HEY, WILLIE! A brilliant(?) idea to revamp NFL's overtime procedure

HEY, WILLIE!

I wish the NFL overtime rule was “the winner is the first team with a lead after an even number of possessions.” A fumbled punt or kickoff would count as a possession.

I heard an economist suggest, at the start of overtime, the ball goes to the team willing to start its possession closest to its own goal line, and the first score wins. I like the sound of that!

The captains could come out and hand a piece of paper to the ref, who would read the numbers over the stadium P.A.

JB

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HEY, J!

If you take the time to play out that scenario in your head, trust me, you’ll like the yard-line suggestion more and more. If you have Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady at QB, you’d probably write down “our own 1-yard line” every time.

Every other coach, however, would have to game-plan this potential scenario and, no doubt, hire an “overtime assistant” to calculate risk-management as well as the trends of other coaches.

Frankly, I think it would be an interesting way to start the first and third quarters. If I was starting a new league, I’d look into this. Ahem, speaking of new leagues …

HEY, WILLIE!

I was watching an NFL game last week and saw a commercial for the USFL. The USFL! Am I in a time warp?

I must be, because on Monday night I heard The Rock telling the Manning brothers about a new XFL, too.

Have we all gone mad?

JIM

HEY, JIMBO!

At least the new incarnation of the USFL is trying something very different. The eight-team league, which begins this spring, will play all of its games in Birmingham.

That hasn’t stopped them from attaching cities to the franchises. And smartly, since folks love nostalgia, they’ve dusted off the 1980s team names — including the Tampa Bay Bandits, Houston Gamblers and Birmingham Stallions.

The second coming of the XFL is slated for next year. And yes, the public face of its new ownership group is Dwayne Johnson.

One thing about such endeavors, they’ll never run out of willing football players who still believe they’re NFL-worthy if only they could find one more chance to suit up.

Remember the short-lived Alliance of American Football? A season after its 2019 birth and death, 21 of its former players were on NFL rosters (Disclaimer: my research staff continues working based on the promise of incoming grant money — accept their numbers with caution).

HEY, WILLIE!

With the furor of the short and unhappy tenure of Urban Meyer and the inevitable comparisons to Steve Spurrier, John McKay and even Nick Saban having subsided somewhat, I'm reminded of the transition of John Ralston.

Ralston had a highly successful stint at Stanford before becoming head coach of the Denver Broncos from 1972-76. Despite a winning record there and a franchise-best 9-5 record, he resigned at the end of that ’76 season.

When asked why he resigned, he said it was “because of illness and fatigue.” Pressed further to explain, he said “ownership and management were sick and tired of me.”

DAN

HEY, DAN!

The Broncos averaged a 4-10 record over their first 12 seasons, from 1960-71. Ralston brought them their first winning season in 1973, did it again in ’74, and two years later went 9-5 but got fired.

Slight correction to his departing statement, however. It was the fans, he said, not management, who grew sick and tired of him. He was part of management, after all, also serving as Denver’s general manager.

As GM, he largely built the roster that went to the Super Bowl a year after his exit, under new coach Red Miller.

And there you go, more Broncos history than you will get anywhere else today.

HEY, WILLIE!

Haven’t you not noticed the kids today need their hands held and their emotions massaged?

CHRIS

HEY, CHRIS!

You’re referring to a recent column (Jan. 12 “Hey Willie!”) where we discussed “people skills” as a necessity for modern football coaches not named Belichick or Saban.

Brian Flores’ dismissal in Miami seems to have been fueled by personality conflicts. Hawaii coach Todd Graham resigned last week after a flood of complaints from players about his “verbal abuse.”

There’s a line to be toed here, and I’m not so sure it’s a fine line. Just a line. It’s likely for the best if we’re beyond the time when football coaches pretend they’re training Navy SEALs instead of athletes. Or simply check all collegiality at the door when they enter the team facility or practice field.

But then again, it does seem like we’re gradually approaching the hiring of grievance counselors to help handle losing locker rooms.

— Reach Ken Willis at ken.willis@news-jrnl.com

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Ditch the coin flip; here's a better way to start NFL overtimes