NFL Overtime

I'm glad this didn't come into play in the Colts/Pats game, but what do you guys think of the NFL Sudden Death overtime? I personally hate it. I know the stats don't show that winning the coin flip=winning the game, but it just seems wrong as a matter of principle. I also hate when pundits suggest the college overtime procedure as a replacement. All that does is reward teams with a good red zone offense. It'd be like having a home run derby to settle a baseball tie. I think the simplest solution would just be to play an extra ten minute period.

 

I would assume the owners like it the way it is currently run, because in the long run it saves wear and tear on the players that they spend millions of dollars on.

 

I'm totally guessing here, but I'd say there's one overtime game every two weeks in the NFL as a rough estimate. That's an extra ten minutes for 3% of the games.

 

NFL style certainly leads to more drama since the game literally could end on any given play. In college if one team scores, oh well the other team has a chance to respond.

 

Yes, but it's an extra 10 minutes where players could suffer season ending injuries. Don't get me wrong, I don't disagree with what you're saying. I'm just pointing out that the owners probably see no need to change that aspect of the game, as they really have nothing more to gain, financially, by changing it. The people are already there, filling the seats.

 

I don't think it will change, but I will say I prefer the college version of OT to the NFL version, because it does (essentially) eliminate the effect of a coin flip.

 

I think OTs in all sports should take the form of an extra period of regular play. Basketball, soccer, baseball, every other sport I can think of do it that way. Maybe have a golden point period if the first OT doesn't settle things (i.e penalty shootout style).