During the NFL regular season, there were 13 overtime games.  Ten ended on a field goal.  Five ended on the first possession.

Throughout the NFL season, every time an NFL game went into overtime NFL PR rep Greg Aiello would tweet something implying that the current system works.  December 24^th at 12:15 p.m., Aiello tweeted “On NFL overtime format, teams losing coin toss r 6-5 in 11 OT games this year. As commish says, toss doesn't determine outcome, players do.”  Aiello not-so ironically, was the one to break the news to the Associated Press that the NFL may be changing its overtime format.

Under the proposed new format, both teams would get the ball at least once unless the first team to get the ball scores a touchdown.  If the first team makes a field goal and the other team ties the game, action would continue until a team scores again.  Of course, this would be quite a change from the current first-team-that-scores-wins (or sudden death) system.

After the New Orleans Saints victory over the Minnesota Vikings, Sports Illustrated’s Peter King angrily said that the format doesn’t work if one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time, Brett Favre, doesn’t get to touch the ball in the extra period.  The uproar over the Saints victory caused the NFL’s competition committee to discuss putting the issue up to a vote at this year’s league meetings March 21-24.

“There have been various concepts that have been discussed in recent years, but this one has never been proposed,” Aiello said.

Some have proposed the league allow each team to have one shot regardless of the outcome of the first try.

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Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter

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