A Flawed System

I was one of the many millions of people to watch the NFC Championship game on Sunday. It was the highest rated game since 1982's "the catch" featuring San Francisco vs Dallas. We all know Brett Favre threw a pick in the final seconds which prevented the Vikings from a potential FG for the win. The Saints drove for the game winning FG in overtime. But I feel this system is flawed.

In baseball, basketball and hockey, each team will get at least one possession. Each team gets an equal shot at winning the game. Why is the NFL the only league that does not allow a team a chance to win. Their overtime format is a joke. Basically, the team that wins the coin toss has the ultimate advantage because they can drive downfield and score and shut the other team out by not allowing them a chance. The NFL needs to change the format of overtime to allow each team 1 possession in OT. Not from the 25 like in college, but a full field drive. If you get first ball and score, you have to stop the other team from scoring. Its more fair and it would make for a better game. But you know Roger Goodell won't change the rules. For the same reasons Bug Selig refuses to change around baseball. Because they believe their sports are fine and do not need to be fixed. Um, you guys are wrong. Is it fair the Vikings lose the NFC Championship without a fair chance to tie or win the game?

Some will say that the D should have stepped up. They did. The refs made two horrible calls in OT. First, Pierre Thomas' first down rush. The ball never crossed the first down marker, so how can you call it a first down? Secondly, the absolutely awful pass interference call on a clearly uncatchable ball. I think that is pretty self-explanitory. Now the Vikings could have avoided all this by not having 12 guys in the huddle on 3rd and 10 with 19 seconds left. It forced Favre to throw, and you just knew that something like that would happen. I would have run the ball in the hopes that even if you don't get in FG range, it runs the clock down and you try a hail mary pass. Worst case, OT. Best case, pass interference or a TD catch.

So I guess we are in for another summer of will he or won't he. I hope whatever he decides, he does it quickly and doesn't Mariotti it. Cause I can't take another summer of this. If he returns, the Vikings are the NFC favorites, if he retires, he is going out after one of the best years of his career.