NFL owners agree to rule changes

[badgers 380]

NFL owners voted to bring regular-season overtime rules inline with the postseason, and also approved a measure to expand instant replay to include all turnovers.

 

Both teams will now have the opportunity to touch the ball in overtime, barring a touchdown on the first possession. Coaches will not have to challenge turnovers. The trade deadline extension and I.R. exception bylaws were tabled to May, though NFL Network notes league execs believe both will ultimately pass. We're disappointed to see that refs will continue to make final calls on replay as opposed to a booth review.

 

- All regular season games now use the new playoff OT rules.

- Coaches don't have to challenge turnovers as they are automatically reviewed, like touchdowns.

- A trade deadline extension is in the works

- A IR rule that allows IR'd players to come back later in the year is in the works.

 

I don't like these new rules. I didn't like the OT rules when they came in to play and I don't like that everything is "automatically reviewed". Coaches have challenges for a reason. What's the point of them now? To challenge the spot of the ball? Come on...

 

I liked old OT as well. Gave it a special intensity that the D cannot let the opponent score at all. Now it's just like "yo just don't let them get a TD right away and we'll have a chance to put our offense out there to score." I don't like it.

 

I don't like it at all.

[AllYouNeedIsLovie 377]

Loving the review on every turnover.

[NaTaS+ 958]

I'm fine with the OT rule here is more detail on it:

 

Instant sudden death is out, with a few caveats. Each team must possess or have the opportunity to possess the ball unless the team that has the ball first scores a touchdown on its initial possession. Play continues in sudden death until a winner is determined, and the game automatically ends upon any score (by safety, field goal, or touchdown).

 

In layman's terms: As Tim Tebow and Demaryius Thomas showed in the AFC wild card, a team will win a game if it scores a touchdown on the first possession of overtime. If a field goal is scored, the game continues and begins as sudden death.

 

 

badgers for your issue with OT, how is that any different than the old OT rules? "yo just dont let them get a [score] and we'll have chance to put our offense out there to score" scenario fits with both. I like no more will a stupid coin flip be the thing that determines the winner more times than not.

[Glanvilles Grits 142]

I like the overtime rule. What I dislike is the turnover replay rule. What is the sense of having challenges now? Pointless. I feel like football is a game that needs a small measure of human error. So you're only going to be able to challenge 1st downs now basically.

[oochymp 2,393]

first of all, I love the new OT rule, under the old OT rule if you got a good return and had a good kicker you could win the OT game by gaining about 30-40 yards just based on winning a coin flip and with the potency of modern offenses that's really not asking much

 

now regarding reviews, I'm personally hoping the NFL can get to a point where all reviews are initiated by the refs, so any step closer to that is a step in the right direction IMO

[Maverick 791]

I'm cool with the new overtime rules being implemented into the regular season. I'm worried that the "automatic review for turnovers" rule is going to slow the game down.

 

Does anybody think that extra few minutes it takes to review could kill momentum?

[KiLaSix9+ 398]

I really don't like the fact that every turnover will be auto-reviewed. Coaches challenges are beginning less and less valuable. I remember how exciting it was when there was a close turnover and the opposing offense came out scrambling to run a play before it could be challenged. Forget about that now. It will slow the game down.

 

Granted, it should help get all the calls right. Key word being should. However, I'll take the excitement and speed of the game over the chance to review every single turnover.

 

I'm cool with the OT implementation in the regular season.

[badgers 380]

I'm fine with the OT rule here is more detail on it:

 

 

 

badgers for your issue with OT, how is that any different than the old OT rules? "yo just dont let them get a [score] and we'll have chance to put our offense out there to score" scenario fits with both. I like no more will a stupid coin flip be the thing that determines the winner more times than not.

 

I never liked the fact that now a team cannot win by scoring a FG on their first drive. Added more of a do-or-die scenario for the defense.

 

It's probably not a big deal, but I just feel that it's yet another part of this game becoming more offense oriented. I liked it better when defenses could not allow any score by the other team rather than now you can let them get a FG.

[.AirMcNair. 1,232]

Why must the NFL fix(well, fail to fix) things that aren't broken?

