Plaschke is latest to rail against NFL Overtime rule

From what I read, it was damn near 50-50 before they moved kickoffs back. Now it's something like 60-40. Though this year's results are as close as you could get to 50-50 with 13 games.

 

According to some nerdy stats guy I know, in a game between two generic NFL teams, the offense and defense are equally likely to be the next to score when the ball is at the offense's own 20 yard line.

 

5 first possession wins out of 13 is close to 50-50?
Seems like 62% AGAINST first possession win.

 

Team that won the toss only won 7 out of 13.

 

But only 5 on first possession. 8 times each team had at least one possession, which is what everybody is screaming about.

The mentality nowadays seems to be, it ain't broke but let's fix it anyway.

 

It is fair. Each team has an equal chance to win in regulation.

 

Columns and discussions like these obscure the bigger problem in the NFL: the absolutely putrid officiating that affects and usually decides important games. That pass interference call was bullshit -- the linebacker was face-guarding Dave Thomas but didn't even graze him, and anyway Thomas was stumbling backwards reaching up for a pass that was 6 yards over his head. Not a chance in hell he could have caught it even in a passing drill wth no defender.

Those kinds of plays happen in every close game and the refs have gotten worse every year at spotting them. The Cardinals guy did face-mask Aaron Rodgers, no matter what bullshit explanation the NFL feeds to Adam Schefter's and Peter King's Twitter accounts. But on the play Rodgers should have hit Jennings for the winning TD, there was one of the most blatant and out-in-the-open holds you'll ever see and it wasn't called. And after watching this season, who the hell really knows what constitutes an illegal blow to the head (or a roll into the QB's knees) and what's incidental contact?

If they stop letting the refs give 20 yards at a time as unearned gifts, it'd be a lot harder to get into range for that chippie field goal.

 

Anybody ever think about keeping the sudden death rule but tweaking it so a team has to win on a touchdown, not a field goal?

 

Either I'm missing the blue font or you haven't read this thread.
It's been suggested about 7,000 times.

And the answer again is: If it ain't broke why fix it?
13 OT games this regular season, 5 ended on first possession ...38%. Not nearly the problem some would have us believe.

 

What I'm thinking is first team to score six points any way they can. One touchdown or two field goals.
I just don't like the way the NFL overtime is usually a golden field goal.

 

If it were an unfair way to end a game, 38% would be way too much, so that argument doesn't really hold water.

But it's not unfair, so we're all good.

 

People have bitched about it for ages... But the NFL needs to be smart and not fuck with their system. Unlike the other professional sports, what the NFL is doing, is working.

You don't hear people bitching about "Everything that's wrong with the NFL."

It's not perfect, but it's as close as we're going to get.