Most people are happy about the new changes made to overtime by the NFL. No doubt most of those people are Minnesota Viking fans. As for the coaches, the new rule changes do nothing more than complicate an already highly complex gameplan for them. Read more.
The new rule changes effectively take chance out of the overtime session. It used to be that the results of the coin toss could end the game before one team even had a chance to touch the pigskin on offence. But sudden death overtime has been eliminated by the new rule changes, putting more of the decision making in the hands of the coaches.
The new rules, I have to admit are a little weird and will take some getting used to. The way it now works is a team will have the option of either taking a field goal or going for a touchdown on their overtime drive. The catch is, if a team elects to kick the field goal, then the other team will have a chance to either tie the game with a field goal of their own, or go for the touchdown in the win.
Here’s the “kicker”, if the team that wins the toss elects to go for the touchdown and makes it, the game is over, sudden death style. Basically, first team to score a touchdown wins, more or less, like I said it can get a little confusing. Coaches will definitely have their work cut out for them in trying to decide what to do, how much they trust their defense, and how much they trust their offense. That’s the simplified version of all the extra considerations these changes would add to the plates of NFL coaches. Just imagine being one of those guys on the sideline and having to make the call on whether to trust your defense or go for the win. Now imagine seeing Belichick standing on the other side line with Tom Brady licking his fingers, warming up and you can start to see gravity of the situation these new changes put coaches in.
For bettors, this adds a whole new dimension to NFL football wagering. For those who love to bet live, operators can now offer new odds on whether a coach will go for the touchdown or field goal. This will bring a whole bunch of variables into play, like the nature of the coach, the strength of the other team’s offense or QB. Imagine a game against a Peyton Manning or Drew Brees, you probably don’t want to put up a three spot against them. NFL overtime has taken on more of a college format, and as a result of these new changes, the chances of draw have to increase. While nobody can get excited about a draw, betting on the overtime session now gives the bettor a little more to think about and definitely enhances the excitement of making live wagers.
