Pitarresi: NFL overtime rule stinks

 

The NFL’s overtime rule stinks.

 

The Pittsburgh Steeler’s 13-10 overtime victory over the Tennessee Titans Friday just underlined it again. The Steelers won the toss, and they won the game. That happens over and over and over again. The team that wins the toss wins the game 60 percent of the time. If you don’t think that’s a lot, I’m sorry, it is.

 

I was listening to Boomer Esiason do the game on the radio as I drove home from work, and he says he’s against changing the overtime rule.

 

“The guys on defense are getting paid, too,” he said. “Make a play. Stop them. Better yet, get a pick and run in and score a touchdown.”

 

Yeah, sure. The only way the team that wins the toss loses is by making a major mistake or by being the decidedly inferior team in the first place. If winning the toss wasn’t so important, and going on offense wasn’t so important, why is it that you’ve never heard of a team that elected to kick off in overtime? It has happened, but only a couple of times out of more than 150 in the last 10 seasons.

 

Some people don’t like the college rule, with both teams getting a renewable series of downs from the opposing 25. I do. It is a bit artificial, but you are playing football under conditions that approximate the game. And if you’ve seen it work in college, you know it is exciting. The NFL version is not exciting. Whoever wins the toss wins, again, 60 percent of the time. That’s baloney.

 

The NFL’s overtime rule stinks. Change it.