This Sunday, October 11, yet another game was won on the first possession during overtime. The Denver Broncos won the coin toss and drove 53 yards to set up the winning 41-yard field goal. I’m not in any way saying the Broncos didn’t deserve to win the game; they came from behind in the 4th quarter to tie the game and held off the Patriots from scoring to go into overtime. In the interest of full disclosure, I was rooting for the Broncos to win this game. However, I adamantly believe that the winner of a game should not ever be determined by the random flip of a coin, especially now that field goals are so commonly the deciding three points to secure victory. The game should not come down to which kickers can perform. The Broncos did a great job on Sunday night, but the fact that they won the game on the first overtime possession on a field goal without the Patriot offense taking the field again cheapens the game for me.
The amount of games won on the first possession, 44% since 2006 (see previous post), illustrates the absurdity of this rule. In a playoff game earlier this year between the Chargers and the Colts, a Chargers player, Jamal Williams, declared “game over” as soon as his team won the coin toss in overtime. Listen closely at the end of this video clip, and you can hear Williams.
A football game, especially a playoff game, should not be able to be declared over by a coin toss. After four hard-fought quarters, how does this system do any kind of justice to the game? Even some players recognize the reality that a coin toss can indeed mean “game over.” I encourage football fans, members within the football community, and any person who sees a problem with this to let their voices be heard and join me in encouraging Roger Goodell to put serious pressure on the competition committee to bring one or several viable alternatives before the franchise owners within the next two years.
SOURCES:
Fox31 Article
Youtube Video-NFL Week 5 Highlights
Fanhouse NFL Blog
Youtube Video-OT Coin Toss Chargers-Indy Playoff Game
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That's a pretty compelling statistic. 44%. Maybe you're right. Maybe something needs to be done.
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