Captains!

[wisref2]

Originally Posted by Ed Maeder

There is also a fourth choice in the first half which is quite popular. You can choose to defer your choice of the first three choices to the second half.

In this case, we were talking about NFL rules. There is no option to defer in the NFL.

[JugglingReferee]

Last year I had a good one:

Kids football - 11 year olds I think. One captain was rather pudgy and when I asked if there were any questions (it was the beginning of the season) this kid asked, "can I go get a hot dog?" (The home team had a BBQ going for the day.)

[dvasques]

Never seen, in the NFL, a team a team win the toss, elects to kick and then, the oponent, on second half, elects to receive the kick again. And there were some examples of that on last season's gamebooks on NFL website

[With_Two_Flakes]

It's 1986, the very early days of football in the UK - all adult recreational teams. A few weeks before the season starts, I'm white hat on a pre-season game between Chelmsford Cherokee and Grays Saxons. Grays is a small town most folks have never heard of on the River Thames estuary.

Despite it being a pre-season game, Cherokee expect (and get) a reasonable crowd and have programs printed. Sadly the printer makes a mistake and they read - Chelmsford Cherokee versus Gary's Saxons.

As I escort the home team Captains to the coin toss, a Cherokee captain (from a nearby US Air force base) says:
" Hi Ref, I'm Vic, I'm the speaking captain, which one of them is Gary?"

[The Roamin' Umpire]

Originally Posted by dvasques

Never seen, in the NFL, a team a team win the toss, elects to kick and then, the oponent, on second half, elects to receive the kick again. And there were some examples of that on last season's gamebooks on NFL website

This is straight from NFL.com:

1. The toss of coin will take place within three minutes of kickoff in center of field. The toss will be called by the visiting captain before the coin is flipped. The winner may choose one of two privileges and the loser gets the other:
   (a) Receive or kick
   (b) Goal his team will defend
2. Immediately prior to the start of the second half, the captains of both teams must inform the officials of their respective choices. The loser of the original coin toss gets first choice.

[dvasques]

Originally Posted by The Roamin' Umpire

This is straight from NFL.com:

I got it, Roaming, my issue is that I've never seen it happen and seems to me like this could be an unwritten rule... some kind of fair play stuff

[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by dvasques

I got it, Roaming, my issue is that I've never seen it happen and seems to me like this could be an unwritten rule... some kind of fair play stuff

No ... you've never seen it because in the NFL, if you win the toss, you elect to receive. period. I think I read somewhere that twice, in the entire history of the coinflip being noted in game reports, has the team chosen something else.

So it's not a "fair play" thing. If some idiot captain (soon to be ex-captain) chose a side or to kick, the other team would CERTAINLY choose to receive the 2nd half.

(Note - in NCAA or lower, you'll find coaches defer, or choose intentionally to take a side instead of the ball, especially in odd weather ... but never in the NFL).

[The Roamin' Umpire]

Originally Posted by mbcrowder

No ... you've never seen it because in the NFL, if you win the toss, you elect to receive. period. I think I read somewhere that twice, in the entire history of the coinflip being noted in game reports, has the team chosen something else.

So it's not a "fair play" thing. If some idiot captain (soon to be ex-captain) chose a side or to kick, the other team would CERTAINLY choose to receive the 2nd half.

(Note - in NCAA or lower, you'll find coaches defer, or choose intentionally to take a side instead of the ball, especially in odd weather ... but never in the NFL).

Which is weird - I have a vague recollection of teams being able to elect to kickoff in the first half and still receive in the second half. Anyone know if the NFL rule has changed in the last... 20 years or so?