[Milla4Prez63 678]

Why must the NFL fix(well, fail to fix) things that aren't broken?

 

Because you touch yourself at night.

[SteVo+ 3,702]

I think reviewing all turnovers is a step in the right direction but the big step the NFL needs to make is letting people in the booth, not the field referees, run the replays. No need for the ref to walk across the entire field and sit under a hood to look at the replay. Let the guys upstairs look at it and buzz down the details to the ref. This cuts so much time from the review process.

[BwareDWare94 723]

I think reviewing all turnovers is a step in the right direction but the big step the NFL needs to make is letting people in the booth, not the field referees, run the replays. No need for the ref to walk across the entire field and sit under a hood to look at the replay. Let the guys upstairs look at it and buzz down the details to the ref. This cuts so much time from the review process.

 

I'm going to assume that eventually happens. Let's hope.

[SteVo+ 3,702]

I'm going to assume that eventually happens. Let's hope.

 

You have to think it will. Now that every single turnover is being automatically reviewed, the total replay time this season should be by far the highest it's ever been. Next offseason they'll get that rule down, if they don't in May. All you have to do is look at college football to see how much more efficient the process is.

[Omerta+ 1,206]

I cant stand the OT rules. It gives the person who lost the coin flip the advantage. It sucks, sudden death was way better.

 

The review thing is irritating as is because if you have a nagging girlfriend instead of hearing it once or twice a quarter now it will only get worse and the 3 hours you promise will now turn to 4.

 

This sucks.

[Barracuda 629]

I like the OT rules better than sudden death but the way we have it is retarded. If the team that gets the ball scores a touchdown it's game over. If they get a field goal it's not? So there's still a chance one team may not even get the ball.

 

Why not just give each team AT LEAST one posession and if one team is unable to tie the game after another scores they lose. If the teams tie after they each had a possession it should go to sudden death.

[BigBen07 285]

I like the OT rules better than sudden death but the way we have it is retarded. If the team that gets the ball scores a touchdown it's game over. If they get a field goal it's not? So there's still a chance one team may not even get the ball.

 

Why not just give each team AT LEAST one posession and if one team is unable to tie the game after another scores they lose. If the teams tie after they each had a possession it should go to sudden death.

 

Because in the NFL, things are never that simple.

[Thanatos 2,847]

I cant stand the OT rules. It gives the person who lost the coin flip the advantage.

 

What? No it doesn't. If you think it gives that team the advantage, then have the team who won the toss choose to kickoff. In no way does it give the team who lost the coin flip an advantage.

[Shotgun 442]

Heard somewhere only 60% of all OT's were won by the team who won the first coin flip. With the kick off moved up 5 yards it shows signs of being lower. In the last 32 OT's only 5 were won by the team who won the coin flip.

 

That said, I still like the new OT rules better. It makes it a bit more interesting, and I can't complain about more football.

[BC 331]

It was changed because everyone thought a field goal winning the game was stupid, which it was. How is this system worse? Its a change that had to happen, and much more accurately gets the winner on top.

[CARDINAL 205]

I like the OT rules better than sudden death but the way we have it is retarded. If the team that gets the ball scores a touchdown it's game over. If they get a field goal it's not? So there's still a chance one team may not even get the ball.

 

Why not just give each team AT LEAST one posession and if one team is unable to tie the game after another scores they lose. If the teams tie after they each had a possession it should go to sudden death.

 

Cuda, I had the same thought when they intially changed the playoff OT rules. What your saying makes complete sense, but Goodell and some of the owners would rather make a commonsense change in 3 or 4 steps. I personally think they need to curtail the powers that Roger Goodell enjoys as commissioner. He is in charge of the appeals process involving the Saints bounty system scandal, which makes no sense and isn't based on due process and fairness because why would he overturn a decision he took a long time to come too. They need to setup an independent committee consisting of equal numbers of members from both the NFL and the NFLPA, and then they make a decision on the appeals process based on looking at the facts of the situation (and the arguments made in the appeal of the decision), and then make a final decision based on pure objectivity.