Coin Toss Options

[BBTV]

The captain of the team that wins the coin toss can select to kick, receive, or defer to the 2nd half.

If they choose to receive, then obviously they will kick to start the 2nd half.

If they chose to kick, do they receive to start the 2nd half, or does the other team then get the choice (so they'd have to kick again?)

If they defer to the second half, isn't that the same as choosing to kick, since the other team will invariably choose to receive?

I guess I don't see the point of deferring, when it seems that both options are covered by kick and receive.

[Eye]

I think by "defer" what is meant is, "Would you like to receive the ball, or defer (meaning kick) to the other team?"

But I could be wrong.

[lilgump]

Alright, if you Recieve, then you kick to start 2nd like you said.

If you kick, then you receive in the second half

if you defer, then you give up your decision now and get to choose what you want in the 2nd half.

So the reason to defer is that they will choose to recieve, so you get to decide which direction you would like to play so you can use the wind or crowd or scoreboard or anything for your advantage in the quarters you determine.

Also if for some ridiculous reason you defer and they say they want to kick, or they choose a direction, then you can receive in the 1st half, and in the 2nd half. I believe this happened in a UW football game against Cal last year.

[BBTV]

I think by "defer" what is meant is, "Would you like to receive the ball, or defer (meaning kick) to the other team?"

But I could be wrong.

I'm pretty sure it's different, because I heard that this is the first year that the NFL is allowing the defer option, and I know that they've always had the other two.

But I could be wrong as well...

[BBTV]

Alright, if you Recieve, then you kick to start 2nd like you said.

If you kick, then you receive in the second half

if you defer, then you give up your decision now and get to choose what you want in the 2nd half.

OK, so then deferring is the same as kicking, unless the other team is so dumb that they choose to kick off knowing that you get the choice in the second half.

[infrared41]

I have no idea why anyone would want the ball first anyway. If you're down in the second half then you get what amounts to an extra possession to catch up by getting the ball first. If you're ahead at the half then you get the ball first and can kill clock and hopefully expand on your lead. Maybe I'm not thinking it through but, strategically it just makes more sense to me to always kick if you win the coin toss.

[winters in buffalo]

I have no idea why anyone would want the ball first anyway. If you're down in the second half then you get what amounts to an extra possession to catch up by getting the ball first. If you're ahead at the half then you get the ball first and can kill clock and hopefully expand on your lead. Maybe I'm not thinking it through but, strategically it just makes more sense to me to always kick if you win the coin toss.

That's pretty much my view. A team with good clock management skills can do a lot of damage if they score late in the 2nd and then get the ball back in the 3rd.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

I have no idea why anyone would want the ball first anyway. If you're down in the second half then you get what amounts to an extra possession to catch up by getting the ball first. If you're ahead at the half then you get the ball first and can kill clock and hopefully expand on your lead. Maybe I'm not thinking it through but, strategically it just makes more sense to me to always kick if you win the coin toss.

That's pretty much my view. A team with good clock management skills can do a lot of damage if they score late in the 2nd and then get the ball back in the 3rd.

When I was a kid, I didn't understand why "kick" was an option in Madden -- why wouldn't you want the ball? Now, whenever I play, I always choose to kick. It just makes so much more sense to get the ball back in the second half.

[twi]

I agree with the kickers. Even though the extent of my play calling knowledge comes from NCAA video games I think you have a leg up knowing that you are getting the ball in the second half. Especially near the end of the second quarter.

[HedleyLamarr]

I might be wrong, but the team that didn't select kick/receive in the first half actually has to tell the ref "kick" or "receive" before the second half begins. This may be why you rarely saw NFL teams say "kick" after the pre-game toss before this season, nor why you hear teams say "kick" now. So if Team A says "kick" after the toss, Team B can tell the ref "receive" before the second half, and receive both opening-half kickoffs.

If a team says "defer", it's usually to get a field-direction advantage for the entire game (the lone true reward for winning the toss, as no team gets to decide which direction they want in the 4th quarter before the second half starts), or to be on offense first in the second half.

[BlueSky]

Whatever you do, don't give up the ball AND whatever field condition advantages may exist, like Dallas Texans RB Abner Haynes did at the start of overtime in the '62 AFL Championship. Haynes is one of those poor bastards like Jim Marshall who was an outstanding player but will always be remembered for one gaffe - in this case, saying "We'll kick to the clock". Fortunately, Haynes' goof didn't cost his team the title. From Wikipedia:

===

In that 1962 AFL Championship Game, Haynes made what could have been a costly error at the start of overtime. (Texans Coach Hank) Stram, aware of the strong winds at Jeppesen Stadium, instructed Haynes, should he win the coin toss, to choose the side of the field facing the stadium clock, which would give the Texans the wind at their backs. (In professional American football, the team winning the coin toss can choose to kick off, receive the kickoff, or which end of the field to defend.)

Haynes won the coin toss and, figuring the Oilers would elect to receive, thereby making the Texans kick off, if they opted to choose which goal to defend, told the referee, "We'll kick to the clock." However, by simply stating the words "We'll kick," Haynes had forfeited possession of the ball to the Oilers and allowed them to choose which end zone to defend as well. The Texans saved Haynes from embarrassment by not allowing the Oilers to score in that first overtime, then won the game on Tommy Brooker's field goal 2 minutes and 54 seconds into the second overtime (when the teams switched sides).

