The Baltimore Ravens are poised to suggest a radical overhaul of the NFL’s overtime rules that would fundamentally change the way teams think about extra game time.
According to the NBC Sports, the Ravens are preparing a pair of overtime procedures that has been labeled “spot and choose."
Under the new rules, one team would pick the spot of the ball at the start of overtime, and the other team chooses whether to play offense or defense.
Under one proposal, overtime would proceed in a sudden-death fashion, with 10 minutes of extra time and the first team to score wins the game. Under another proposal, which NBC says is favored by Patriots coach Bill Belichick, the game would continue for another seven minutes and 30 seconds without a sudden-death component. In that case, whoever leads after the extra time has needed would be the winner.
If the game remains tied at the end of overtime in either scenario, the game would ended in a tie.
The new approach to overtime would lead to a more strategic approach from teams. As it stands under current rules, the NFL’s overtime hinges largely on the fate of the coin flip.
All 23 NFL teams would need to agree to the new rule for the change to be implemented.
