By now, you’ve likely either heard or read about Donovan McNabb’s lack of knowledge about the NFL’s tie rules.
I imagine that sometime during this week, Donovan might make a post on his Yardbarker blog making light of the situation, as he should. We’ll continue to laugh and talk about it even after he’s put it out of his mind, it’ll end up on a funnies and follies reel or twenty thousand, and it might even end up making it on a Coors Light commercial. Maybe he was more focused on having completed less than 50% of his passes and getting picked off three times than on worrying about the tie rule, but thanks either way, Donovan.
But on a serious note, his comments and the game itself make me, if not anyone else, wonder about whether the NFL should just scrap the tie rule.
If you’re a Bengals or Eagles fan, or anyone who had to watch Sunday’s game in Cincinnati, your answer might be a resounding yes. No one likes to see a punt-filled overtime, so eliminating the punts from the equation could make things a little more entertaining…and end quicker.
Personally, I prefer way overtime is played out in the college game, and I think the NFL should adopt some form of those overtime rules in the near future.
Both teams get at least one possession (hooray for fairness!), and having to go for two after touchdowns starting with the third overtime means that a game could end a lot quicker than it might if teams were still allowed to kick extra points.
Of course, the NFL could make some tweaks to those rules. They might think it’s a little too easy to score if the teams start at the 25 in each overtime, so there could be some changes in that area. Maybe start from the 50 in the first overtime, move it to the 40 for the second overtime, and then to the 30 for the third overtime and beyond? Just a thought.
The current tie rule that applies to playoff games could remain, but I’d like to hope that, if the NFL did amend its overtime rules for regular-season games, that they would be smart enough to not amend it to that one.
Should the NFL scrap ties and make some changes to the overtime rules? Or do you like the current overtime rule or think ties are rare enough to not have to worry about changing the rule anytime soon?
