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In a ruling that will change the way NFL games are played, the league has approved a new, modified sudden death proposal. The proposal, which will take effect for 2010 season, stipulates that Vikings quarterback Brett Favre should get the ball at least once in overtime.

The ruling eliminates the nightmare scenario of an overtime game ending without the beloved QB having a chance to score.

“It’s something that we’ve been discussing for a long time,” said Competition Committee co-chair Rich McCay. “Far too many overtime games have been decided without Brett Favre ever getting the ball, and that’s unacceptable. People pay to see Favre play football, not sit on the sidelines while some nobody is kicking a 42-yard-field goal to ‘win’ the game, or while quarterbacks from other teams are playing.”

McCay said that last season’s Vikings-Saints playoff game, in which the Saints won in overtime after winning the coin flip, factored heavily into the decision.

“That game was a disaster. No game should end like that,” said McCay, "with Brett Favre standing there on the sidelines, useless, while the Saints are marching down the field to glory! Hello? What’s wrong with that picture? That should have been Brett in there. We all know that. The Saints know that. With this new rule, the big guy will at least get a chance with the ball, which is all he usually needs.”

Under the new format, if a team other than Brett Favre’s team wins the overtime coin flip, they can proceed down the field in the normal manner and attempt to score. If they do, Favre’s team will be given the ball one more time.

In games in which Favre is not playing, conventional overtime rules will apply. Or, if the schedule permits, team officials may dispatch a private jet to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, to speak to Favre in hopes of convincing him to play for them in overtime.

“The new overtime format won't affect every game, every year,” said Titans coach Jeff Fisher. “But it does affect the most important ones: the ones Brett Favre plays in. Seeing him with the ball in OT is one of the biggest thrills in sports. And frankly, if my team is playing Brett’s team and we go into overtime and he doesn’t even get a chance to work his magic, I don’t evenwantto win that game.”

Surprisingly, every team in the league voted in favor of the measure, with several owners insisting that giving Favre an extra chance in OT was no big deal.

“Outstanding. Give him the ball,” said one owner, who asked not to be identified. “You know Brett: he’ll run out of the pocket, see a receiver triple-covered, think ‘I’m Brett Favre,’ and then hurl it across his body into coverage. If anyone should be against this rule, it should be Brett. It’s just going to make him look bad.”

Tim Tebow's new throwing motion was unveiled to NFL scouts at Florida's pro day. SportsPickle reviews the new product.

Analysis:

While the revamped motion got generally positive reviews, it also had several bugs, including a tendency to freeze up when the quarterback rolls to his left.

Tebow repeatedly froze when trying to throw while rolling to his left and needed to be restarted each time. But that was not the only issue. A few of his shorter passes went right through the intended receiver as though the player wasn't even there. And one long pass flew off the field and then kept cycling back over the length of the field several times before a new drill was started.

The quarterback and his coaches have five weeks to work through the existing problems until Tebow is showcased at the NFL Draft. It is far from a finished product.

Other reviews:

"It's much better than the earlier version. It's has greater compatibility to the NFL system and it's a lot quicker and smoother. But there are still some things they need to work out before Tebow is put on the market." — NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock

"Tim Tebow is not on the level of a Sam Bradford, but many people are loyal to the Tebow brand and I am sure that these changes won't hurt his popularity." — NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper

"I used the original Tebow for four years. That one was good, and I think the new one I've seen is ever better. Tebow was always very easy to troubleshoot, so I'm sure users will be pleased with their purchase." — Urban Meyer

"There is absolutely nothing that can stop me from drafting this product." – Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Gene Smith

Final review:

Tebow has always run powerfully. The concern was that Tebow's throwing ability was not ideal for heavy use by football professionals. This upgrade has allayed many of those fears. Tebow should be among the top quarterback picks at this April's NFL new product show and will remain a much talked about item for at least the next several years.

One day after signing LaDainian Tomlinson to a two-year, $5 million contract, the Jets received some bad news from their new running back: Tomlinson, exhausted from jet lag after flying back and forth to and from San Diego, will skip the first two months of the season in order to “stay fresh.”

“This is just a minor setback for me,” Tomlinson told radio host Mike Francesca. “I’m feeling very tired from flying between San Diego and New York and obviously I’m going to be doing a lot more of those trips leading up to the season, so I really need to….oh, God, I’m tired … excuse me. Wow. I don't want to yawn. Where was I? Oh, so I really need to sit out for the first two months of the season. Could I play? I suppose it’s possible. But I don’t want to go out there and put myself at risk if I’m only 98 or 99 percent. I need to be 100 percent.”

Tomlinson, who has long battled the perception that he is fragile, said this latest physical sebtback has nothing to do with toughness.

“I am tough. That's not a question,” he said. “It’s not even really an injury. I’m just a little zonked that’s all. Tired. Groggy. And if I play that way, it couldleadto an injury. So instead of being ‘fragile’ and missing time due to injury, I am working to prevent injuries from happening. What are people not understanding here? It's quite simple.”

Jets players are privately voicing their frustration with the Tomlinson signing, especially since locker room-favorite Thomas Jones was cut to make room for him. Jones was seen as a warrior who would play through injuries, while Tomlinson is seen as a big fairy.

