The NFL recently made a change to reduce its regular season overtime periods from 15 minutes to 10 minutes. This new rule will go into effect beginning with the 2017 season. It was implemented to reduce the wear and tear on players during the season. But I have a better idea. Since this new rule will result in more ties anyway, why not institute a single-offense-possession form of overtime? It work just like it does now, except neither team would get more than one offensive possession. If the team that gets the ball first scores a touchdown, the game would be over and the other team would not get the ball, just like the rules are now. Otherwise, the other team would get a single possession (after a turnover, punt, or kickoff) to try to tie or win the game. The team that gets the ball first would still have a chance to get a winning touchdown after they give up the ball, but only on a defensive score, as they would not be allowed another offensive snap. This new rule would create a sense of urgency for both teams, and keep the players from being on the field any longer than they have to.
June 26, 2017
Terry Mitchell
I'm a software engineer, blogger, freelance writer, and amateur political analyst from Virginia, USA.
Good idea. Ideally, there should be no tie games since they really throw a wrench into things. Make it so there HAS to be a winner, right?
Terry's Answer: No. Did you actually read my post?
Posted by: Tony | September 22, 2017 at 03:19 PM