NEW OVER TIME RULE for NFL

[james_walleye]

It's really quite simple, if the other team stops them then the team who got the kickoff first will have to put their defense on the field. Viola...both defenses and offenses will have had their chance.

I don't understand how 50/50 isn't as even as you can make it...........

And the 50% of the time that the first team scores?? 50% of the time one team doesnt even have to put their defense on the field. 50% of the time a coin flip has a say in the outcome of a game. That makes sense. At least with the new rule change the most likely scenario is that both teams have to put there defense on the field rather than 1/2 the time. That is more even than 50/50.

[LMITOUT]

So what you're saying is you'd prefer that the first team have less than 50% chance at winning, and from what it appears, you'd like them to really have close to 0% chance at winning on the first drive. Well, except if the first team is the Vikings, then I bet you'd take the 50/50 again...

What more could you our anyone ask for than a 50/50 chance of either team winning?

[ANYFISH2]

Actually only 34% of all overtime games since '82(?sorry forgot the year the old rule started) have been won by the team that wins the coin flip on the opening drive of overtime. Only 26% of overtime games have been won by the team winning the coin flip by a field goal on the opening drive of overtime. The number can be found at sites for the NFL.

That being said I completly agree with goblueM's senario.

[LMITOUT]

That's exactly why there was no issue with the previous OT rules and they shouldn't have been changed.

[lawdog]

According to the owners I heard talk on this subject, that stat that fish2 cites is misleading because it used to be more fair and in the last few years kicking accuracy has really scewed it to where that isn't the case anymore. You'd need to look at that stat for the first half of the years vs the last half and see if it still holds, I doubt it would. Everybody knows you can make stats say whatever you want! Liars figure and figures lie!

[LMITOUT]

In the past decade the number moves slightly higher from 34% to 37%. Still not enough to say that the coin-toss winner has some sort of advantage.

[Scott K]

I dont like the rule change either. I think they should have just moved the position of the kick off up 10 yards, or just not kick off in OT, just give the team the ball at the 20, and if they can move the ball 80 yards they win, or just to get into field goal range. Either that, or just leave it alone!

I think this is the way America has been heading, it isnt fair to the loosing team, so we need to give the loosing team more rights, sad! It may be more of a disadvantage to the defending team, but that is why they use a coin to determine who the defending team is, it has only two sides, and it will more then likely even out eventually, and next time, they will be on offense.

[james_walleye]

That's exactly why there was no issue with the previous OT rules and they shouldn't have been changed.

No issues with the old rule?? yet 27 of 32 owners voted for change.

[james_walleye]

So what you're saying is you'd prefer that the first team have less than 50% chance at winning, and from what it appears, you'd like them to really have close to 0% chance at winning on the first drive. Well, except if the first team is the Vikings, then I bet you'd take the 50/50 again...

What more could you our anyone ask for than a 50/50 chance of either team winning?

Id like to see both teams defenses have to take the field and be forced to make a stop. The new rule is going to make it very likely that both teams will have a shot with the ball. I hope its put in for the regular season as well. And you can save the [PoorWordUsage] that my thoughts are based on the vikings/saints game. Ive always hated the old rule.

[LMITOUT]

It was apparent the old rule made it very likely that both teams had a shot with the ball too.

Look at the stats.....37% of the time the coin-toss winner won the game. With those odds you were better off getting the ball second!

The old rules were fine and if the coaches would have voted they probably wouldn't have adopted them, but for some reason they weren't brought into the discussion as they typically are.

[goblueM]

Limit you are way off with your stat. Teams that won the toss won 59% of the time.

"The N.F.L. has had 14 overtime playoff games in the last 16 years, with the team that won the toss going 7-7. In the regular season, from 1974 to 1993, teams that won the toss won the game 46.8 percent of the time and teams that lost it won the same 46.8 percent of the time.

But in 1994, the spot of the kickoff was moved to the 30-yard line from the 35, allowing for longer returns that put the receiving team into field-goal range with just a few plays or a long penalty. Since then, the team that won the toss won 59.8 percent of the time, because even if it did not win on the first possession, it often controlled field position. The team that lost the toss won just 38.4 percent of the time. And before the kickoff was moved, teams won with a field goal on the opening possession just 17.9 percent of the time. After the kickoff moved, it rose to 26.8 percent of the time. "

[LMITOUT]

No, I am not way off on my stat.

In 37% of the OT games the team that won the toss won the game on their first possession and that's the key here because "the first possession" is what everyone is griping about.

[goblueM]

It was apparent the old rule made it very likely that both teams had a shot with the ball too.

Look at the stats.....37% of the time the coin-toss winner won the game. With those odds you were better off getting the ball second!

The old rules were fine and if the coaches would have voted they probably wouldn't have adopted them, but for some reason they weren't brought into the discussion as they typically are.

sorry, i guess i missed in here where you said anything about the first drive. you must have been talkin about that earlier?

[james_walleye]

It was apparent the old rule made it very likely that both teams had a shot with the ball too.

Look at the stats.....37% of the time the coin-toss winner won the game. With those odds you were better off getting the ball second!

The old rules were fine and if the coaches would have voted they probably wouldn't have adopted them, but for some reason they weren't brought into the discussion as they typically are.

Well plain and simple the new rule will make it more likely that both teams get the ball and IMO that is evening things up. In a perfect world, both teams see the ball every time. We might never see that scenario, but the new rule is pushing toward that.

And how are you better off getting the ball 2nd?? Its not as if 63% of the time team B scored and u lost. You still won 59% of the time when winning the coin flip whether it was the first drive or beyond.

[urban cowboy]

Last year was soppose to be our year. This sucks.