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No, the NFL should not change its overtime rule on football. Every sport has a unique set of overtime rules. In basketball it is five minutes, in golf it is an extra hole or two, in baseball it's extra innings. Yes, college and pro football have a different set of overtime rules, but that is what makes the game interesting. Teams in college each have a chance to score points and answer back respectively. However, in the NFL you might not get a chance to be on offense and score. This means the team with fortitude and determination will come out in top. Yes, there is some element of luck involved, but once again, this makes the NFL unique.

I have viewed many NFL and NCAA games and have found that college overtime can drag out and almost be more of a nuisance than enjoyable. The NFL, on the other hand, always has exciting overtime games, even if your team does not win the coin toss. The fact that you can tie only adds intrigue to overtime. You know that teams have fifteen minutes and that is it to score first. If no team scores within fifteen minutes, then you end in a tie.

I saw the game last year between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Cincinnati Bengals that ended in a tie. Quarterback Donovan McNabb of the Eagles said after the game that he did not know that a game could end in a tie. This is inexcusable, especially if you are a perennial pro bowler like McNabb is. This has been a part of the NFL for the past sixty years and I remember learning this as a six year old. Players on both teams must remember that they cannot take the sudden death lightly, and that they must score fast and first if they plan on winning.

Non -raditionalists think that both teams should somehow get a chance to score or that they should play the entire fifteen minute period to ensue that both teams have chances to score. However, we don't want to end up with four- or five-hour-long games and this is not Little League, where we have to ensure the fairness of everyone. There is bias in every sport and football is no different. If you lose the coin toss you probably have a lesser chance of winning the game, but a good team will rise to the occasion and play defense and give their offense a chance to win. No excuses in the NFL.

Sports do evolve over long periods of time, and as instant replay has changed the NFL, there is no doubt other changes will be made in the future. I do not believe the overtime is one of those things that should be changed. It is unique and always exciting to watch.

Learn more about this author, Jacob Langford.
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