of the ball. Imagine the ball is at the Bills 35 and it's the very last play. They have to get the ball past the 50, into their opponents territory to win. High drama.

[GunnerBill]

1 hour ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

Ties really are anti-American.   We want decisive results and instant analysis and ties are counterproductive to those endeavors.  You are just used to it because soccer is a sport where you eventually just reach a point where both teams are too exhausted to score.   That's not sport, it's aerobics.   Always hated that about the game.    Hockey has a similar problem.   4 OT playoff games are bullish*t. 

 

I just don't get it. It is bizarre.

[HappyDays]

My weird idea for overtime is you're not allowed to punt. First team to score wins. But you can't kick a field goal until your 3rd possession. So now the playing field is a bit more even because even if you get the ball first there's a risk you'll give the ball to the other team on a short field.

[Cash]

4 hours ago, 17islongenough said:

Just go to college rules.  

 

3 hours ago, PrimeTime101 said:

I like my rule better

 

NEW OT RULES

1. Beginning of over time ball is spotted at the 50.

2. After the toss each team will have as many shots at the end zone or fg as they wish.

3. If they do or don't get a FG or TD the other team takes over at the 50.

 

So every drive starts at the 50. No matter what. 

 

This lasts for 10 minutes. Team that is ahead after 10 wins.

 

IF its a tie after 10 mins., they go for an extended 5 minutes.

If a tie after the extended 5 minutes then the game ends in a tie..

 

this turns into a cat and mouse strategy game. Depending on the situation does one continue to play up tempo? Keep running the game clock with confidence in defense?

 

This would be my new rule.

 

Or play an extra 15 minutes of game... let them duke it out.. after 15 minutes if its a tie its a tie.

 

57 minutes ago, Motorin' said:

Madden has a really fun feature that would make NFL OT must watch. 

 

Each team gets one drive from their 20. Punting is not allowed. Extra points are not allowed. Highest score wins.

 

If the score is tied after 2 drives, the ball is placed at the 50. Each team alternates on O for one play. The next play starts where the ball was downed. If one team scores a TD, game over. 

 

If it comes down to the last play of 8 plays, the winner is determined by the spot of the ball. Imagine the ball is at the Bills 35 and it's the very last play. They have to get the ball past the 50, into their opponents territory to win. High drama.

 

13 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

My weird idea for overtime is you're not allowed to punt. First team to score wins. But you can't kick a field goal until your 3rd possession. So now the playing field is a bit more even because even if you get the ball first there's a risk you'll give the ball to the other team on a short field.

 

I hate any OT proposal that removes special teams and the field position battle from the game.  There should be a difference between going 3-and-out versus moving the ball a decent ways down the field and still having to punt.  Likewise, there should be a difference between the QB fumbling when he gets sacked vs. throwing a pick on a 40-yard bomb (arm punt).  Turning football into a binary succeed/fail option (or tri-nary if it's TD/FG/fail) is much less interesting to me than traditional football, where every yard matters.

[The Red King]

16 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

My weird idea for overtime is you're not allowed to punt. First team to score wins. But you can't kick a field goal until your 3rd possession. So now the playing field is a bit more even because even if you get the ball first there's a risk you'll give the ball to the other team on a short field.

 

Not so weird.  I'd just tweak it a lil.  No punts, no FGs to start.  Sudden death.  10-minute clock.  One timeout.  If the game remains tied after 10m, field goals are allowed.  No need to keep count on number of drives, and now if the clock nears 0, there is a strategic element.  You got it on their 20.  Clock is nearing 0.  Did the other team burn their TO?  Can they stop the clock from hitting zero?

 

...just a random thought.

[Royale with Cheese]

I just can't believe you guys don't like the college OT rules.  I love it.

[djp14150]

5 hours ago, DCOrange said:

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2021/03/04/ravens-to-propose-revolutionary-spot-and-choose-overtime-procedure/

 

My guess is that this will not pass, but perhaps it will be like the 4th and 15 rule where it keeps coming back as more teams get frustrated with the current way things are. The rule is laid out in the article above, but basically, this is how it would work.

 

One team chooses the spot where the ball will begin in OT (i.e. the offense's own 10 yard line). The other team then gets to choose if it wants to take the ball at the 10 or play defense from the 10 and bank on getting a quick stop and getting the ball back around midfield after the punt.

