Official rest of the playoffs thread

[ThunderDan]

Hockey technically has sudden death in OT, but each team, in virtually all games, gets the puck during OT. Usually multiple times.

Basketball plays a set time with each team getting multiple possessions.

Baseball plays full innings with each team getting at bats in their own half inning.

Football used to have sudden death which made some sense in the low scoring age of football. But as offenses got better, rules changed and defenses fell behind, the first team with the ball usually won. Now I liked Sudden Death and still would prefer it to any system around (who needs 20-30 more minutes of Joe Buck?)

However, not knowing who gets the coin flip causes each side to be cautious and play for ties. This is bullsnot for two reasons: 1) conservative offensive football trying to drain clock to preserve a tie is boring, 2) counting on luck to win you a game is just dumb

So I would marry SD with no coin flip. You received the first half kick? Kicked off the second half off? Guess what, you are receiving the OT kickoff. With no coin flip, one team has a massive incentive to try to win the game outright. No one cares about deferring your choice to the second half.

One team desperately wanting to get to OT, one team desperately wanting to avoid it. And it doesn't fall along home/visitor or favorite/underdog lines.

Just do it.

Team that scores last in regulation gets the ball first in OT. That solves the coin flip issues.

[pbmax]

Team that scores last in regulation gets the ball first in OT. That solves the coin flip issues.

I could live with that too.

[pbmax]

If they keep it the way it is now, I would propose a 10 minute "rest period" for players to recover and get themselves right before OT starts, similar to half-time.

I had no idea you worked as an ad executive.

[call_me_ishmael]

I had no idea you worked as an ad executive.

Please, call me Don.

[Rutnstrut]

Why not just have a designated warrior on each team. In case of OT they fight to the death, winner gets the ball first. To be fair the designated warrior does not have to be on the 53.

[Bretsky]

I think I speak for all NFL fans outside of the Boston area when I say - FUCK THE PATRIOTS!!!

The Rams have always been my 2nd favorite team since the days of the unrecognized HOF quarterback ((kidding) VInce Ferragamo.

But I like the Pats too; I've always appreciated greatness.

The Rams have WAY more talent than NE; the game should be an ez one. But I have estimated the Hoody Geniuses before.

IF the Rams win, it may help justify everybody whose wiped the Rams coaches ass getting hired as coaches lately...lol

[pbmax]

The Rams have always been my 2nd favorite team since the days of the unrecognized HOF quarterback ((kidding) VInce Ferragamo.

But I like the Pats too; I've always appreciated greatness.

The Rams have WAY more talent than NE; the game should be an ez one. But I have estimated the Hoody Geniuses before.

IF the Rams win, it may help justify everybody whose wiped the Rams coaches ass getting hired as coaches lately...lol

Oh stop it. Brady is light years ahead of Goff. The Rams have a much better WR corp. Gronk wins at TE.

I would happily take whichever O line you think run blocks worse.

On defense the Rams have two huge names and the 19th ranked defense with a horrible back end. NE is 16th with no names.

[Bretsky]

Oh stop it. Brady is light years ahead of Goff. The Rams have a much better WR corp. Gronk wins at TE.

I would happily take whichever O line you think run blocks worse.

On defense the Rams have two huge names and the 19th ranked defense with a horrible back end. NE is 16th with no names.

Brady is way better and Goff
Ram RB's are better than NE
Rams OL is better then NE
Rams WR's are better than NE
Gronk is better than NE's TE, whoever that is

Rams DL is better than Pats DL
Rams CB"s are better than Pats CB's
Rams LB's are as good or better than Pats
I think the Pats safeties are better but not by a ton

[texaspackerbacker]

Two New Orleans Saints season-ticket holders filed a lawsuit against the NFL on Tuesday, asking a Louisiana state court judge to order Commissioner Roger Goodell to invoke an obscure rule that could force the final moments of Sunday's NFC Championship game to be replayed. According to Rule 17, Section 2, Article 1 of the NFL rulebook, the league commissioner "has the sole authority to investigate and take appropriate disciplinary and/or corrective measures if any club action, non-participant interference, or calamity occurs in an NFL game which the Commissioner deems so extraordinarily unfair or outside the accepted tactics encountered in professional football that such action has a major effect on the result of the game." Remedies include reversal of a game's result or the rescheduling of a game -- in its entirety or from the point when the act occurred. (from a Fox News article by Samuel Chamberlain)

If they invoked this, it would set a weird and IMO bad precedent. The call was not nearly as egregious as the "Fail Mary" play was to the Packers, and I don't recall any lawsuit talk or possibility of invoking this rule back then.

