Ties in the NFL

[Cujo]

I really wish the NFL would just do away with the current overtime system and just go to continuous sudden death. I don't know why this hasn't happened yet. It's not like any of these games would ever go past 2 OTs and nobody wants to watch or play a hard faught football game for 75 minutes and see it end in a tie. That's not the way football should be.

[See Red]

Agreed, though, right now, it's not much of an issue, Falcons/Bucs game aside. My biggest issue is with how your fate is partially dependant on a coin flip.

[Mac the Knife]

I'm implementing this for my flag football league this spring, and think the NFL (or any league) might be well served by it as well:

Each team gets the ball on its opponent's 15 yard line.

They get one play to score.

Their opponents also get one shot to score from the 15.

No extra points if a touchdown is scored.

If both teams score (or neither does) repeat the process. If one scores and the other doesn't, , or if one team scores more points (touchdown vs. field goal, for example), the game ends.

[Bleujayone]

I really wish the NFL would just do away with the current overtime system and just go to continuous sudden death. I don't know why this hasn't happened yet. It's not like any of these games would ever go past 2 OTs and nobody wants to watch or play a hard faught football game for 75 minutes and see it end in a tie. That's not the way football should be.

If there was one thing I liked from the XFL's legacy it was the "20-Yard Scramble", where the ball was placed at mid-field and one player from each team had to beat the other team's rep in a footrace and dive for a loose ball. Who ever came up with the ball won the right to either kick/receiver or choose which end to defend. I liked it better than the coin-toss as it was more football oriented and it was left to actual skill rather than luck of the toss. Everybody loved this idea until one time someone came up with a seperated shoulder after one of these scrambles. Oh well people, it's football, people get hurt from time to time.

They also didn't beleive in ties. Overtime was decied in NCAA-inspired OT, where each team would get the ball from an equal distance from the goal line and each have the same number of chances to score the same points. The couple of occations I saw this being done, I have to say I liked it better than the current NFL overtime system. Between the coin-toss (and a ref screwing it up), it is possible a team might not see the football in overtime and I cannot tell the number of times I've heard announcers, reported and players all saying that just wasn't fair.

Both these things should at least be tried in preseason just to see how they work, If the owners are still too chicken, they should try in in the NFL-Europe first then, I'm sure the German fans would like these new rules too.

Sure overall the XFL was a disaster, but every now and again they had a good idea. So too were many of the idea of som of the other leagues rival to the NFL. The WFL was the reason goal posts were pushed to the back of the end zone, kick-off positions were pushed back,and pre-season was made shorter in favor of a longer season. The USFL helped bring about the 2-pount conversion, the referee challenge, and helped restructure the way players were paid and free agents aquired. Both teams had logos, nicknames, and uniform styles lifted by the NFL. Hell, the entire AFL was absorbed to become half the league. The point is that just because something came from somewhere else doesn't mean it shouldn't be implemented. So should some things from the XFL too.

[Hat Boy]

My biggest issue is with how your fate is partially dependant on a coin flip.

That issue is brought up a lot, but if a team loses the OT coin toss, maybe they shoud D-up and stop their opponenet. It is weird how a team that has played good defense all day just turns to crap once OT starts.

The NFL OT may not be perfect, but it is better than college OT. I can' stand it when a game is 14-14 at the end of regulation, but the final score is 45-43.

[quantum]

The threat of ties really is minimal. If the NFL overtime had to be modified, I would change it to an 8 minute overtime period. The game runs the entire extra 8 minute session. If the teams are tied at minute 8, then whoever scores first thereafter wins.

I dislike the college OT system, and shootouts are lame IMO. I also think both teams should have a crack at it in OT, as opposed to sudden death.

[hhh]

What if they made it so that the first team to score six points wins in overtime. That means you either have to score a touchdown or two field goals. I would really like this, oh and no ties!

[TBGKon]

Does anyone agree with me that the NFL should adopt overtime rules like the NCAA?

[winters in buffalo]

I'm implementing this for my flag football league this spring, and think the NFL (or any league) might be well served by it as well:

Each team gets the ball on its opponent's 15 yard line.

They get one play to score.

Their opponents also get one shot to score from the 15.

No extra points if a touchdown is scored.

If both teams score (or neither does) repeat the process. If one scores and the other doesn't, , or if one team scores more points (touchdown vs. field goal, for example), the game ends.

So if the first team doesn't score, the second team can try for a field goal to get the win?

[Hat Boy]

Does anyone agree with me that the NFL should adopt overtime rules like the NCAA?

Hell no!

College OT has created so many ridiculously inflated stats and scores. A game that is 14-14 at the end of regulation shouldn't have a final score of 45-43.

