Health Care and More Interesting Topics

So our so called representative legislature passed a bill that will further us on our march towards less personal liberty. What's new? they're politicians. Enough of that. Let's talk about the NFL's new overtime rule enforced only in the playoffs.
For those of you who don't know, the NFL has made some alterations to the way overtime is conducted. The former way of doing things? Sudden death/first one to score any points, safety field goal or touchdown. When I heard that the NFL was looking into changing the overtime I thought, "Finally!". It was terrible. A team was awarded possession on the basis of a coin flip. For years my friends who are football fans have observed the superiority of College Football's overtime system. In this system, each team gets a possession at their opponents 35 yard line. All normal rules are in place. There is no clock. 10 yards to a first down. Touchdown is six. Extra point is a point. 2 point conversion is two. Whoever scores more on their possession wins. If after both teams have had a possession and the score is tied, then they go into another overtime, and the team who had the ball first in the first overtime, now is on defense first. Of course in this system, its to your advantage to have the ball second. It gives you options knowing how many points you need to score. However the defense is also freed up and clued in to how to play. After three overtimes, you have to go for two so that this doesn't go on forever. It's as fair an overtime system as can be contrived in a game like American Football.
Sudden Death Overtime is an impossibly random and unfair "system". This is self evident. I don't need to go into this year's NFC Championship game or any other game where the losing offense didn't get a chance to score. I don't need to show the statistics that the team that starts with the ball wins 60% of sudden death overtimes. To make my point I would only say that imagine the hoopla if we didn't have a coin flip. If the ref just picked the team he wanted to have the ball first to get it first. Well, everyone would be up in arms. Why? Because it matters who has the ball first. If it's sudden death you have a distinct advantage if you have the ball first. You have to score. You have to do one thing. If you are without the ball. You must stop and score. In college both teams must stop and score. Sure the team that goes second has an advantage. Maybe they should give the choice to go on offense or defense to the team with the most yards on offense. At any rate, the advantage of going second in the college is system is nowhere near the advantage of having possession first in sudden death. And its based on a coin flip! Why shouldn't it be based on ref's choice if it doesn't matter? Many complain about the BCS, but nobody complains about the overtime system.
So the NFL got smart (which it usually does) and changed the overtime system. But the system they came up with, hardly more fair, is also more ridiculous. Here it is. I think.

The Game is over if...
An offensive or defensive touchdown is scored.
A safety is scored.
The team who receives the ball first, (this will still be decided by coin toss) scores a field goal and the stops their opponent from scoring.
If both teams have a possession and they both record a field goal, then normal sudden death rules apply.
If the second team scores a field goal and the first team does not, the game is over. If neither team scores anything. It all just starts over.

This effectively does nothing. As journalist Jon Star says, "The new rule retains the game's sudden death feel because the rule still keeps intact the reality that a team can lose without touching the ball"
I was admittedly under the illusion that the motivation for changing the rule was built upon realizing the absurdity of sudden death in football. Our friend Jon makes another great point, "The new rule persuades the receiving team to score a touchdown. The new rule also removes the notion that a team can receive the kickoff, move the ball 30-40 yards. and end the game.

The new rule was not about removing the sudden death element, it was about simply giving the other team an opportunity to touch the ball following an opening field goal, yet simultaneously adding value to going the length of the field.
Illusion removed. Thanks to Jon I am no longer baffled by this decision. I should have known that the NFL values sudden death. I am not sure that anything has changed, other than the NFL overtime has become more intriguing. But one more catch, it's only effective in the postseason. In the regular season, the old rule applies. Next weeks topic? "Iraq War and More Interesting Topics" That more interesting topic would be Baseball's refusal to have instant replay. Please help me understand why guys who work in sports refuse to make their game more fair. Oh, I have a great idea. How about in the NBA overtime, all free throws are worth 5 points if you are fouled with under 10 seconds left on the shot clock.