[pbmax]

Brady is way better and Goff
Ram RB's are better than NE
Rams OL is better then NE
Rams WR's are better than NE
Gronk is better than NE's TE, whoever that is

Rams DL is better than Pats DL
Rams CB"s are better than Pats CB's
Rams LB's are as good or better than Pats
I think the Pats safeties are better but not by a ton

We are going to need Cliff Christl (or his non-union Mexican replacement Cleft Crusty) to do a red chip/blue chip player analysis to settle this

[call_me_ishmael]

Pats win the super bowl. LA is overrated.

[mraynrand]

If they invoked this, it would set a weird and IMO bad precedent.

I think the chances are really very very high that the NFC Championship game will be re-started from the interference play and allowed to continue. It will be played this Sunday from 1:00 to 1:15. Saints versus Patriots, Baby!!!

[Cheesehead Craig]

Two New Orleans Saints season-ticket holders filed a lawsuit against the NFL on Tuesday, asking a Louisiana state court judge to order Commissioner Roger Goodell to invoke an obscure rule that could force the final moments of Sunday's NFC Championship game to be replayed. According to Rule 17, Section 2, Article 1 of the NFL rulebook, the league commissioner "has the sole authority to investigate and take appropriate disciplinary and/or corrective measures if any club action, non-participant interference, or calamity occurs in an NFL game which the Commissioner deems so extraordinarily unfair or outside the accepted tactics encountered in professional football that such action has a major effect on the result of the game." Remedies include reversal of a game's result or the rescheduling of a game -- in its entirety or from the point when the act occurred. (from a Fox News article by Samuel Chamberlain)

If they invoked this, it would set a weird and IMO bad precedent. The call was not nearly as egregious as the "Fail Mary" play was to the Packers, and I don't recall any lawsuit talk or possibility of invoking this rule back then.

Just to add on to tex's point, the next article states:
Article 2, "The Commissioner will not apply authority in cases of complaints by clubs concerning judgmental errors or routine errors of omission by game officials. Games involving such complaints will continue to stand as completed."

So Roger can just state that he's following Article 2 and not do a damn thing. I happen to agree that doing this sets a very dangerous precedent and one that every friggin' team will be able to use when they feel an official's call screws them over. Heck, there will be owners demanding to talk to Roger to review things mid-game they didn't like. Do we really want more Roger in today's NFL?

[hoosier]

Two New Orleans Saints season-ticket holders filed a lawsuit against the NFL on Tuesday, asking a Louisiana state court judge to order Commissioner Roger Goodell to invoke an obscure rule that could force the final moments of Sunday's NFC Championship game to be replayed. According to Rule 17, Section 2, Article 1 of the NFL rulebook, the league commissioner "has the sole authority to investigate and take appropriate disciplinary and/or corrective measures if any club action, non-participant interference, or calamity occurs in an NFL game which the Commissioner deems so extraordinarily unfair or outside the accepted tactics encountered in professional football that such action has a major effect on the result of the game." Remedies include reversal of a game's result or the rescheduling of a game -- in its entirety or from the point when the act occurred. (from a Fox News article by Samuel Chamberlain)

If they invoked this, it would set a weird and IMO bad precedent. The call was not nearly as egregious as the "Fail Mary" play was to the Packers, and I don't recall any lawsuit talk or possibility of invoking this rule back then.

Not going to happen, no chance. The rules specifically exclude judgment calls by refs as part of the palpably unfair acts of god clause.

EDIT: Only now do I see that Cheesy Craig beat me to it.

[mraynrand]

Just to add on to tex's point, the next article states:
Article 2, "The Commissioner will not apply authority in cases of complaints by clubs concerning judgmental errors or routine errors of omission by game officials. Games involving such complaints will continue to stand as completed."

Refs were paid off! That's not judgmental! 'Routine' errors?!?!?! Define ROUTINE! AAAAAAAARRGGGGGGG!!!!

Replay the game! Replay the game! SUE SUE SUE SUE!!! Go to SCOTUS!