===

For anyone unfamiliar, it's a nice bit of trivia: there was a team called the Texans before and they're now the Kansas City Chiefs.

[Still MIGHTY]

Yeah you guys have pretty much covered it.

THe only exception to any of this that has happened to me was in freshman high school football.

At the beginning of the game we chose to kick. Not defer, but to kick which was odd because we always deferred. ANyways second half rolls around and the ref is telling us that we're going to kick again, not recieve like you would think. There was a long argument and every one knewthe ref was wrong but the ref wouldnt back down because he thought he was right for whatever reason. So we kicked off at the beginning of the game and at the half... weirdest thing.

I always thought the rules were pretty simple. Kick, Receive, or Defer to 2nd half... meh

[BBTV]

So then there is no difference between kicking and deferring. So why did the NFL have to make a point that they were now allowing deferrals?

[The_Admiral]

Do you have express written consent to question the motives of the National Football League?

[Still MIGHTY]

So then there is no difference between kicking and deferring. So why did the NFL have to make a point that they were now allowing deferrals?

THere is a difference... but people never choose to use it.

You defer to the second half... THe way everyone does it is Team A defers, so Team B says we'll recieve. Team A then almost always chooses to Receive in the 2nd half.

It is possible for Team A to defer, Team B to receive and Team A to kick again. Or Team B to kick and Team A to receive again. There are the possibilities but almost no one ever uses them.

Basically it left holes for idiots to fill. You could conceivably kick twice or receive twice. But why would anyone ever do that?

They wouldn't.

So there is a difference, but people make the choice to make it no difference

[BBTV]

So then there is no difference between kicking and deferring. So why did the NFL have to make a point that they were now allowing deferrals?

THere is a difference... but people never choose to use it.

You defer to the second half... THe way everyone does it is Team A defers, so Team B says we'll recieve. Team A then almost always chooses to Receive in the 2nd half.

It is possible for Team A to defer, Team B to receive and Team A to kick again. Or Team B to kick and Team A to receive again. There are the possibilities but almost no one ever uses them.

Basically it left holes for idiots to fill. You could conceivably kick twice or receive twice. But why would anyone ever do that?

They wouldn't.

So there is a difference, but people make the choice to make it no difference

What about direction? Could team A defer to the second half (so A kicks to B in 1st half) and then use their choice to choose a direction (due to a really nasty wind) and therefore kick to B again?

[fiasco!]

Just never allow Jerome Bettis call a coin flip.

[Epiphanic]

According to the rulebook on NFL.com

Coin Toss

The toss of coin will take place within three minutes of kickoff in center of field. The toss will be called by the visiting captain before the coin is flipped. The winner may choose one of two privileges and the loser gets the other:

(a) Receive or kick

( Goal his team will defend

Immediately prior to the start of the second half, the captains of both teams must inform the officials of their respective choices. The loser of the original coin toss gets first choice.

If this is the actual rule, then it makes no sense to elect to kickoff at the begining of the game. The loser of the toss (who received in the first half) would pick to receive again in the second. Unless they had some romantic sense of honor and fair play or whatever.

I'm confused.

[WJMorris3]

The captain of the team that wins the coin toss can select to kick, receive, or defer to the 2nd half.

If they choose to receive, then obviously they will kick to start the 2nd half.

If they chose to kick, do they receive to start the 2nd half, or does the other team then get the choice (so they'd have to kick again?)

If they defer to the second half, isn't that the same as choosing to kick, since the other team will invariably choose to receive?

I guess I don't see the point of deferring, when it seems that both options are covered by kick and receive.

Almost.

The team that wins the toss (Team A) has first choice of the following options:

1) Whether to kick or receive to open the game.

2) Which end zone to defend to open the game.

3) Defer their choice until the second half.

If the team that won the toss did not defer, then the team that lost the toss (Team chooses from the remaining options. (So if team A chose to receive, then team B gets to choose the end of the field.) Of course, if Team A defers, then team B has their choice of kick or receive, or which end to defend.

At the beginning of the second half, the team that did not have first choice, has first choice. This is either the team that lost the toss, or the team that won and deferred their option. This is why teams either receive or defer. To do anything else would in all likelihood, require you to kick off to start both halves.

Incidentally, Madden's been wrong for years, I'm still waiting for them to fix it.

[WJMorris3]

According to the rulebook on NFL.com

Coin Toss

The toss of coin will take place within three minutes of kickoff in center of field. The toss will be called by the visiting captain before the coin is flipped. The winner may choose one of two privileges and the loser gets the other:

(a) Receive or kick

( Goal his team will defend

Immediately prior to the start of the second half, the captains of both teams must inform the officials of their respective choices. The loser of the original coin toss gets first choice.

If this is the actual rule, then it makes no sense to elect to kickoff at the begining of the game. The loser of the toss (who received in the first half) would pick to receive again in the second. Unless they had some romantic sense of honor and fair play or whatever.

I'm confused.

That's the old rule, deferring is now legal.