Steelers owner Art Rooney II covered a lot of ground on a Friday conference call with reporters. Like many old-guard owners, he seems to be reluctant to embrace change on issues of potential tweaks to the rules. In one very important area, however, Rooney seems to be on board.
Mark Kaboly of TheAthletic.com interpreted Rooney’s remarks on the proposed rule change from the Chiefs regarding overtime as a “hint” that he supports it.
The Chiefs want both teams to be guaranteed a possession in overtime, even if the team that possesses the ball first scores a touchdown. The current rule has allowed the Patriots to win a Super Bowl two years ago and to gain a berth in the Super Bowl two months ago by winning the toss at the outset of overtime, taking the ball, and scoring a walk-off six-pointer.
The issue presents a clash of those who argue for fairness and the play defense! crowd. During Friday’s PFTOT, a compromise was proposed. I’ll post something on it later in the day, possibly while moving through the airspace between West Virginia and Arizona, where the NFL annual meetings will soon be underway.