Elam Ending in the NFL

[JameisBrownston]

Much like basketball, the end of a football game is very often the worst football played in the game. It's arguably even worse. No one goes to a game to watch teams run out the clock and, worst of all, kneel. So let's make every game end in a score; say, set the winning score at 10 points above what the leading team has at the end of the 3rd quarter. Why have I never heard anyone bring this up?!

[rhickok1109]

Because it's a ridiculous idea.

[ChrisBabcock]

What does all of this have to do with Jason Elam kicking a game winning field goal?

[RichardBak]

Because it's a ridiculous idea.

Well, he posted it at 2:48 in the morning, when all great ideas are born....

[Brian wolf]

It has always been a 60 minute game, no matter how many timeouts and stoppages of play the networks decide upon.

[shig]

Jason? Abram? What Elam is being named here and how do they relate to this?

[TanksAndSpartans]

It doesn't seem to be a reference to a football player, but rather to the person who came up with the idea of "racing" to a set score:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elam_Ending

[JameisBrownston]

It doesn't seem to be a reference to a football player, but rather to the person who came up with the idea of "racing" to a set score:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elam_Ending

It is exactly this. I figured this was common knowledge.

[JuggernautJ]

Or... they could do it like we did in our sandlot games/leagues...

First team to three scores (we didn't have field goals) won but you had to win by two scores.
Mismatches were over in 20 minutes but evenly matched games could go back and forth for hours!
Sometimes we'd play one or two games on any given day and sometimes we'd play over 7-8 (11 was our record but we played from 10 am till sunset and took on any comers).

Of course, there was a reason we were playing on the sandlot and not in a stadium...

[conace21]

Much like basketball, the end of a football game is very often the worst football played in the game. It's arguably even worse. No one goes to a game to watch teams run out the clock and, worst of all, kneel. So let's make every game end in a score; say, set the winning score at 10 points above what the leading team has at the end of the 3rd quarter. Why have I never heard anyone bring this up?!

Not sure if this is a serious question, but I'll address it.

-I don't think there's any support for saying that the worst football is played at the end of the game.

-It's a 60 minute game. Organized football, basketball, and hockey all are timed games. The time determines the end of the game, not the score.

-Such am idea would invariably lead to much worse football at the end of a game. It could go on indefinitely, players could be playing 5+ full quarters, and fatigue would certainly lead to a decline at the level of play.