I'm sure this has been posted before, but I wanted to see the consensus on the Cafe's feelings about OT.
Personally, I'm all for a switch to the collegiate method of overtime. It takes away the "decided by coinflip" factors you see in today's NFL, where when two high-powered offenses with no defenses battle, the game is over in OT generally by whoever wins the coin flip. Collegiate OT tests both sides of a team, and therefore is a better judge on which team deserves to win.
The only real problem with collegiate overtime is that it would inflate TD stats, and players might receive a boost in their TD totals (as generally college overtime is high scoring), but it makes it more exciting to watch.
Anyone else favor this method, or do I hold the minority opinion?
Okay, there is a tie at the end of four quarters. You want that overtime system to be the best evaluation of which football team is the better one. The college overtime system is what football is all about. Guys giving it their all, playing through pain, and the back-and-forth style really gives you an indication of which team has more heart and talent. The offense, defense, special teams, and coaching get tested on every single possession.
Whereas, in the NFL, if you win the coin flip, all you have to do is gain about fifty yards, kick a field goal, and voila, you're pronounced the better team. No defense necessary. Not to mention the lack of excitement and the possibility of a tie.
The more you can increase fear of drugs and crime, welfare mothers, immigrants and aliens, the more you control all the people. -Noam Chomsky
Absolutely, the college system.
It would take longer and you'd introduce the possibility of 50-OT games, but it's more exciting, and it is more 'fair'.
As for stat padding, you could credit OT points seperately from regulation points for statistics-kind of like power-play goals in hockey.
Atog wrote:As for stat padding, you could credit OT points seperately from regulation points for statistics-kind of like power-play goals in hockey.
no can do.
I'm pretty sure (though there is just as likely as a chance that I'm wrong) that OT yards and TDs have counted for players throughout the history of the NFL. If you were to count it differently here, you'd have to adjust the totals of those in the past. More than likely, they wouldn't adjust past records (such an act would be lunacy), and therefore, it would be slightly harder for current players to break old records.
both systems suck. college is the lesser of two evils. i say play two more quarters. play each quarter like it was as half. in the end...one team will come out on top...wheter it be from better conditioning, better depth, or better luck....however it happens, the better team should win. i hate the way both overtimes are run.
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I've been saying for years that the NFL should sort of combine the 2 OT formats.
I hate that in the NFL a 60 minute game can come down to a coin toss, a few 1st downs, and a FG, without the other team ever having the ball.
I think the NFL should keep their same exact system but make 1 change. Make it a rule that each team gets a least 1 possession in OT. If the team that has the 1st possession scores a FG or a TD, the other team would have one possession to either win or tie. If the team that has the 1st possession doesn't score, the other team takes over and it's now sudden death. If both teams tie on their 1st possessions, it's now sudden death. If the team that has the 1st possession scores a TD, the other team must score a TD for the game to continue. I just think it isn't fair for the team that loses the coin toss to sometimes not even touch the ball in OT. This way the coin toss can't decide the game.
I think the college OT system is a joke for one reason. I think giving the teams the ball already in FG range is stupid. If they moved the ball way back to start the OT drives I think their system would be much better. I wouldn't want this type of system in the NFL.
They need to end the games quickly. There are television programs that people dont get to see as it is. I think that college is better but its never going to happen. If every game took had that kind of overtime, it would be another hour or so, considering it was a few back and forths before the game ended.
UTLonghorns wrote:They need to end the games quickly. There are television programs that people dont get to see as it is. I think that college is better but its never going to happen. If every game took had that kind of overtime, it would be another hour or so, considering it was a few back and forths before the game ended.
Ending the games quickly has nothing to do with it. As it is now a NFL playoff OT game can last for hours going into multiple OT's if noone scores. My idea about letting each team have at least one possession in OT wouldn't make the games that much longer.
Baseball games can run forever and the TV networks aren't getting as much $ per commercial for baseball games.
The NFL and College Football OT systems have nothing to do with the TV Networks.
What if you just give the two teams the 10-15 mins for an OT period. Whatever the score is at the end of that period is the final score, win lose, or tie.
Sporting events are family events. If you can't watch your language for 3 hours then stay home.
SeaWolf wrote:What if you just give the two teams the 10-15 mins for an OT period. Whatever the score is at the end of that period is the final score, win lose, or tie.
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by no1cowboysfan » Tue Jan 17, 2006 1:11 am 
