Ravens Plan XFL-Esque Pitch To 'Solve' NFL Overtime Issues
The Baltimore Ravens are reportedly planning to introduce an overtime rule that may make football a game of strategy with a major XFL ring to it.
“Spot and Choose," an overtime solution where one team picks where the ball’s spotted, and the other team gets to decide if it wants to play offense or defense.
The Baltimore Sun reports the proposal is intended to address concerns about the importance of winning the coin toss and place more focus on strategy.
The current rules state if the team that receives is the first to score a touchdown on the opening drive, the game is over.
The coin flip would only determine which role each team plays — “Spot” or “Choose.” Simple?
This is where it gets tricky — good luck betting on it.
" Team A decides to try to crush Team B deep in the offense’s own territory, Team B can just say, no thank you, you take the ball on the offense’s 10-yard line," Yahoo Sports reports. "And if Team A selects the 50-yard line, that’s the equivalent of a receiver getting the ball out to midfield, which most teams would be just fine with."
Do you want to be on offense during this overtime battle? Apparently, it's similar to blackjack, where you have to decide whether to stand or hit on 16, Yahoo Sports reports.
If you're the Chiefs, of course, you do. If you're the Rams, you'd want your prize defense.
Will one team's overtime playbook include always surrendering the ball if the field position isn't ideal?
What happens after one team takes possession?
The Ravens will reportedly be offering two proposals: one’s sudden death, the first team to score wins, with 10 minutes of game clock.
The other would keep the game going as normal for seven minutes and 30 seconds, no sudden-death component, Yahoo Sports reports.
Are the teams gambling, at this point?
"One generally winning approach to poker is to always force your opponent to make an uncomfortable decision, and Spot and Choose does exactly that," the article reads. "Every single overtime."