This is fair for the most part.

Totally disagree that it's only "slightly less dumb" than the old rules. The old rules were ridiculously unfair to team that lost the coin flip, driving to the 35 and kicking a game winning FG isn't even close to having to score a TD in order to end the game. That said, obv any event of sheer luck that impacts a games outcome has a level on unfairness. But this system is light years better than sudden death.

Agreed. The current format is definitely exponentially better than the previous one. I should've said that the first time.

A full timed period> A system where both teams are guaranteed at least 1 possesion > Current > Old

It's close to a coin flip right now. Giving the second team a chance to answer a TD would hugely favor the team that kicks off initially. It might be worse than the old NFL overtime rules.

Help me understand this, and I'm not very intelligent, often taking the casual fan line of thinking, so walk me through it. If it's close to a coin flip now, why does everyone always take the ball first? Are coaches that dumb, or are they concerned with the backlash from the higher ups if they defer and never get the ball?

Also, if the rules were changed so that both teams get the ball, and, as you say, that benefits the team that gets it second, winning the coin toss would allow you to defer and gain that advantage. Winning the coin toss is always going to give somebody an advantage, but that advantage shouldn't be the other team never getting to touch the ball, imo.

How is it close to a coin flip? If team A scores, they win the game. What are they to score on a given possession that late in the game in a do or die situation? (Where going for it on 4th down obviously makes even more sense)

Gotta be like 5-10% higher probability they score than normal.

? are you talking about the old overtime rules?

Brian Burke modeled it, he found kicking teams should win 54% of the time, all else being equal.

pretty sure the actual results are even closer to 50/50 though

this was through December 2015:

and someone upthread said it was exactly even this year

It's close to even but maybe it's slightly advantageous to receive? I don't think it's a settled question, the models say it's close, the empirical results say it's close. It's close.

And it's not like the kicking team can't do anything once the receiving team gets the ball. IIRC they can play defense.

arguing against the current rules is senseless. give the falcons another possession, another quarter or another whole game, the result will be the same. the only question is by how much they lose.

The argument that OT rules should take into account how teams choose to structure their team is weird.

This is what I meant when I said it's a two-way game.

just as fair as the desperate team going for it on 4th down and trying onside kicks during regulation

THE 22 ****ING YARD LINE!

Sudden death OT with no kickoff would be fine (just continue from where regulation left off). Would also see a few more 2pc attempts to try to win the game at the end of regulation (45% chance of 2pc > 95% of XP * 40-45% chance of winning OT when kicking off), although I'd expect a lot of teams to screw that up at first.

I like "play a full quarter but sudden death if a team goes up 9+" - imagine the tension that would produce for every drive

Rules are good as is but when a team scores 7 I'd like to see the other team get a chance to get 8 for the win (7 would be a loss not a tie or continue OT).

If you really wanted you could get the ball first score and go for 8 for the walkoff.

team who wins the coin toss gets to choose between taking the ball at the 10 or giving the other team the ball at the 10(or whatever yard line makes the coin toss winner indifferent)

Super Bowl 51 Participant

Us olds remember back in the day when regular season ties happened every week.

Oh, and the goalposts were on the goal line, and nickels had pictures of bees on them.

I still can't believe the goal posts were on goal line, so dangerous.

It's still that way in rugby.

I doubt it. We've only experienced 1% of the bizarre, gut-wrenching failures that are possible. Buckle up.

Advantage: BB
But this is a very intriguing concept.

But what about if they had made two field goals. That's one more than Pats made in OT.

I liked Brady joking on instagram about the Tyree catch. Maybe not trolling every athlete who prays to god but Brady clearly is more about the religion of footballism.