Captains!

[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?

[dvasques]

the book says the looser has the option for the second half. Which means a team that elected to kick on first half could end up kicking again. But last season I saw one NFL Gamebook (at nfl.com) of a Redskins game in which the Reds won the Toss and elected to kick. On second half they were receiveing, though. That doesn't make much sens unless there's a fair play agreement between teams. If not, why would you not chose to receive the kick on both halves?

[wisref2]

I would guess that was a situation in which the weather was bad and teams elected to defend a goal (rather than kick) in both halfs to get the wind advantage.

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by dvasques

the book says the looser has the option for the second half. Which means a team that elected to kick on first half could end up kicking again. But last season I saw one NFL Gamebook (at nfl.com) of a Redskins game in which the Reds won the Toss and elected to kick. On second half they were receiveing, though. That doesn't make much sens unless there's a fair play agreement between teams. If not, why would you not chose to receive the kick on both halves?

When did that game take place? Way back, it was not considered so advantageous as now to have the other team kick off, and captains of opposing teams could differ on that judgement.

If it was more recent, maybe it wasn't an election by the Redskins to kick off in the 1st half, but what they wound up doing after winning the toss and choosing which end to defend in the 1st Q, and their opponents made the same kind of choice to start the 3rd Q.

Robert

[dvasques]

Now I can't be so sure but I think the GameBook tells you if the team who won the toss elected to kick, receive or defend a goal. And I'm pretty sure (not 100% though) that the situation I'm talking about had the winning team electing to kick. Then, receiving the kick on the second half.
And that was no further than two seasons back.
I'll keep checking this season to have a concrete exemple for you

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by The Roamin' Umpire

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?

No way! I know of no form of football wherein the winner of the toss ever got to directly decide which team kicks off in each half!