Overtime rules

Not a bad idea, but I'm not sure it's as necessary as some other changes. 

I'd just keep the coin toss and install a rule that says both teams get to have the ball at least once, regardless of whether the first score is a FG or TD. 

I'd also eliminate ties and use the above playoff OT rules for all games. By allowing ties in regular season you're basically saying that those games just aren't as important. Every game is important. After the 1st overtime, it becomes sudden death. 

I would also eliminate the idea that "some" calls can't be overturned. Everything should be held under the same scrutiny. It's ridiculous that we all know the truth of what happened but no one can do anything about it. All calls will be scrutinized by a team of refs in the booth who review plays and make an immediate decision based on majority vote.  No more time-consuming sideline reviews under a cape. 

Just have two 5 minute periods, each with a two minute warning and three time outs. Loser of the original coin toss gets to choose whether they get the kickoff in the first period or the second. If still tied in playoffs, rinse and repeat.

This is not an overtime rule change but with onside kicks becoming irrelevant with the new rule changes, one idea would be to give a team a chance at their with the ball to make 10 yards in one play. If successful you keep the ball. Saw this is coming in the new league this winter and figured it would be good for the NFL as well. Watching onside kicks was pretty pointless this year.

@"kmillard" said: This is not an overtime rule change but with onside kicks becoming irrelevant with the new rule changes, one idea would be to give a team a chance at their with the ball to make 10 yards in one play. If successful you keep the ball. Saw this is coming in the new league this winter and figured it would be good for the NFL as well. Watching onside kicks was pretty pointless this year.

I think an onsides kick should be a desperation play.  I wouldn’t change that at all.

How about teams just learn to win in regulation  time?  

And as much as I hate bad calls,  let's not add more review to the games,  it's already nauseating how long some of this takes,  reviewing or challenging every call will kill the game quicker than the concussion issue.  It needs flow and with penalties being able to be called on every play it would be a nightmare of its own.

@"MaroonBells" said: Not a bad idea, but I'm not sure it's as necessary as some other changes. 

I'd just keep the coin toss and install a rule that says both teams get to have the ball at least once, regardless of whether the first score is a FG or TD. 

I'd also eliminate ties and use the above playoff OT rules for all games. By allowing ties in regular season you're basically saying that those games just aren't as important. Every game is important. After the 1st overtime, it becomes sudden death. 

I would also eliminate the idea that "some" calls can't be overturned. Everything should be held under the same scrutiny. It's ridiculous that we all know the truth of what happened but no one can do anything about it. All calls will be scrutinized by a team of refs in the booth who review plays and make an immediate decision based on majority vote.  No more time-consuming sideline reviews under a cape. 

The only problem with that is it could create a competitive advantage for one team.  Let's say the team that gets the ball first, goes down and scores a TD on their first possession in OT.  Now the other team knows they need to score a TD to keep the game going and they can go for it on every 4th down and call plays differently given the down and distance knowing they will have 4 downs to get a first.
The OT rules will never be perfect, but I do like the current format.  If you can't stop a team from scoring a TD on their first possession, you probably don't deserve to get a chance to win the game yourself.  I hated the sudden death rules where the first team to get a FG wins.  This is much better.

I'd be okay with one small tweak to the current rules - the first offense must score 8 to prevent the second team getting a possession. 

@"Wetlander" said:

@"MaroonBells" said: Not a bad idea, but I'm not sure it's as necessary as some other changes. 

I'd just keep the coin toss and install a rule that says both teams get to have the ball at least once, regardless of whether the first score is a FG or TD. 

I'd also eliminate ties and use the above playoff OT rules for all games. By allowing ties in regular season you're basically saying that those games just aren't as important. Every game is important. After the 1st overtime, it becomes sudden death. 

I would also eliminate the idea that "some" calls can't be overturned. Everything should be held under the same scrutiny. It's ridiculous that we all know the truth of what happened but no one can do anything about it. All calls will be scrutinized by a team of refs in the booth who review plays and make an immediate decision based on majority vote.  No more time-consuming sideline reviews under a cape. 

