Overtime Problem? Not Exactly

One of my biggest sports pet peeves seems to now happen annually.

Every time a team has a tough overtime loss, like the Vikings did Sunday night, NFL media members and fans alike call for drastic changes to the traditional sudden death rules.

The gripes are understandable: We are living in the offensive era of the NFL. Each and every week during the football season, SportsCenter, NFL Network, etc. will all show highlights of Peyton Manning touchdown passes, Chris Johnson's explosiveness and even Larry Fitzgerald diving for a catch. Fans are dying to see more offense, hence the desire to give both teams the ball in overtime.

I'm not complaining about the incredible athletes and their talents listed above. My point is that emphasis on defense is missing in the media culture. Forcing a three and out can give a team whirls of confidence and momentum but will never make fans jump out of their seats.

Okay, so what does all of this have to do with the NFL overtime argument? First off, the coin toss dilemma really isn't a dilemma. In the 2009 regular season there were 13 overtime games. In six of those 13 games the team that won that toss ended up losing the game! When a team wins the toss and drives down the field to the win the game, it sensibly sticks out more in people’s minds. I get that.

Back to defense again. If your team cannot get a stop on defense, why should you deserve to get the ball back? This is a total team sport. Offense, although it is, should not be valued over defense. These are both two integral parts to winning.

I do, however, have two rule suggestions for the NFL to implement in overtime postseason games.

Rule number one: Eliminate field goal kicking. The creation of this rule would give NO excuses to a defense. If you can't keep an offense from marching down the field and crossing those pylons, you lose. Think of how dramatic a goal line stand would have been Sunday if Jared Allen and the Vikings 'D' were able to keep the Saints out of the end zone.  

Rule number two: Eliminate the spot foul pass interference rule just for overtime and make it a 15 yard penalty. Time after time, teams in overtime are quickly able to advance up the field using yellow penalty flags. I don't like penalizing an aggressive defensive back for trying to save his team from losing a critical playoff game. This rule would take control from referees and end fan complaints of "the refs lost us that game."

What a practical solution to my sports pet peeve.