Cry me a river...
 

Talking heads all in arms NOW at the potential for several wild cards with better records than division winners and having to travel.

Boo freaking hoo for them...

With controversy looming, NFL must reconsider playoff structure - NFL.com


I don't remember this outcry ( other than Saints fans ) when we were 4 games + a head-head tiebreaker over Seattle and had to go there.

Re: Cry me a river...
 

just another "Brett Favre, didn't make the playoffs because the Saints beat them with a field goal" rule.

Re: Cry me a river...
 

I like the current format. Let's not turn the NFL into a yawner like the NBA.

Re: Cry me a river...
 

I stopped reading at Brian Billick

Re: Cry me a river...
 

"For the record, this phenomenon has occurred in 15 wild-card games since 2002."

In other words, 15 games in ten years = this happens 37.5% of the time. Such a new controversy, LOL.

Re: Cry me a river...
 

I remember back 1985 the Broncos went 11-5 and missed the playoffs. Yeah, so some 9-7 teams went instead. So what? It happens.
Seahawks fell into the playoffs a few years back and beat US. We weren't up to the task and didn't win that day. That's the nature of competition.

We have this beautiful playoff system and they want to mess with that?
If they mess with the playoff structure anymore it's just going to mess up the game. We have a balanced structure. Surprised Goodell doesn't want to move to an NHL playoff where like 85% of the league gets in.... it's a great way to dilute the regular season games into nothingness.

Re: Cry me a river...
 

Not only that, but the Seahawks had a losing record that year. Something resembling a tackle and Lynch gets stopped short.

hahahhahaahaahaaaaaa, "Except for the the 15 teams we've already seen this happen to."

Re: Cry me a river...
 

Wah wah wah

Re: Cry me a river...
 

I'm 100% for a rule change. No, 15 out of 40 is not a 'phenomenon', just a fact that shows the system is flawed. (and it will happen in 3 of 4 this year)

My biggest consideration: One team already had the benefit of playing a softer schedule, and still couldn't get more wins than a WC team?

Look at SF vs Philly. Niners have a 2 game lead over the Eagles, and play in a division where the collective record is 37-19. The NFC East is 23-33

Re: Cry me a river...
 

Nothing to see here, move along, folks...

Nice share, however.

Alaska

Re: Cry me a river...
 

I heard Mr. Goodell is trying to make a 7th seed, that means only the first seed gets a bye. Can he care any less about the NFL? A 7th seed means the No. 2 seed has to play in the first round, meaning the only best team in their respective confrence gets to rest their players and be a step ahead. If this happens look for teams to make the superbowl 8 years straight because all Goodell cares about is money.

Re: Cry me a river...
 

Why would you be opposed to this?

It should change. Just because the structure has screwed us in the past doesn't mean it needs to stay that way. Divisions are useless the top 6 teams should get in. Get rid of the wild-card BS.

Re: Cry me a river...
 

money it is all about the money. keeping the quality of the game intact has nothing to do with it

Re: Cry me a river...
 

If you're going to get rid of divisions, get rid of conferences too. Best 4 teams - regardless of what division/conference get byes and the other 8 play wildcard round.

Seed ALL teams based on overall record.

Re: Cry me a river...
 

That would be ideal if the schedule could be balanced so that each team had the same level of challenge during the year. Pretty difficult to do with such a short season though.

Re: Cry me a river...
 

Each team does not have the same level of challenge through out the year now. That is impossible to forecast for scheduling did anyone think the Texans and the Falcons would be a flop this season? No they were predicted to be in the Super bowl by some.

Divisions are not in place for schedule balancing, they are in place to create and preserve rivalries because that is what generates interest and revenue.

Football is a sport, the NFL is a business.

Re: Cry me a river...
 

You might as well let all the teams in the play-offs and just call it a tournament.

You know the rules... win the Division and you're in.

With expansion of the playoffs the Division race and rivals will not mean anything.

Re: Cry me a river...
 