The only problem with that is it could create a competitive advantage for one team.  Let's say the team that gets the ball first, goes down and scores a TD on their first possession in OT.  Now the other team knows they need to score a TD to keep the game going and they can go for it on every 4th down and call plays differently given the down and distance knowing they will have 4 downs to get a first.
The OT rules will never be perfect, but I do like the current format.  If you can't stop a team from scoring a TD on their first possession, you probably don't deserve to get a chance to win the game yourself.  I hated the sudden death rules where the first team to get a FG wins.  This is much better.

Some good options that make sense to me.

1. Don’t have “Overtime” (where you take a break and restart with a coin toss).  Instead just let teams keep playing until someone scores and breaks the tie.  If a team has the ball and it’s going to be 2nd and 10 at the 45 when time expires, they get the ball at the 45 and it’s 2nd and 10, but now there’s no game clock only a play clock.  I never considered this option, but the more I think about it the more I like it.
2. Do something similar to the NCAA model, where each offense gets a try against each defense.  And it’s broken down into rounds, so that each offense and defense have to play each round.  Whoever has the higher score at the end of a round wins the game.  It rotates who starts each round.  However, the drives start with a kickoff, so that teams have to drive the whole length of the field, so that defenses have a better chance of preventing scoring.  Here are some possible variants.
   1. No coin toss.  Team that loses the coin toss at the beginning of the game gets the choice in OT.  It balances teams wanting to defer, so that they get the benefit of scoring before and after the half with teams getting the OT benefit of going second.
   2. No punting.  Speeds up OT.  If the first team in the round turns over on downs, they kick off instead of punting.  If the second team in the round turnsover on downs, they either lose because the other team scored or another round is started.
   3. If you keep punting.  Punting or a turnover triggers sudden death.

@"JimmyinSD" said:

@"Wetlander" said:

@"MaroonBells" said: Not a bad idea, but I'm not sure it's as necessary as some other changes. 

I'd just keep the coin toss and install a rule that says both teams get to have the ball at least once, regardless of whether the first score is a FG or TD. 

I'd also eliminate ties and use the above playoff OT rules for all games. By allowing ties in regular season you're basically saying that those games just aren't as important. Every game is important. After the 1st overtime, it becomes sudden death. 

I would also eliminate the idea that "some" calls can't be overturned. Everything should be held under the same scrutiny. It's ridiculous that we all know the truth of what happened but no one can do anything about it. All calls will be scrutinized by a team of refs in the booth who review plays and make an immediate decision based on majority vote.  No more time-consuming sideline reviews under a cape. 

The only problem with that is it could create a competitive advantage for one team.  Let's say the team that gets the ball first, goes down and scores a TD on their first possession in OT.  Now the other team knows they need to score a TD to keep the game going and they can go for it on every 4th down and call plays differently given the down and distance knowing they will have 4 downs to get a first.
The OT rules will never be perfect, but I do like the current format.  If you can't stop a team from scoring a TD on their first possession, you probably don't deserve to get a chance to win the game yourself.  I hated the sudden death rules where the first team to get a FG wins.  This is much better.

well if the first team scores via a FG in OT the other team currently has the same advantage of using all 4 downs to match that FG or better it.

@"Wetlander" said:

@"JimmyinSD" said:

@"Wetlander" said:

@"MaroonBells" said: Not a bad idea, but I'm not sure it's as necessary as some other changes. 

I'd just keep the coin toss and install a rule that says both teams get to have the ball at least once, regardless of whether the first score is a FG or TD. 

I'd also eliminate ties and use the above playoff OT rules for all games. By allowing ties in regular season you're basically saying that those games just aren't as important. Every game is important. After the 1st overtime, it becomes sudden death. 

I would also eliminate the idea that "some" calls can't be overturned. Everything should be held under the same scrutiny. It's ridiculous that we all know the truth of what happened but no one can do anything about it. All calls will be scrutinized by a team of refs in the booth who review plays and make an immediate decision based on majority vote.  No more time-consuming sideline reviews under a cape. 

