(02-02-2022, 09:54 PM)Sneakers Wrote:

(02-02-2022, 05:08 PM)Mikey Wrote: I hate when my son does this, but teams could fumble a kickoff or onside kicks could sway the possesions beyond a 1-possession advantage

Holy moly, could you imagine kicking a FG in OT on the opening possession, and then successfully recovering an onside kick to ice the game?

The drawback to virtually every skill-based event though is either the time to complete, the risk of injury, or the fact that it becomes "football-adjacent".
Sadly, I don't know that there's a realistic, plausible way to get away from the coin toss. If there was, I'd certainly be intrigued to see if the league would consider that direction.

We don't need to get away from the coin toss, we just need to eliminate or at least minimalize the advantage inherent in winning it.   

Under the present system, there's a significant advantage to the team receiving the ball first.  Matching possessions in overtime is a simple solution.

That extends the game. NFLPA *might* agree to matching possessions in playoff OT if you get rid of OT in the regular season.  That would be a win for them, less contact overall.
Also, you could do more to ensure it would only be one more possession after the first score.  If the first score is an FG, say the second team is not allowed to go for FGs.  If the first score is a TD, say the first team is not allowed to go for 2.  If the first team makes their extra point, the second team would be required to go for 2.  In the unlikely event that both teams score touchdowns and miss their extra points, you could continue play as before or do 2 point attempts until one team makes it and the other doesn't.

---