 

The winner of the coin toss decides if they want to be the team setting the spot or be the team making the call on taking the ball (I imagine teams would always choose the latter).

 

Edit: Forgot this part: this rule was submitted with two different variations. One being that it's sudden death, so if you take the ball from your own 10 and score, that's the ballgame. The other variation that was submitted (and has the Patriots backing in addition to the Ravens) is that OT is 7.5 minutes long and you just play it out; most points at the end of it wins or it can end in a tie there.

 

use hockey rules....each team gets a 0.5 W and 0.5 L. Winner gets an extra 0.5 in wins

[PrimeTime101]

33 minutes ago, Cash said:

 

I hate any OT proposal that removes special teams and the field position battle from the game.  There should be a difference between going 3-and-out versus moving the ball a decent ways down the field and still having to punt.  Likewise, there should be a difference between the QB fumbling when he gets sacked vs. throwing a pick on a 40-yard bomb (arm punt).  Turning football into a binary succeed/fail option (or tri-nary if it's TD/FG/fail) is much less interesting to me than traditional football, where every yard matters.

As much as I understand your position, you can't even begin to know ho good something will be till you try it. The NFL is all for player safety and this does add to that making a rule such as mine more appealing.  I would want to win on what my offense did and not a lucky or unlucky ST play..  This is me talking as we all have the right to our opinions!

 

 

[The Wiz]

Let's just make it a two man potato sack race from end zone to 50,50 to end zone using only linemen (can be defensive or offensive). 

[Figster]

Play 15 minute quarters until the tie is broken.

 

Free football...

[DrDawkinstein]

1 hour ago, Royale with Cheese said:

I just can't believe you guys don't like the college OT rules.  I love it.

 

Same, I'm actually surprised by the level of hate for it here. Way better than sudden death which basically reduces OT to the coin toss and who gets the ball first.

[Royale with Cheese]

4 minutes ago, DrDawkinstein said:

 

Same, I'm actually surprised by the level of hate for it here. Way better than sudden death which basically reduces OT to the coin toss and who gets the ball first.

 

This is why we are the smartest guys on this board.

[BADOLBILZ]

2 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

I just don't get it. It is bizarre.

 

 

Wins bring elation.    Losses force accountability.    Ties just bring excuses.

 

That's not bizarre in the landscape of the the most violent/physically demanding of the major sports. 

 

It's not kickball or hockey.......it's not a 40-80 game season where it's easier to sort thru the mud created by ties.........and as a result of the NFL's result finality, at the end of every NFL season 8 coaching staffs usually get let go.........maybe 2-3 of them really deserve to be canned but that's life in a win or lose league.

 

If it were as easy to end up in ties as it is in the sports where a guy stands around and blocks the goal then the NFL would be a lot less entertaining.

 

[Greg S]

6 hours ago, Buffalo03 said:

Keep it how it is now bit go back to 15:00 OT quarters. The 10:00 quarters are crappy. It leads to more ties

 

Agree, the league should go back to 15 minutes and keep the rules as they are. I also think the NHL should get rid of the skills competition and go back to ties if neither team scores in OT. It's stupid for a team sport to be decided like that.

[BADOLBILZ]

1 hour ago, Royale with Cheese said:

I just can't believe you guys don't like the college OT rules.  I love it.

 

 

The biggest drawback to using college rules in pro football are the impact on statistics.

 

College OT stats can get crazy and skew the leaderboards.........which causes conflict when it's time to hand out salaries...........conflicted evaluations lead to wasted money..........so management will not like that.

 

And players will absolutely want those stats to count if they are playing redzone football back and forth sometimes 4 times each in a game where there are normally only around 12 possessions.

 

This makes it a CBA matter as much as a rules change.

 

I don't see it fitting in pro football.

[BADOLBILZ]

1 hour ago, djp14150 said:

 

use hockey rules....each team gets a 0.5 W and 0.5 L. Winner gets an extra 0.5 in wins

 

 

Creating more points than outcomes isn't really a great solution.

 

Hockey had to do something to address their tendency for ties.......but I don't think it's a model system by any means and it would be a lot more controversial if they played 16 very meaningful games instead of 82.

