Bob Costas Clarifies His Stance on the NFL’s Overtime Rules with Rich Eisen | Full Interview

Intro how lucky am I that we Zoom with Dion and now I've got Bob Costas back on the program a day after he was on how are you Bob good good to chat I'm good but I'm here to do a Maya culpa but I'm glad you played that thing yes sir from three years ago and other things that have happened since then because it establishes for those who aren't in the know kind of what our on-air relationship is and especially where it surrounds the NFL well once I was fully immersed and it was certainly my honor to host those super bowls and work with the people I worked with and be involved in all those great games but it's kind of our own inside joke that I'm not as up to speed on the NFL as they used to be so yesterday your producer texts me and says we need you to go on with Rich for a bit but I don't know what it is I have no idea what you're talking to me about and if you spring on me that you've underrated the Lions and put them too low and my power overall ratings at the beginning of the season so so in keeping with that I say We go stupid rule again what are Alex Karis and Nick pietrosani hurt right but apparently some people who aren't in on the joke just think I was dissing the Lions or whatever it might be then you referred to a text that I sent you on Monday night yes sir when when the uh the Jets went to overtime against the bills and that was before anything had happened before the bills went three and out and punted and the Jets returned the punt to the winning touchdown so I said here we go stupid rule again because you and I have been talking about that before yes sir but apparently you can't expect people to be up to date on everything to have read the whole syllabus you can't expect that so some people are thinking well doesn't he know that they changed the rule this year going into the playoffs in the in the playoffs if the team scores first this includes the Super Bowl if the team scores first on the first possession rather on a touchdown then the other team is guaranteed a possession so The new rule they've changed that but in the regular season it remains if the team scores a touchdown on the first possession the game is over correct so that remains that remains a stupid and unfair rule I was not saying I was not saying that the way that game ended it was unfair the way that game ended was fair because that's the way the circumstances played out yes the bills had the ball they couldn't move it they punted the Jets returned the punt for a touchdown if every game played out that way then each team would have had the ball once and they would have had an equal chance the problem with the rule in the abstract not in the way it happens to play out in any given game the problem with the rule in the abstract especially in the postseason was that it was so random that you had games like the Falcons and the Patriots in the Super Bowl several years ago where the Patriots won the flip they scored a touchdown the Falcons in the Super Bowl never touched the ball Matt Ryan the Yuri was the MVP never touched the ball and I first talked The Super Bowl about that on NBC the opener the Super Bowl champion being the Patriots in September of 17 following that Super Bowl they get to host the Super Bowl the game's on NBC and I did a commentary about how taking nothing away from the Patriots none of the blame away from the Falcons for blowing the game with bad strategy still that rule is unfair and until they change the rule going into the 23 season it very nearly could have happened again because the Bengals and Rams two Super Bowls ago came very close to going to overtime with that same rule in place so that's what we were kind of joking about that's why I sent you the text because it's an ongoing thing just like me someday visiting the combines that's tone of it but some people apparently um weren't aware that I that I was I've been all over this in fact the NFL has moved closer to doing what I've editorialized both on NBC and on HBO and on your program making the overtime The Future of Overtime rules make greater sense they're closer they're not fully there yet but they're closer so you're saying you're making overtime great again you're you're you're you're you're you're a logger you know what they should in in the postseason they should play a times period yes a regular season in the regular season it should be every team is guaranteed at least one possession correct even if the first possession results in a touchdown and after that if it's still tied still scoreless in overtime then you're playing in effect sudden death but in the postseason they should play probably a 10 minute timed period reason being that with the present overtime rules you're taking one of the Essential Elements both of strategy and of theater out of the NFL or out of football itself we which is the race against the clock clock management that plays no role in overtime under the present rules I'm okay with that in the regular season but not in the postseason where you should have drama and theater as well as strategic Affairs so there you go I'm Outro glad that we have cleared all that up and I think it's uh it's apparent that uh I I I made the mistake to even just reach out to you for my power rankings Bob you know like I I just needed that help from my power rankings and and I apologize that I roped you into all this sort of stuff I I will say this I as I happily concede I am not up to date on a number of these hold on a second and here's my clock management as the radio audience is about to go away and what we call on the business a heart out said the Entertainer coming up an hour three we now have another minute and a half of runway on Roku how's that clock management right there Bob how's that right there Cedric the Entertainer one of my homies from St Louis that's oh that's right I think he's here in the back right now he might actually be hearing that from you I like that tell them tell them I'll meet him at Blueberry Hill for a burger next time we're both in town fantastic amazing um thanks for the call Bob I appreciate it Bob Costas everybody that's the errors and omissions event uh of our program catch the Rich Eisen show every single day on the Roku Channel 12 to 3 Eastern for free