I want to see a maximum of two mini-games in the regular season if the scored is tied after regulation. If the score is still tied after two mini-games, then there should be a best-of-three 2-point conversion. If the score is still tied after the best of three, then ot continues with each team doing a 2-point conversion until the tied score is broken.
That will be the end of tied regular season games once-and-for-all.
These guys are pros and in great shape, besides most of the players are not on the field for a full 60 minutes.
They average 30 minutes for time of possession and half of that time they are standing around.
I don’t find the OT format now to be perfect because it takes special teams out of the game too much. That could be remedied by start each drive with a kick and return. Do a kickoff for the first mini-game drives. Then do a punt for the second mini-game drives. We should be taking big-play guys like Jenarian Grant, Chandler Worthy, DeVonte Dedmon, etc. out of the OT fun.
I can’t argue against the desire for more special team involvement in overtime, but the factor argues against prolonging the process is time; not for the players but for the spectators. A TV spectator can sit comfortably all night if he desires for a prolonged overtime, but I wonder if stadiums have such comfortable seating that many would sit there for four hours or more if it lasts that long. Many spectators have somewhere to be the next morning: work, school, worship or other activities. I also imagine that staying so long on a hot, humid evening or a chilly, rainy or snowy evening would be an option for anyone but the most diehard fanatics. Going through that with young children whose interest has waned must be even more difficult. I can picture people leaving in droves before a long overtime reaches a conclusion.
I think that the CFL’s OT procedure is the fairest I know of that concludes in a reasonable amount of extra time, Extending the duration of a game any more may have a negative effect on the average fan’s experience, and the image of a prolonged game being decided after many MORE seats are empty would be a bad look for the league.
I don’t think adding 4 kicks to OT would make games go over 4 hours. It’s very unlikely they’d even go past 3 hours.
But you’re right in that the league doesn’t want to prolong the games too much. IIRC, they used to allow for more mini-games in OT, but reduced the number to two so TSN would have more certainty in the scheduling.
Yes, to much like the shoot out. Real sad way to end a game, I would prefer to just leave the tie in place eccentricity at playoff time, like it used to be.
How about they take off their uniforms and play 7 man touch/flag with full touch special teams. Less wear and tear. All the stars get to play. Can be done in short time.
Might be too long these days. 1 15 minute quarter added. One kickoff, both teams get to have their offence play. Both offences play in the same direction so there is no wind advantage. If the score is tied after each team has one possession then keep going (but it would be funny if they took a man off the field for both teams). If it’s not then the game is over.
I think the current OT is fine for the regular season. I know that @Capital_Dave mentioned that there used to be more mini games but I don’t remember that. I would prefer unlimited mini games until there is a winner. It would likely be only once every few seasons that more than two mini games are needed. I don’t know how many ties there have been since the two mini game rule was instituted but I don’t believe many.
For me the playoffs are a different animal. This was discussed on a thread a while back. I much prefer a regular game to decide the playoff games like the NHL and NBA and MLB the PGA Tour and to some extent at least the NFL. While a mini game is better than soccer’s skill competition it is still too gimmicky for me for a playoff game. Both the NHL and MLB use gimmicks in the regular season. I get it that there are factors such as the ones discussed above for gimmicks in the regular season to decide games that compromise competitive integrity and I accept that. But not when your season is on the line in a playoff game.
Haven’t given much thought to how much time should be given but probably two 10 minute halves at most, less if the gimmicky last three minutes of clock stopping
is included. Better to run the OT clock with no unusual stoppages and give each team one timeout and one challenge or make all reviews instituted by the command center.
I would’ve guessed the “shootout” format of OT was brought in about 12-15 years ago, but the switch from 4 “mini-games” to 2 apparently came about in 2001. Time flies!
This article also brought up player fatigue as one reason for limiting OT play, and that is a very important point. Fatigue can be a factor in late game injuries, and coaches would be very reluctant to put in many substitutes in an extended overtime, unless a starter is already injured. A longer OT system could increase the occurence of starters being injured, a very unwelcome result.
I agree that there is no reason to change it. I feel it is more fair than anything else the NFL or any other league has tried. I don’t care much for the single point for a loss, though. I prefer that they keep it simple.
The shorter version is that play resumes like usual for a minimum of one possession each per team, and then and only then if still a tie game does play to go this scrimmage-ball tie-breaker for UP TO two rounds.