NFL Adopts Playoff Overtime Rules For Regular Season

There will be no more traditional sudden death overtime in the NFL.

The NFL meetings down in Florida this week are well underway and this is also the time when the competition committee meets to discuss any possible rule changes for 2012.

The OT rules that last year applied only to playoff games, now apply to the regular season as well. This means that when teams go to OT, each team will get a chance to have the ball unless they give up a TD.

Here is how it works from NFL.com:

"At the end of regulation time, the Referee will immediately toss a coin at the center of the field in accordance with rules pertaining to the usual pregame toss. The captain of the visiting team will call the toss prior to the coin being flipped.» Following a three-minute intermission after the end of the regulation game, play will be continued in 15-minute periods until a winner is declared. Each team must possess or have the opportunity to possess the ball unless the team that has the ball first scores a touchdown on its initial possession. Play continues in sudden death until a winner is determined, and the game automatically ends upon any score (by safety, field goal, or touchdown) or when a score is awarded by the Referee for a palpably unfair act. Each team has three time-outs per half and all general timing provisions apply as during a regular game. The try is not attempted if a touchdown is scored. Disqualified players are not allowed to return."

When the NFL initially changed the rules, I thought it was stupid to just use them in the playoffs. Each regular season game means so much that as far as I am concerned, they are nearly all playoff games.

Looks like I got my wish.

What do you think, Addicts? We haven’t really gotten to see much of how these new rules can play out. Do you think this will be a good or a bad thing?