I would not be for disbanding divisions at all. Rivalry, tradition, etc.
Eventually the NFL will move to 8 teams per conf.
Have the div winner host the runner up, then reseed based on record. Screw this bye week crap

Re: Cry me a river...
 

It's currently a 16 game season, with 16 teams in each division. That's one game for each opponent in each division, plus one. Make the last game against a rotating opposite conference foe (a 16 year cycle) and then seed the top 8 based on record (tie break head to head, conference record, points differential overall).

There. Simple.

Re: Cry me a river...
 

I see what you are saying but in my humble and often ignored opinion the divisions and their rivalries are the absolute best part of football. I don't care that a lower record team makes it in the playoffs as long as they handle their division.

Re: Cry me a river...
 

Add a team in LA so there's 33 teams. Then you play half of the other 32 teams each year and rotate to the other half the next year.

That would have us playing everyone at home every 4 years and everyone on the road every 4 years.

Re: Cry me a river...
 

I like the format. I think every division should have representation in the playoffs even if they have a losing record. Anything can happen, see Seattle the year they beat us. Once the playoffs start it's like a whole new season and a clean slate. That's what makes it fun. I do however think that the bye and home field should be based on wins and not include a division winner with a losing record.

Re: Cry me a river...
 

Or we could probably get Goodell to seed the playoffs based on ESPN's power rankings...

:-)

Re: Cry me a river...
 

I don't know about restructuring the divisions but they could change the rule to "best record hosts". It rewards the better record and there might be a couple less meaningless games each season.

Re: Cry me a river...
 

1. To appease the must-bbe-perfect crew. Everyone plays everyone in the regular season. Phew!
Then choose the best records for playoffs.
OR
2. Otherwise an idea I have is yep select Division winners and best 2 outside that for playoffs. But then determine home advantage by comparing results in common games.
OR
3. Leave it alone.

Re: Cry me a river...
 

Doesnt that make for one division having to play 8 division games per team and the rest 6?



Just do away with the Wild Card, best record for each division makes the playoffs period.


Seed 1 plays 4
Seed 2 plays 3
Winners play each other for Conference Championship
Conference Champions play each other for the Super bowl.

All post season games are at neutral fields.

Re: Cry me a river...
 

I was being silly, but I was saying no divisions or conferences. For instance, it would work like this:

Year 1 : we play the 1st 16 teams (maybe all of the current AFC teams, as an example. Half at home, half on the road.

Year 2 : we play the other 16 teams (this is assuming a 33td franchise in the NFL) - for instance the current NFC teams plus the new team

Year 3 : same opponents as year 1, just flip the home and away

Year 4 : same opponents as year 2, just flip home and away


Best 8 teams make playoffs and top 2 have byes. Seeding done on overall record, then tiebreakers

Re: Cry me a river...
 

How bout a scenario where the Saints wind up in the Super Bowl each year.

Re: Cry me a river...
 

Something tells me Emperor Goodell wouldn't like that

Re: Cry me a river...
 

and when a poll is actually needed, there is none to be found

Re: Cry me a river...
 

Love the idea, no home field advantage at all? That surely wouldn't sit well with a lot of fans plus how would it affect the stadium revenues?

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

Re: Cry me a river...
 

Screw HFA, these are the Play Offs for the Super Bowl. If you cant win with out your stadium in the play offs you shouldn't be going to the Super Bowl. If your team so happens to end up playing at home for the playoff game because the stadium was selected before the season started, then so be it.. That is how the Super Bowl is handled and the Play Offs should not be any different.

It would give a more even distribution of revenue to all 32 teams.

As far as for the fans... Season tickets end after week 17 don't they?

At some point you have to ask your self... What is more important? The fans or the integrity and competition of the game?

Keep in mind... When football started there were no fans.

There was only football.

Fans came because of the integrity and competition of the game.

Re: Cry me a river...
 

That's like this BS with the Vikings demanding something be done about the injustice of the Saints kicking a field goal, eliminating them in the playoffs...and getting a rule changed

WTF?

Playoffs have been like that since the merger, but Zygi Wilf and his organization muscle Goodell...

This is who owns the Vikings...