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Why is a playoff game subject to a different set of rules than a regular season game. From ESPN-
The NFL owners voted to change an element in the overtime rule, giving the team that loses the coin toss at the start of overtime to get a possession if the coin-toss winning team scores a field goal with the first possession.
The proposal passed 28-4. As it is written, the rules change applies just for the postseason, but the owners also decided to discuss adopting the changes for the regular season at their next meeting, in May in Dallas.
The Buffalo Bills, Minnesota Vikings, Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals voted against the proposal.
The competition committee recommended the change in a vote of 6-2, and commissioner Roger Goodell supported the plan. He was able to secure enough votes to get the proposal passed on Tuesday, a day before the expected Wednesday vote.
The reason for the change was the increased accuracy of kickers since 1993. In 1994, the NFL moved kickoffs from the 35 to the 30, which created better field position for the teams that won the coin toss and received the kickoffs.
Statistics examined by the committee showed that since 1994, teams winning the coin toss win the game 59.8 percent of the time. The team that loses the toss wins the game 38.5 percent in that 15-year span.
“We’ve had this discussion for a number of years,” competition committee co-chairman Rich McKay said. “We feel this year’s proposal gave us the opportunity to [install] a pretty good rule. Statistically we felt it needed to be changed. It wasn’t creating the fairest result as far as field goal accuracy, field goal distance and drive starts.”
Under the new rules, both teams will get one possession whoever leads at the end of it is the winner. If both are tied, then whoever scores first wins. Then doesn’t that defeat the new rule, I mean the team that won the toss gets the first 2nd crack at scoring!
The NFL has used the same rule for over 50 years to decide playoff games. No matter how you finesse matters, the stats are never going to come out 50-50. If teams don’t like it being decided by a coin toss, go for two points instead of playing it safe late in the game when the team kicks the tying extra point.
He isn’t the first Miami Dolphin to get in off the field trouble this off season. From the Miami Herald-
Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown was arrested late Friday night for suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol during an offseason trip to his hometown outside of Atlanta this weekend, two sources told The Miami Herald.
Brown, who has no previous arrest record, was arrested after an officer pulled him over for making a lane change without signaling, sources said.
He was released from jail early Saturday morning.
The Dolphins are aware of the situation, and they are continuing to monitor the legal process.
Brown is coming off a foot injury suffered late last season. He is also a restricted free agent but expected to stay with Miami.
Is the author of this article, Jeff Darlington, doubling as Brown’s Public Relations person? Read the following and make your own decision.
They are not believed to be overly upset with Brown because of his impeccable past as a player and a citizen.
*****
Brown is distraught over the arrest, and he has hired an attorney to help defend him in the case, the sources said. He did not perform well during the field-sobriety test, which contributed to the officer’s decision to arrest Brown, sources said. It remains possible the charges soon could be reduced to a traffic violation in the coming days.
Impeccable past as a player and a citizen. I thought this was a news article, not a press release by friends of Ronnie Brown. Jeff you are the leading candidate for this year’s kiss up award among the South Florida news media.
The former Miami Dolphin will be re-united with several coaches he was familiar with during his Pittsburgh Steeler days. From the Arizona Republic-
The Cardinals were successful in sacking opposing quarterbacks last season, but it often took creative schemes to get them there.
They are hoping the path in 2010 is more direct after agreeing to terms Friday with Joey Porter, one of the NFL’s better pass rushers over the past decade. Financial terms of the three-year deal were not available.
“There is no question we were able to generate sacks last year but we were doing it with blitzing,” coach Ken Whisenhunt said. “This gives us a guy who can win one-on-one matchups and allows us to rush with four (players). That’s a component we were missing to a degree.”
There were reasons, however, that Porter was available. He has played 11 seasons and turns 33 on Monday. He became a part-time player last season with the Dolphins and didn’t hide his displeasure over that development.
Essentially Arizona and Miami have exchanged inside linebackers. Porter signed with the Cardinals, Karlos Dansby signing with Miami. My opinion still stands- As I see it, Dansby replacing Porter is a big improvement. Dansby is as good or better, younger, and without JP’s baggage.
From the Miami Herald-
The Dolphins made their second roster addition Wednesday since the start of free agency began March 5, continuing the methodical approach that has defined much of the last two weeks since they signed high-profile linebacker Karlos Dansby.
Guard Richie Incognito, who arrived for his visit in South Florida on Monday, agreed to a one-year deal worth just over $1 million. It is considered a bargain rate for a player with a controversial past that led to his departure from St. Louis last year.
“I had a great visit,” Incognito said shortly before his agent reached the deal with his new team. “I had a great feel for it.”
Now, it’s up to Incognito to prove he still belongs in the NFL while also attempting to prove worthy of a starting job with the Dolphins. Before he can earn any type of long-term deal, he will need to show accountability.
Miami, which has been looking to improve the level of competition at guard, was one of only a few teams to take a risk on Incognito’s volatile on-field personality.
Incognito is a talented jackass football player. He is also a NFL Head Coach’s Excederin #1 headache. He is going to be Tony Sparano’s new Joey Porter.
This won’t be of help as the Free agent looks to sign with another team. From ESPN-
Free agent Jason Ferguson, a veteran nose tackle most recently with the Miami Dolphins, has been suspended for the first eight games of next season for violating NFL policy on performance-enhancing substances.
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello confirmed on Sunday that the discipline was handed down late this week but could offer no further details. Ferguson was also suspended for violating NFL drug policy in 1999, sitting out four games after an anabolic steroid showed up during a urine test.
The player’s agent, Jimmy Sexton, did not return a call Sunday seeking comment.
