New NFL overtime rule = more drama? I’m in. That’s right. In time for the 2010-2011 football season, NFL fans can look forward to even more controversy and edge-of-your-seat game watching when the new overtime rule takes effect.

Now I know y’all are still learning the game, (and so am I, as my brother and BF will kindly remind me), so I’ll give it to you in simple terms:

With the new rule, the team receiving the first kick-off in overtime will no longer win the game automatically when they kick a field goal on their first possession. If they kick a field goal, the other team will get one chance to receive a kick-off and to also kick a field goal (when this happens, the game goes to ‘sudden-death” where the next point wins), score a winning touchdown, or lose!

So, what does this all mean? Basically, more drama! Since about 1/3 of games are won by current NFL overtime standards, the new rule will extend approximately this many overtime games, leading to more options and possibly controversial decisions by coaches and more excitement (or angst) from the crowd.

But don’t take my word for it. For more details about the new rule, including who is for and against it, check out http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2010/03/23/nfl-owners-approve-ot-rule-change/.

And by the way, what do you think about the new rule?