 

 

[BADOLBILZ]

35 minutes ago, Greg S said:

 

Agree, the league should go back to 15 minutes and keep the rules as they are. I also think the NHL should get rid of the skills competition and go back to ties if neither team scores in OT. It's stupid for a team sport to be decided like that.

 

 

I think NFL teams need to be encouraged not to just use tactics to keep scores close.   OT needs to be more aggressive than regulation.   We've seen a whole lot of teams that were out-manned and out-coached and would have been pleased to play for ties and save their jobs.    It's my belief that most games are made closer than they should be by coaching decisions.......we saw it a lot with McDermott from 2017-2019 with mixed results.    This year he played more aggressively with leads and was rewarded.  Anything that makes it easier for teams to coach themselves into ties is no bueno.   

[without a drought]

The kickers could play a game of PIG

[y2zipper]

10 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

I don't know why you all hate ties so much. How many games go to overtime over the course of a season? 15? 20? Just call them ties and be done with it. In the playoffs I'd insist each team possess the ball once and if it remains tied after that then sudden death. 

 

I would say during the regular season that OT shouldn't be played. Call it a tie and move on. In the postseason, 1 possession each then sudden death is fine.

 

[HardyBoy]

7 hours ago, Motorin' said:

Madden has a really fun feature that would make NFL OT must watch. 

 

Each team gets one drive from their 20. Punting is not allowed. Extra points are not allowed. Highest score wins.

 

If the score is tied after 2 drives, the ball is placed at the 50. Each team alternates on O for one play. The next play starts where the ball was downed. If one team scores a TD, game over. 

 

If it comes down to the last play of 8 plays, the winner is determined by the spot of the ball. Imagine the ball is at the Bills 35 and it's the very last play. They have to get the ball past the 50, into their opponents territory to win. High drama.

 

Yup (edit: aw man, I bolded the high in high drama, but it collapsed the part I bolded, so looks like I'm just agreeing)

Edited March 5, 2021 by HardyBoy

[Just Jack]

12 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

I don't know why you all hate ties so much. How many games go to overtime over the course of a season? 15? 20? Just call them ties and be done with it. In the playoffs I'd insist each team possess the ball once and if it remains tied after that then sudden death. 

 

2020 NFL Season

Week 1 - none

Week 2 - Chiefs/Chargers, Chiefs win

Week 3 - Bengals/Eagles, game ends in tie

Week 4 - none

Week 5 - Chargers/Saints, Saints win

Week 6 - Texans/Titans, Titans win

Week 7 - Seahawks/Cardinals, Cardinals win

Week 8 - Saints/Bears, Saints win

Week 9 - none

Week 10 - none

Week 11 - Packers/Colts, Packers win

Week 12 - none

Week 13 - Jaguars/Vikings, Vikings win

Week 14 - none

Week 15 - Chargers/Raiders, Chargers win

Week 16 - none

Week 17 - none

 

2019 - 9 OT's

2018 - 15 OT's 

2017 - 13 OT's

2016 - 14 OT's 

 

 

[Doc Brown]

9 hours ago, Royale with Cheese said:

I just can't believe you guys don't like the college OT rules.  I love it.

I love my 91 to 84 games.  Way too gimmicky.

[GunnerBill]

3 hours ago, Just Jack said:

 

2020 NFL Season

Week 1 - none

Week 2 - Chiefs/Chargers, Chiefs win

Week 3 - Bengals/Eagles, game ends in tie

Week 4 - none

Week 5 - Chargers/Saints, Saints win

Week 6 - Texans/Titans, Titans win

Week 7 - Seahawks/Cardinals, Cardinals win

Week 8 - Saints/Bears, Saints win

Week 9 - none

Week 10 - none

Week 11 - Packers/Colts, Packers win

Week 12 - none

Week 13 - Jaguars/Vikings, Vikings win

Week 14 - none

Week 15 - Chargers/Raiders, Chargers win

Week 16 - none

Week 17 - none

 

2019 - 9 OT's

2018 - 15 OT's 

2017 - 13 OT's

2016 - 14 OT's 

 

 

 

Thank you. I am perfectly content calling them ties.

[Doc Brown]

5 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Thank you. I am perfectly content calling them ties.

America is doomed.