The only problem with that is it could create a competitive advantage for one team.  Let's say the team that gets the ball first, goes down and scores a TD on their first possession in OT.  Now the other team knows they need to score a TD to keep the game going and they can go for it on every 4th down and call plays differently given the down and distance knowing they will have 4 downs to get a first.
The OT rules will never be perfect, but I do like the current format.  If you can't stop a team from scoring a TD on their first possession, you probably don't deserve to get a chance to win the game yourself.  I hated the sudden death rules where the first team to get a FG wins.  This is much better.

well if the first team scores via a FG in OT the other team currently has the same advantage of using all 4 downs to match that FG or better it.

Very true...  the second team still has an advantage, but typically that would be eliminated once they are in FG range.  Most coaches won't go for a 4th down once they are in FG range in that situation.  They'll tie the game and hope to get a stop on the next possession.
It'll never be perfect...  even if the NFL decided to eliminate the current rules and have both teams play another full quarter, you'd have people complaining that their team didn't have enough time to score if the other team had a long possession that ended in a TD.
It's always fun to read what fans think up though...  I've had a few crazy ideas myself...  :-D

I'd be satisfied with Quarter 5, 15 minutes, no bs rules or stipulations; whoever is winning at the end of the extra quarter wins. By the time both teams possess the ball, there is little time left in OT anyways... Just keep playing football and who ever is winning at the end of extended time wins.

@"BlackMagic7" said: I'd be satisfied with Quarter 5, 15 minutes, no bs rules or stipulations; whoever is winning at the end of the extra quarter wins. By the time both teams possess the ball, there is little time left in OT anyways... Just keep playing football and who ever is winning at the end of extended time wins.

And if tied & playoffs at end of Q5, play Q 6 at 10 mins.  

Best idea yet ^^.  

@"savannahskol" said:

@"BlackMagic7" said: I'd be satisfied with Quarter 5, 15 minutes, no bs rules or stipulations; whoever is winning at the end of the extra quarter wins. By the time both teams possess the ball, there is little time left in OT anyways... Just keep playing football and who ever is winning at the end of extended time wins.

And if tied & playoffs at end of Q5, play Q 6 at 10 mins.  

Best idea yet ^^.  

i mean, the entire game is unfair if you think about it. Do both teams get equal time/possession of the ball during a game?

There shouldn't be Quarters at all. A football game should be a 16 possession death match beginning at each team's 20 yard line. ...let 'em smoke cigarettes and drink Frescas after 8...

:s

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I think we should just go back to sudden death and knock this crap off...

@"BlackMagic7" said:  A football game should be a 16 possession death match beginning at each team's 20 yard line. ...

^^ That's the college tie-breaker, no?  :)

I get that the college OT rules are entertaining, but what football purist abides rules where a ref plops the ball w/in FG distance at the onset?

Apostasy.  

Don't talk yerself out of it, BM7.  Your penultimate post was golden. :) 

Thought I should say I wasn't trying to knock or scold anyone here "shooting the shit," if you will. There were a lot of interesting thoughts and ideas in here. I reacted to the post coming off reading other sites and discussion on it feigning disgust over the current rules... the adjusted rules... 

you hit the point where it's like... ya know what? it's disgusting that if your team sucks so bad that they let the opponent drive the opening possession of OT into field goal range... knowing full ****ing well that you've needed to stop them from doing that since 1953 or whatever the ****, you obviously deserve to lose. Thinking about how bad kickers have seem to become, think about how good they recently used to be in order to make the NFL and fans want to change the overtime rule!

---

... lol, I was thinking 80 yards to drive it (own 20), but yea college rules I guess. Now that you got me thinking about moving it closer to the endzone... screw it; make a full game 16 possessions from the goal line.

Could you imagine that meat grinder of a football game?!

I'd prefer to just go back to sudden death.