system SUCKS! I like the college OT rules much better.
Sudden death has always been the rule in the NFL in OT. If you lose the coin toss, it is up to the D to stop the other team. This element makes OT what it is...first team to score, wins.
Two things have necessitated changing the NFL OT rules. One is that they moved the kickoff back 5 yards. So instead of kicking off from the 35 yard line (and having a good chance to kick it into the endzone or to the goal line), teams now kickoff from the 30 yard line. The NFL wanted to have the return game be a bigger part of the equation. Well, now teams are starting with much better field position.
Second, is that field goal kickers today are much more accurate from greater distances (pysical training, coaching, equipment, etc.)In the 70's and 80's, a 40 yard field goal was considered a good kick. Now, it’s a chip shot. Kickers have the leg and accuracy to kick 50 plus yarders.
So breaking it all down, when they first started the OT rules, teams were prob. starting around the 20 yard line and to get in good FG range had to move the ball to the opponent’s 25 yard line. That's 55 yards of offense. Today, teams are starting around the 35 yard line and have to move the ball only to the opponent’s 35 yard line to have a FG attempt. That's only 30 yards of offense. One 20 yard pass and an 8 yard run and you are pretty much in FG range. It's far too easy for the offense to move down the field.
While I like the sudden death aspect of OT, I think based on the way the game is today, the rule needs to be changed. Perhaps if they moved the kickoff back 5-10 yards in OT it would help.