Why Sudden Death in NFL?
Because football is a game of alternating possessions, it doesn't lend itself to a system that determines its winner based on who can score first. After a hard-fought game, sudden death is essentially allowing probability to step in and determine the "better team" with the flip of a coin.
Now, in a game like hockey [first shameless plug inserted] where possession can change at any given moment, sudden death makes perfect sense and provides the edge-of-your seat thrills that it's supposed to. It just doesn't really have a place in football.
The alternating possession system works well in overtime for college football, and made for an "instant classic" national championship game in 2003 when Ohio State outlasted Miami for the title in double-overtime [second shameless plug inserted].
But sudden death in the NFL just feels cheap. I remember watching the Tennessee Titans beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in overtime a few seasons ago on a Gary Anderson chip shot-well, chip shots (there were penalties). As Nashville began to go crazy, I couldn't help but feel like we didn't really win. It was unsatisfying because all it proved was that we could kick the ball through the uprights on our first possession. Could Pittsburgh have pulled that off had the coin flipped their way? Probably. But we got to play the next week while the Steelers were done for the year.
If the current system stays in place where a lucky team can win the coin toss and the game on their first possession, I say at least make it mandatory to get into the endzone.
Wise man say: The true victor is not the team that can score, but the team that can defend their score.
Published by Ken Devine
Originally from Dayton, Ohio. Now residing in New York, NY. View profile
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1 Comments
Post a Commentas much as it is frustrating, NFL fans should want an OT system like it exists currently. It discourages teams from playing to a tie in regulation, regular season or playoffs. If you institute a overtime that is more equal and less random, then the timeclock of the game becomes less relevant, especially in the second half. Also, the NFL has a tight window of showing games, many 1pm games run into the 4pm slot and it reduces the chances to get both games on tv in their entirety. It is not so much an issue of a 4pm game running late as it pushes the telecast into primetime which helps Fox and CBS. Since more games are played at the 1pm time there is more pressure on them to finish up by 4:15 pm. All this does not favor a truly fair OT where both teams get a chance to score.