“Thomas Jones would never sit out because of jet lag. Thomas Jones wouldn’t sit out for a dislocated shoulder,” said one player. “And now his replacement is holding himself out of the first two months of the season? This isn’t how you win a ring. Well, since I’ve been a Jet my whole career I guess I really have no idea how to win a ring, but I’m assuming this isn’t how you do it.”

Tomlinson is slated to return in early November, leaving the Jets without their main free agent pickup for half the season. Head coach Rex Ryan, however, says the team is not concerned about the injury and was not surprised to hear about it.

“LaDainian Tomlinson has some ailment. This is not news,” Ryan said today. “We all know when we signed him that he would miss some time. That’s LaDainian. He’s not exactly Jim Brown, but when he is in the game he’s a force to be reckoned with, especially if he’s running behind a good offensive line and it’s five years ago.”

According Fox Sports NFL Insider JayGlazer, there is now a “75-80 percent chance” that his wife is currently having relations behind closed doors with multiple partners other than himself.

“I texted her Wednesday and she turned down the rumors emphatically, but after speaking with several of my sources, including my buddy Rob, who’s wife Janice went out with her last weekend, something’s definitely going on,”Glazerwrote on FoxSports.com.

Representatives fromGlazer’s wife’s camp, including her best friend Julie, shot down the reports as nothing more than baseless rumor.

“She’s very happy with Jay, and she plans on being with him for a very long time," said Julie. "He shouldn't believe everything he reads on the Internet, or in her text message history or in her mail. She wants to be a Glazer for life."

Julie refused to comment on reports that Mrs. Glazer has been working awfully late the past few months, often with a very flimsy explanation. The NFL expert continues to work the phones and is chasing down reports of a tampering charge.

"She's been talking on Facebook with her old high school boyfriend," said Glazer. "That's not allowed. And she told me years ago that he still wanted to be with her."

If the matter isn’t resolved soon,Glazersays he plans on releasing his wife sometime before the NFL draft so he can focus on bringing in a young prospect.

Tim Tebow only got a 22 on his Wonderlic exam, the intelligence test NFL teams administer to prospects at the NFL combine.

He scored 22 out of 50 — a lower score than those of Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy and Jimmy Clausen. It's also two points below the 24 average for quarterbacks.

Tim Tebow … below average? All hope is lost.

There has to be some sort of explanation for this. And there is. SportsPickle was able to obtain a copy of Page 1 of Tebow's Wonderlic exam, and it's obvious the questions were biased against him.

The sexual assault allegations against Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger continue to pile up. The latest accusation, reported today, is from a man who works closely with the star: Steelers backup quarterback Dennis Dixon.

According to Pittsburgh police, Dixon claims Roethlisberger assaulted him late one night at the Steelers training facility while the pair were watching film behind closed doors. But Roethlisberger's attorney, Ed Garland, claims no assault occurred.

"Ben is completely innocent of any crime," said Garland. "We question Dennis Dixon's motives."

Dixon, who started one game for the Steelers last year when Roethlisberger was injured, says he has no motive other than wanting to see justice done. But the fact that he waited months to report the alleged incident, and that he would stand to get the starting job if Roethlisberger was imprisoned or suspended, cast some doubt on his story.

Pittsburgh police have spoken to a possible witness of the alleged attack, Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch, but the third-stringer was not helpful.

"I didn't see anything," he said. "I slept through that film session. I wasn't going to play, so I had no reason to stay awake. Plus, it was Browns tape, I think. Extra boring. I hope Ben didn't touch me while I was sleeping."

As the case is expected to devolve into he-said, she said — only with two he's — Ed Garland has stressed that his client has no sexual attraction to men, "which make Dixon's claims preposterous." However, Dixon's attorneys have turned over tapes to police that show numerous instances of Roethlisberger slapping teammates on the butt.

"There is a track record with Ben," said Dixon. "That is undeniable now. I hear Byron Leftwich left the Steelers because Ben used to comment all the time on how big his breasts are."

Fresh off her Oscar win for her role in "The Blind Side", Sandra Bullock has signed on to play the role of a star professional quarterback in the upcoming movie "4th and Life". Bullock will play a character named Kirk McIntyre, and the film's producers hope it could bring the actress another Academy Award.

"Sandy is hot after her Oscar win," said the film's producer, Harvey Weinstein. "And she is now a known commodity in sports movies. As much depth as she brought to the role of Leigh Ann Tuohy in 'Blind Side', I honestly feel the role of Kirk McIntyre — a young, rich, black quarterback — has even more opportunities for her to show her talent."

Bullock has confirmed her role in the film, which began shooting last month. But the majority of the filming remains as the actress works with her personal trainers to bulk up to 210 pounds for the role from her normal weight of 118.

"It's been a challenge, but this is the role I have chosen and the craft I love," said Bullock. "You always have to keep challenging yourself to expand your art. I have never played a quarterback, just as before 'Speed 2' I had never captained a ship."

Bullock has also been working for several weeks with a football coach to learn how to throw like an NFL quarterback.

"She is making progress," said Ken Anderson, former NFL quarterback and coach. "Right now her motion looks a lot like the way Philip Rivers throws. Obviously, I'd like to improve that by the time we shoot the football scenes so the audience doesn't think she throws like a girl."

"4th and Life" will tell the tale of Bullock's McIntyre as he struggles with the sudden onset of stardom, wealth and fatherhood. Miley Cyrus will co-star as linebacker Tyson Diggs, with Taylor Lautner as head coach Cap Davis.