Ferguson was sidelined with a season-ending quadriceps injury in November and underwent surgery a month later. The 35-year-old had been in on 23 tackles in nine games for the Dolphins last season.
So far as I know, Ferguson wasn’t in the Dolphins plans for 2010. I’m fairly certain that is guaranteed now in light of his suspension. Defensive Tackle or Nose Guard is another position Miami is in need of help at.
Tis the season for free agent signings in the NFL. From the Miami Herald-
When the Dolphins decided to fly linebacker Karlos Dansby into South Florida on the first day of free agency Friday, they had also already made another decision: They weren’t going to let him leave. Not without signing a contract.
Just don’t expect Dansby to call the police. This isn’t exactly a hostage situation.
By early Saturday, Dansby plans to ink a monster five-year deal worth $43 million that will pay him $22 million guaranteed. He will average a salary of $9 million per year over the first three years of the contract, sources said Friday night.
Dansby, who will be one of the league’s top three highest paid linebackers, becomes the new central figure of a Dolphins defense that underwent the next big step of an ongoing makeover Friday.
On the same day Dansby agreed to terms, deciding to forgo visits with other potential suitors to sign with Miami, the Dolphins also waived three defensive starters from 2009: Safety Gibril Wilson, inside linebacker Akin Ayodele and outside linebacker Joey Porter.
As I see it, Dansby replacing Porter is a big improvement. Dansby is as good or better, younger, and without JP’s baggage. Miami still needs more linebacking help at April’s NFL draft.
Now for Pennington-
Despite the opportunity to leave South Florida for a more likely shot at a starting job, quarterback Chad Pennington will instead stay with the Dolphins after reaching a one-year deal Friday that will pay him $2.5 million.
The deal would have been done sooner, but the sides needed to work toward a compromise, since Pennington wanted a no-trade clause in his contract that Miami wasn’t willing to allow.
Now, if he is traded, he will be paid an additional amount worth nearly $1.5 million, according to a source close to Pennington.
I like the Pennington signing but see him as a backup not a starter like he was in 2008. Miami’s future lay with Chad Henne at Quarterback.
Now what will Miami do with Pat White and Tyler Thigpen? I expect Miami to trade Thigpen or release even though I think White, who was a 2nd round 2009 draft pick, isn’t going to pan out in the NFL. White has yet to complete an NFL pass and he’s had chances. 3rd stringers aren’t much of a factor in the NFL and the Dolphins may be able to get a draft pick out of Thigpen.
No sudden death for sudden death? From AP-
An NFL spokesman said Saturday the league could change its overtime format for playoff games at a meeting next month.
Under the new format, both teams would get the ball at least once unless the first team to get the ball scores a touchdown, Greg Aiello said. If the first team to get the ball makes a field goal and the other team ties the game, action would continue until a team scores again.
Under the current rules, the first team to score wins.
“There have been various concepts that have been discussed in recent years, but this one has never been proposed,” Aiello said.
The competition committee will discuss the new concept with teams and players at league meetings March 21-24 in Orlando, Fla., when it could come to a vote. At least two thirds of the teams would need to agree to the changes for new rules to be adopted.
It is my prediction that the NFL does make some kind of change. Personally, I’m ambivalent on the issue. I believe the statistics show that the teams who lose the toss win slightly more often in regular season games. What the playoff record, I don’t know. Honestly, who says life or sports has to be fair?
He is the second Dolphin player to get arrested this season. From AP-
Miami Dolphins cornerback Will Allen has been arrested and charged with driving under the influence in Miami Beach.
Jail records show Allen was arrested Saturday and was being held at the Pretrial Detention Center in Miami on $1,000 bond.
A spokesman for the Dolphins declined comment, saying the team only recently learned about the incident.
Messages left with the Miami Beach Police Department were not immediately returned. The records did not indicate whether he has an attorney.
Allen is a nine-year NFL veteran. He missed the final 10 games last season because of a knee injury that required surgery.
To be more precise- Allen tore his ACL in a game against the New Orleans Saints. This legal problem won’t determine whether Allen still has a career with the Dolphins. What will decide his fate is if that knee is his can still sustain him as an NFL starter.
Porter, who is in Coach Sparano’s dog house at present, was being let go due to salary cap considerations. From the Miami Herald-
The Miami Dolphins did Friday what many figured they would do even before Joey Porter made a mini-campaign for it last week — they released the outside linebacker with two years left on his contract.
Then, Porter boomeranged back onto the Dolphins’ roster.
“The release of Joey Porter was determined to be an invalid termination,” the Dolphins said in a statement. “Therefore at this time, Porter reverts back to the Miami Dolphins roster.”
Releasing Porter now accelerates certain contract monies against the 2009 salary cap and the Dolphins don’t have enough room for that acceleration. They have to hold on to Porter until March 5. Which means, unless they trade him before then, Porter will get his $1 million roster bonus due March 1.
I get a good laugh out of this. Miami can’t even waive a player properly. How will they do NFL draft time? The team has had just two Pro Bowl 1st rounders in the last 15 years. Wide Receiver Chris Chambers and OT Jake Long.
In a affidavit he accuses his girlfriend of attacking him. From AP-
Officials say Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Tony McDaniel is out of jail after being arrested and accused of domestic violence.
McDaniel was released Sunday on $3,500 bond. Authorities say the 25-year-old South Carolina native returned from a night out with friends and then got into a fight with his girlfriend early Saturday at his home in Davie, which is near Miami.
McDaniel says in a police affidavit that his girlfriend attacked him.
McDaniel is in his fourth season. He played for Jacksonville for three seasons and came to Miami in 2009. He had 16 tackles and 1.5 sacks this season.
McDaniel is a marginal NFL player. Getting in trouble with law enforcement won’t help his career.
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