[Pharos04]

what if they end up just playing an entire 5th quarter. another 15:00 minutes to duke it out and at the end if the score is still tied then you do call it a tie. no Sudden Deaths and no quick move 20 yards and nail the easy field goal. would give each team a chance to get the ball at least once and eliminate the unfairness of a team quickly scoring and winning before the OT actually begins such as on a bumbled kickoff return that's fumbled and brought back almost immediately. no fun at all in that

[Mac the Knife]

I'm implementing this for my flag football league this spring, and think the NFL (or any league) might be well served by it as well:

Each team gets the ball on its opponent's 15 yard line.

They get one play to score.

Their opponents also get one shot to score from the 15.

No extra points if a touchdown is scored.

If both teams score (or neither does) repeat the process.  If one scores and the other doesn't, , or if one team scores more points (touchdown vs. field goal, for example), the game ends.

So if the first team doesn't score, the second team can try for a field goal to get the win?

Nah. 6 or bust!

[Natsfan36]

I'm implementing this for my flag football league this spring, and think the NFL (or any league) might be well served by it as well:

Each team gets the ball on its opponent's 15 yard line.

They get one play to score.

Their opponents also get one shot to score from the 15.

No extra points if a touchdown is scored.

If both teams score (or neither does) repeat the process.  If one scores and the other doesn't, , or if one team scores more points (touchdown vs. field goal, for example), the game ends.

So if the first team doesn't score, the second team can try for a field goal to get the win?

Nah. 6 or bust!

that sounds good, but maybe something more like the NCAA.....i agree about the coin toss, thats more luck than skill....

[Alphabet Man]

i think let the draw stand as the result, unless if its a final

[Stampman]

The CFL has a good system...

I'm sure there's details at cfl.ca

But ties don't bother me.

[Seadragon76]

Am I the only one that's alright with ties in the NFL?

Come on, guys. It doesn't happen that often anymore in the NFL (Last tie was 2001- Falcons vs. Steelers). Yes, overtime in the NFL stinks, but it works. When was the last time a tie gave a team a playoff berth?

[BB61]

Well, you can make the argument of elimating OT altogether in the regular season, and then you'd have teams with two and three ties every year and they would make more of an impact.

So here I go with my NFL OT idea.

I don't have a problem with a game ending in a tie, and while I think the college system is exciting and makes for some great finishes, I don't think it's suitable for the NFL.

When the WLAF first started (it's now NFL Europe for you kids), overtime was the first team to reach six points in 15 minutes. If the game was still tied and no one had scored six points at the end of 15 minutes, the game ended in a tie.

This is the system that the NFL should use, except instead of six points, it should be four. Why four? Well, let's say a team fumbles their opening kickoff, or they get pinned back inside the five on a punt. A team might be tempted to take a safety to give them some room for a free kick. If it was still 'first-to-six' as it were, a team could do this, give up a field goal, and still win the game. Setting the goal at four points will not only lessen the chance of a team doing this, but should they decide to do it anyway, it will prevent them from doing it twice (because they would lose). And of course, if the game is still tied, it ends in a tie (except in the playoffs).

But that's just me.

[Intimidator85]

Am I the only one that's alright with ties in the NFL?

Come on, guys. It doesn't happen that often anymore in the NFL (Last tie was 2001- Falcons vs. Steelers). Yes, overtime in the NFL stinks, but it works. When was the last time a tie gave a team a playoff berth?

Count me in as another person who doesn't care if a game ends in a tie. If you ask sports fans, I'm sure most of them would say there does not absolutely have to be a winner and loser in each game and they don't mind ties. In the end, it's just a game and a tie is not worth being "bothered" about or losing sleep over.

Ties rarely happen in the NFL, so the issue is a very minute one. In fact, I would find it to be rather neat if a tie did occur because of the rarity. If a team goes 0-0-16, so be it, but you can't deny both teams in a game are given opportunities to win both in regualtion and in overtime.

[Mr. no funny nickname]

I don't mind games ending in ties. What I can't stand is going to OT, winning a coin toss, getting 3 first downs and kicking a field goal for the win. What I would like to see is a system where if you get the ball first and score, the other team gets a shot to come back. So for example, the team that gets the ball first and kicks a field goal, the other team gets the ball back and if they kick a field goal, the game keeps going, if they score a touchdown, they win & if they get stopped, they lose.

[Sport]

i have always thought that it would be cool if they removed the coin toss all together, at the beginning or at overtime whatever. What they should do instead is give the ball at the beginning to the road team and the home team goes on defense first. Of course the home team would get the ball to start the second half and the road team would get the ball to start the overtime. With this you would have to change the overtime to allow both teams an equal shot at scoring, it would be like college overtime but kickoffs and punts would still be a part of it. I guess it would be like baseball, I think it would put more of an emphasis on which team is home and which team is on the road.