It’s a rare occasion that you can make a good move and a bad move at the same time, but the NFL managed to pull it off.

Yesterday the NFL announced that for the 2010 season the overtime rules would be changing. BUT, they’d only be changing for 12, or 37.5%, of the 32 teams in the league, for a cumulative 11 games.

First the rule change.

• If the team winning the coin toss kicks a field goal on their first possession, the other team gets the ball for a possession in order to either try to tie or win the game.
• If the team winning the coin toss gets a touchdown on their first possession, the game is over.
• If the teams are still tied after they each have had one possession, the old (a.k.a. “normal”) sudden death overtime rules apply (the first to score wins).

Now to when the changes take effect.

These rules will only be used during the playoffs due to injury concerns.  But this is extremely flawed as it:

1. Sends the message that player safety isn’t important during the playoffs. (And I’d debate that reasoning as a cop out regardless.)
2. Could possibly ruin other teams playoff hopes and/or seeding.

I agree that the new concept is better than the old, but I still like college rules better. And if you’re going to do it, do it. Don’t halfway commit to it.

There are my thoughts. What are yours?

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