Even the winning coach, in this case Andy Reid, is questioning the NFL’s overtime setup.
One day after Reid’s Chiefs won the OT coin toss, then marched downfield for Travis Kelce’s 8-yard touchdown reception to end an epic divisional round game with Buffalo, Reid recognized how fortunate Kansas City was.
“I had a chance to talk with Sean afterward,” Reid said of Bills Coach Sean McDermott, “and that I’m sure is something they’re going to look at again, too. And I wouldn’t be opposed to it – it’s a hard thing. It was great for us last night, but is it great for the game which is the most important thing we should all be looking out for? To make things equal, it probably needs to be able to hit both offenses, both defenses.”
That never happened Sunday, and it has not happened much in the playoffs since the current rules were adopted in 2010 for the postseason, 2012 for the regular schedule. Under those guidelines for the playoffs:
• Teams play 15-minute periods until there’s a winner.
• A touchdown or safety on the first possession wins the game.
• If the score is tied after each team’s first possession, either because neither scored or each kicked a field goal, the next score will win the game.
• There are no coach’s challenges with all reviews being initiated by the replay official.
In 11 playoff games that went to overtime, including the first in a Super Bowl when the Patriots beat the Falcons with a touchdown on the first possession in 2017, the team that gets the ball first has won 10 – seven with opening-drive TDs.
Indeed, the only loss in that span was in the NFC championship game for 2018, when officials blew a blatant pass interference and illegal hit penalty on Rams defensive back Nickell Robey-Coleman late in regulation. The folks in the Big Easy insist that overtime never should have occurred.
In regular-season matches, the team that gets the ball first is 86-65-10, with 34 opening-drive touchdowns, according to Sportradar. So the imbalance isn’t as profound as in the postseason.
Reid knows both sides of overtime outcomes. In the AFC title game for the 2018 season, Kansas City rallied to force the extra period. But New England won the toss, and Tom Brady marched his team downfield against an exhausted defense for a winning TD.
This time, Reid was in a better spot after Bills quarterback Josh Allen called tails and heads came up.
“… we should never let a football game be determined from a coin,” Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins said. “Like I think that’s the most craziest rule in sports. Like, you can fight your entire fight the whole game, and then the game comes down to a 50-50 chance of a coin toss. Like, this ain’t Vegas. Like, we’re not at the casino table. Like, this ain’t no 50-50 bet and there ain’t even no 50-50 bet. And it’s just crazy that that was the outcome.”
Those who support the current system stress that the defense needs to make a stop, and if it can’t then it gets what it deserves. The opposite viewpoint asks why shouldn’t both teams’ defenses be put in that position?
Might changes be coming? The NFL’s powerful competition committee, which makes proposals for rules changes, has gone into, well, overtime on the topic through the years. If a team, say Buffalo, or several teams bring it up, with specific suggestions for alterations, the committee will consider them. Should those ideas seem worthy, a proposal would be made to the 32 owners at the league meetings in late March.
For now, though, players, coaches and fans have to live with what’s on the books. Not that it helps Dawkins and the Bills.
“It shouldn’t be a race, like, the first guy to touch that wall wins,” Dawkins said. “Like, come on now … but that’s what we’re dealt with now. So I don’t want to make an excuse for it. But hopefully it’ll change. Hopefully, it’ll change.”
GIANTS: Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll is getting a second interview for the vacant New York Giants head coaching job before some candidates have gotten a chance for a first meeting.
The Giants confirmed Daboll will meet with co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch and new general manager Joe Schoen on Tuesday at the team’s headquarters in the Meadowlands sports complex.
Daboll was first interviewed on a video call on Friday, hours after Schoen, the former Bills assistant general manager, was hired to replace the retired Dave Gettleman.
Schoen and ownership also interviewed Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier and Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo over the weekend. Dallas defensive coordinator Dan Quinn was scheduled to be interviewed Monday for the job that opened when Joe Judge was fired on Jan. 11 after a 4-13 season, and a 10-23 overall record.
New York also has indicated it will speak with current Giants defensive coordinator Pat Graham and recently fired Miami coach Brian Flores about the job.
PANTHERS: The Carolina Panthers agreed to terms with former New York Giants head coach Ben McAdoo to become their next offensive coordinator.
The Associated Press reported last week that the team has settled on McAdoo to replace Joe Brady, who was fired late in the regular season with the offense struggling to produce points.
McAdoo has 15 years of NFL coaching experience, including two seasons (2016-17) as the Giants’ head coach. He previously worked as the Giants’ offensive coordinator alongside Eli Manning and as the Green Bay Packers quarterbacks coach with Aaron Rodgers. The Giants’ passing offense finished in the top 10 in the league in its two seasons with McAdoo as coordinator.
McAdoo spent this past season with the Dallas Cowboys working as a consultant.
BUCCANEERS: One thing Tom Brady certainly recognizes as he takes time to ponder his future: The Buccaneers’ roster next season figures to look a lot different – with or without the seven-time Super Bowl winner.
Unlike last spring when the Bucs defied the odds by retaining every starter from a star-laden lineup that won the franchise’s second NFL championship, General Manager Jason Licht and Coach Bruce Arians are not in a position to replicate that.
First of all, there’s the 44-year-old Brady and his impending decision whether he will retire or return for a 23rd overall and third season with Tampa Bay, whose bid to become the first team in nearly two decades to repeat as Super Bowl champs ended with a 30-27 loss to Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round of the playoffs.
Brady has one year remaining on his contract and has said in the past he’d like to play until he’s at least 45, maybe even beyond.
But after leading the NFL this season in completions, attempts, passing yards and touchdowns – while also guiding the Bucs to the most successful regular season in club history – he’s not ready to say which way he may be leaning for 2022.
“I haven’t put a lot of thought into it, so you know, we will just take it day by day and kind of see where we are at,” Brady said after Sunday’s loss.
Arians reiterated Monday there’s no timetable for a decision from Brady.
“I haven’t talked to him yet,” Arians said. “Take all the time he needs. We’ll see.”
In the meantime, there’s plenty of other planning to do.
Nearly half the roster is eligible for free agency, including wide receiver Chris Godwin; tights ends Rob Gronkowski and O.J. Howard; running backs Leonard Fournette, Ronald Jones and Giovani Bernard; linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul; cornerback Carlton Davis; safety Jordan Whitehead; defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh; offensive linemen Ryan Jenson and Alex Cappa; and defensive lineman William Gholston.
Arians said the goal as usual is to “reload” rather than rebuild, with an emphasis on re-signing as many of their own free agents as possible.
“We’ll see how many we can get back and then build the team from there. … Each year is so different and so new,” the coach said. “Last year, to get everybody back was amazing. Doubt we can do it all again this year, but we’re sure going to give it our best.”
Like Brady, the 32-year-old Gronkowski is not rushing a decision about his future. The quarterback’s favorite target from their days with the New England Patriots was lured out of retirement when Brady signed the Bucs in free agency in 2020.
He has no regrets about rejoining the only starting quarterback he’s played with during an 11-year career, and shrugged off questions whether his decision would in any way be tied to what Brady does.
“It’s been an unbelievable ride. There’s no doubt about it. My decision of coming back was definitely solidified. … I was very happy that I came back to play football, just being part of this organization,” Gronkowski said.
And, is there a chance he might consider returning to the Bucs, even if Brady doesn’t?
“There could be a scenario like that. I’ll never throw anything off the board because you never know how anything’s ever going to play out. It’s the NFL. It’s one of the craziest businesses out there,” Gronkowski said. “You see organizations just totally flip year in and year out sometimes. I’m really basically going to do, obviously, what’s best for myself in terms of the football world.”
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