NEW YORK -- NFL owners will vote next week whether to allow each team a
possession in overtime in the playoffs if the team winning the OT coin toss
kicks a field goal on the first series.
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the game would end whenever either side scores, as happened in the NFC
championship game in January, with New Orleans beating Minnesota on
Garrett Hartleys kick. But NFL competition committee chairman Rich McKay says a
trend has developed showing too strong an advantage for teams winning the coin
toss to start overtime. If the team that falls behind by three points on the
first series also kicks a field goal, then the game would continue under current
sudden death rules. The proposal is only for the playoffs. "Statistically, it is
pretty clear there has been a change," McKay said. "When sudden death was put in
for 1974, it clearly worked very well and was a good system. It brought
excitement and effectively broke ties. From 74-93 you had a 50-50 (breakdown) in
who would win between those who won toss and who lost the toss. "Changes
occurred over time, and the numbers have changed to 59.8 per cent winning the
coin toss and winning the game. The team that loses the coin toss wins 38.5 per
cent. "We are trying to put in a system that emphasizes more skill and strategy
as opposed to the randomness of the coin flip." The NFLs overtime policy differs
from that of the CFL, which gives each team up to two possessions from the
opponents 35-yard line. However, the Canadian league is looking at tweaking its
OT rules by stipulating teams that score touchdowns in the extra session must go
for two-point conversions instead of kicking the traditional point after. McKay
credited the advancements in field goal accuracy and skills of return teams for
the hefty switch in statistics. The competition committee found that since 1994,
when the kickoff was moved back five yards to the 30, teams winning the overtime
coin toss won 34.4 per cent of the games on the first series. They kicked field
goals 26.2 per cent of those times, an increase from 17.9 per cent in 15 years.
"I would say this is something thats been on our radar for a number of years and
been talked about a lot," he said. "In the last four or five years, we have not
proposed anything because we thought if there werent enough votes (among the 32
owners), we should not propose it. This year, the statistics are so compelling
we need to get the discussion going." Rest assured there will be plenty of
discussion; 24 votes are needed to adopt the change. "Overtime, since 1958, has
had ... the first team that scores, wins," said Redskins general manager Bruce
Allen. "I like the 1958 rules better (than the proposal)." The players union
strongly has supported the current overtime setup because it fears another
system could lead to more injuries. McKay said the competition committee has
"not spent a lot of time with them" on this proposal, but will make the players
association aware of the recommendation. Questions have been raised whether
altering overtime is something that must be collectively bargained with the
union, but the league says it would simply be a rule change the NFL can enact
unilaterally. Another recommendation to the owners, who will hold their meetings
in Orlando, Fla., beginning Sunday, centres on expanding protection for
defenceless players, most notably receivers. McKay said a recent rule change
helped, but there are cases where receivers already have made a catch and still
are defenceless when they get hit in the head area. The proposal will offer
those players protection from hits to the head until after the catch is made and
the receiver has an opportunity to protect himself.
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MONTREAL CANADIENS How They Got Here The seventh-seeded Flyers, who required a
shootout victory on the last day of the regular season to qualify for the
playoffs, joined the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs (vs. Detroit) and the 1975 New
York Islanders (vs.
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operations.
McNabbJersey .7 seconds remaining, as the
fourth-ranked Kansas Jayhawks snuck past the UCLA Bruins, 77-76, as part of the
Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series.
MinnesotaVikings Randy Moss Jersey . Team
Canada, which had started the day alone in second place at 5 under, was looking
good through 16 holes but struggled on the 17th hole to drop to sixth place.
MikeLupati Jersey . The Twins have been in a
rut ever since clinching the AL Central title with a 6-4 victory over Cleveland
on September 21. The club has lost six of its past seven games and has received
some awful pitching during that stretch, having surrendered 10 runs or more in
five of those six defeats. HOUSTON -- Colin Clark scored his second goal of the
season late in the second half and the Houston Dynamo rallied to tie FC Dallas
2-2 on Saturday night. Afforded space in the Dallas box, Clark met a through
ball by midfielder Brad Davis and fired from eight yards past goalkeeper Kevin
Hartman for the equalizer in the 87th minute. It was the second assist of the
match for Davis, who leads MLS in the category with eight. The Dynamo (3-4-6)
managed to avoid a second consecutive loss despite playing the final 18 minutes
down a man after defender Kofi Sarkodie was ejected for picking up his second
yellow card of the match. Dallas (6-3-4) extended its unnbeaten streak to eight
games.
VikingsDonovan McNabb Jersey. The Dynamo,
meanwhile, went winless in May for the first time in team history. Dallas
defender Ugo Ihemelu got by the Houston defence and headed in Marvin Chavezs
corner kick in the 70th minute to make it 2-1. Andrew Jacobson opened the
scoring for FC Dallas 27 minutes into the match with a 15-yard header off a
loose ball that resulted from teammate Fabian Castillos long-range shot bouncing
off the crossbar. Houston forward Cam Weaver tied it in the 43rd minute, beating
Hartman with a well-placed 15-yard shot off a crisp pass from the left by Davis.
It was Jacobsons first goal of the season. ' ' '
