The NFL's OT Rule Is Fair, Even If Star Players Don't Know it

By Derek Lofland

Every time a team loses a game in OT and doesn’t touch the ball on offense, people come out of the woodwork screaming for a rule change. 

The latest example of this happened on Saturday night in an NFL playoff game when the Indianapolis Colts lost 23-17 in OT. 

NFL's MVP Peyton Manning never made it to the field, because the Chargers won the toss and scored on the opening drive of OT.  

The fact is that people simply show their offensive biases when they suggest the rules need to be changed. My favorite position has always been quarterback. My favorite NFL player plays quarterback.

I probably know more of the quarterback statistics than any other position. But that doesn’t mean I think that is the only position on the field.  

What would happen if the Ravens and Dolphins had gone to OT?

Let’s say the Dolphins had won the toss and elected to kick the ball. I know they don’t normally do that, but let’s suppose it was a windy Miami day and they felt the wind was more important than the possession. I think that would have played out between the Bills and Pats the last week of the regular season with 60 mile an hour winds.  

Back to the Ravens. Young stud Joe Flacco takes the field ready for his moment in the sun and wind. He promptly throws a pick to Joey Porter, who races to the end zone. 

Would anyone have said, “Gee, that’s a shame the Ed Reed and Ray Lewis didn’t get to go on the field and decide the game.” They should have another possession so that those guys could have gotten on the field. The Ravens' D means so much to that team and for those guys to just stand on the sideline watching helplessly seems wrong.

Different teams have different strengths. Different stadiums have different weather. The Colts are a high-flying offense, except for January...

Continue reading...