It was deep into the NFL Honors present final month, an annual Tremendous Bowl week extravaganza, and host Keegan-Michael Key was sitting within the crowd raving in regards to the vitality and leisure worth of the evening.
“This,” Key mentioned, “is a lot enjoyable. A present like this, you simply need it to go on and on and on and on and on. Am I proper?”
Then the digital camera zoomed out. To Key’s proper was a smirking Josh Allen.
“Or,” the Buffalo Payments quarterback mentioned, “you simply finish it in a method that is sensible, is honest and provides everybody an equal alternative to win.”
Touché.
Credit score Allen for having a humorousness, for taking a straightforward comedic poke at one of many extra heartbreaking sequences of his soccer profession. Maybe, had the NFL’s time beyond regulation guidelines been completely different, Allen wouldn't have been within the crowd that evening, as a substitute getting ready to guide the Payments to the Tremendous Bowl for the primary time in 29 seasons.
Alas, within the defining second of the Payments season, Allen was left in the same capability as he was 11 days later at that Honors present. Only a spectator.
The Payments protection couldn’t cease the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs on the primary possession of time beyond regulation within the AFC divisional spherical. Buffalo misplaced 42-36. Their star quarterback, who was electrical in throwing for 329 yards and 4 touchdowns, didn’t contact the ball in time beyond regulation.
The sport-ending play was an 8-yard sudden loss of life landing move from Patrick Mahomes to Travis Kelce. However for all intents and functions, the Chiefs’ game-winning second might have come when Allen known as “tails” on the time beyond regulation coin flip. Referee John Hussey’s coin landed with the heads aspect up, and the Chiefs had their opening to maintain Allen and the Payments’ red-hot offense off the sector.
Eight performs, 75 yards, landing. Sport over.
If ever an adrenalizing game-winning sequence in a basic playoff recreation additionally certified as a buzzkill, that was it.
Within the two months since, the NFL’s present time beyond regulation rule has been hotly debated, prompting critical discussions about potential modifications at this week’s league conferences at The Breakers in Palm Seaside, Fla. These conversations intensified behind closed doorways Monday and determine to hold into Tuesday earlier than a possible vote is taken. A door might open for a change that will assure each groups no less than one possession in time beyond regulation.
The Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia Eagles submitted a guidelines proposal to present each groups an opportunity to own the soccer in time beyond regulation no matter what occurs on the opening drive. In different phrases, there would now not be a sudden-death landing alternative on the primary sequence.
The Tennessee Titans, in the meantime, submitted a barely tweaked pitch that has the identical intent — until the crew that has the ball first in time beyond regulation scores a landing and likewise converts their two-point try. Below that proposal, a recreation might nonetheless finish in a sudden-death vogue on the primary possession.
For both proposal to move, no less than 24 groups must vote in favor of change. Historically, that has been a excessive bar to clear for a lot of guidelines proposals of their first 12 months.
“There’s lots of momentum to have a change,” mentioned Atlanta Falcons president Wealthy McKay, who can also be the chairman of the NFL’s competitors committee. “However let’s see what occurs.”
One common suggestion has been to stay with the established order for the common season however apply the proposed time beyond regulation guidelines modifications to the playoffs. That's drawing critical consideration on the conferences.
McKay has made it identified that he’s, on the very least, in favor of this week’s spirited dialog, emphasizing 10 of the final 12 time beyond regulation playoff video games have been received by the crew that wins the coin flip, with seven of these contests selected the primary possession.
Mentioned McKay: “I do suppose the statistics completely warrant an examination of whether or not our time beyond regulation guidelines have to be additional modified.”
New Chicago Bears normal supervisor Ryan Poles thinks he has a very good learn on why these numbers are so skewed.
“It’s due to the quarterbacks,” he mentioned. “Whenever you get to that time within the playoffs, lots of these quarterbacks are on a excessive degree and totally able to simply happening and successful you a recreation.”
Poles has been on each side of the coin, so to talk. Two months in the past, because the Chiefs govt director of participant personnel, Poles was inside Arrowhead Stadium when the Chiefs rallied to tie the sport with a 13-second subject objective drive on the finish of regulation earlier than successful in time beyond regulation.
In that second, with the Kansas Metropolis crowd going bonkers, Poles was sure the present time beyond regulation format was honest and simply.
