FanPost

Power to the People!

Courtesy of M.J. Darnell's Shutdown Corner at Yahoo Sports

My brother-in-law once told me that a tie game is "like kissing your sister." It leaves a bad taste in your mouth. The NFL's coin toss is like french kissing a Saint Bernard in my humble opinion. For years I've been in favor of a change to the current rule. However, I haven't heard of an alternative that merits use in the NFL until now. A "Modified Sudden Death" is being considered by the NFL.

Basically it goes like this:

1. Coin toss, as per usual. Let's say Team A wins.
2. If Team A goes on to score a touchdown, the game is over.
3. If Team A only manages a field goal, they would kick off to Team B and the game would continue.
4. If Team B then scores a touchdown, they win.
5. If Team B answers Team A's field goal with a field goal of their own, then Team B will kickoff, and we'll go back to the old sudden death rules.

MJD says that he likes the fact that it puts a greater emphasis on the Touchdown "because the touchdown is everything. The touchdown is the knockout punch, the golden goal, the 1-2-3 pin. The touchdown is The Hammer."

An opposing view might say that the modified version de-values the field goal which has such a rich tradition in NFL history. But I think that argument doesn't hold water. What I like about the Modified Sudden Death proposal is that it removes the power of a coin toss to decide the game (odds are 60% to 36% in the favor of the team that wins the coin toss; 4% of the time the game ends in a tie) and returns the power to the people who have fought and endured the 60 minute gridiron battle. It removes that old feeling of getting ripped off if you lose the coin toss and the game without a chance for your team's offense to have a crack at it. 

Some of you might like the NCAA rule. I dislike the idea of applying the NCAA rule to the NFL, claiming that the pros should set the standard, not follow the NCAA's.

But what about you Chief's Nation? Take a moment to take the poll and post your comments.


This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Arrowhead Pride's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Arrowhead Pride writers or editors.