“That labored out,” he mentioned with a smile Monday. “Good by me.”
However three years earlier, Poles was singing a far completely different tune when the Chiefs misplaced a 37-31 time beyond regulation heartbreaker within the AFC Championship. In that loss, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots received the coin flip and likewise marched 75 yards for the game-winning landing.
Mahomes, that season’s MVP, by no means obtained his likelihood to reply.
“You’re mad,” Poles mentioned. “It hurts. You are feeling such as you obtained cheated.”
Poles grinned, understanding the conundrum.
“Clearly,” he mentioned, “my ideas on this have modified over time. And I reserve the best to alter them once more.”
For no matter it’s price, that Patriots victory within the AFC title recreation in January 2019 got here two years after they beat the Falcons 34-28 in time beyond regulation of Tremendous Bowl LI. As soon as once more, the Patriots received the coin flip and Brady guided them to a landing. As soon as once more, that season’s MVP, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, by no means touched the ball in time beyond regulation.
The thrill circulating by the league conferences Monday was that an time beyond regulation guidelines change should be a little bit of a protracted shot, partially as a result of the options have been many and diversified. Some surprise with official motive whether or not a transfer to grant every crew a possession in time beyond regulation would spark comparable arguments later if groups that win the coin toss finally rating — and win — on their second OT possession with out the opponent getting an opportunity to reply. What then?
“Are we all the time ensuring that each groups get the identical alternative?” Poles mentioned. “These are the sorts of discussions which can be being had. It will likely be attention-grabbing to see how this performs out.”
In some pockets, a set of coaches and league executives favor leaving issues alone. Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, for example, is content material with the established order. Tomlin, who's on the league’s competitors committee, labels himself “a traditionalist” and “a sudden loss of life advocate.”
Go away issues be, he says.
“I don’t worry sudden loss of life,” Tomlin mentioned. “And I by no means have. … I simply suppose (over) 60 minutes (of regulation) everyone has had a good alternative to win the sport. Whenever you’re speaking about modifications because it pertains to aggressive equity, I communicate to the primary 60 minutes that all of us had. So win the sport.”
Nonetheless, Tomlin understands the opposite aspect of this argument too.
“I actually sense there’s a need to do one thing,” he mentioned. “Whether or not or not we are able to land the airplane stays to be seen.”
Within the case of January’s highly-scrutinized Chiefs-Payments end, many have pressured that each one the Payments wanted to do in time beyond regulation to place the ball again in Allen’s arms was make a defensive cease. They failed to take action and due to this fact reaped what they sowed.
In spite of everything, every week later within the AFC Championship in opposition to the Cincinnati Bengals, the Chiefs once more went to time beyond regulation and once more received the coin toss. However the Bengals intercepted Mahomes on the opening drive and turned that takeaway right into a game-winning subject objective drive — and a Tremendous Bowl journey.
That has solely added gas to the argument of traditionalists, who favor holding issues simply as they're.
The pushback to that mind-set, nonetheless, is primary, arguing that within the AFC divisional spherical, the Chiefs’ shaky protection — which allowed a pair of go-ahead 75-yard landing drives on the Payments’ closing two sequence — by no means needed to move the identical take a look at the Payments’ protection failed. They usually didn’t need to move that take a look at largely as a result of the Chiefs received the coin toss.
By extension, Allen, one of many league’s most fun quarterbacks, didn’t get a possibility to proceed his scorching streak, didn’t get to increase a really entertaining playoff present and was finally left delivering a sardonic jibe from the seats of the NFL Honors present.
Possibly sooner or later, maybe as quickly as subsequent postseason, such controversial moments will probably be within the rearview mirror. Possibly the league will transfer Tuesday to enact change and to offer groups equal alternative to attain on their first drive of time beyond regulation.
Then once more, perhaps not.
With as many instances as Poles has gone forwards and backwards, he sees himself nonetheless favoring the present system. However he acknowledged Monday he’s near 50-50 on the matter and wouldn’t object to no matter is set.
“I'm going again to how this dialog is impacted by quarterback play,” Poles mentioned. “That’s why I perceive why there could be a lean towards each groups having possessions. Finally, I feel that’s what everybody desires to see. From a fan’s vantage level, from an leisure standpoint, that’s what folks need. It’s like, ‘Hey, I need my man to have the ball.’”
()