MOAR PLAYOFF TEAMS?!

[Leftwich]

After two NFC wild-card teams traveled on the road to face teams with lower regular-season records, there was some rumbling regarding reseeding teams for the playoffs based on record rather than a division championship.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell doesn't see any changes coming on the playoff format.

Playoff schedule
The first two rounds of the NFL's postseason schedule for the 2013 season were released Sunday night. More ...
"I don't think there is momentum for that," Goodell told former Associated Press White House correspondent Ben Feller in an interview at the 92nd St. Y. "I would probably disagree. There may be momentum in the media, that happens when you see San Francisco going to Green Bay, but one of the premises we start with every season is that your first objective is to win the division. And when you win the division, you should have a home game."

Goodell said the NFL wants teams to make wining their division the first concern.

"We've discussed this for decades in the NFL and we believe that's the right priority," he said. "And when you do, you should have that home game. I don't see the owners pushing for a big change in that, and that's ultimately where it has to come from. I know this has been discussed in the media, but I don't see that happening."

This weekend's games validate any decision not to reseed.

Goodell believes one change the NFL could make is to expand the playoffs.


"That is under serious consideration," he said. "We think it's one of the great things about the NFL, besides the fact that it's unscripted. Every team and their fans start the season with hope. You mentioned the fact that for 11 straight years we've had a team go from last to first, that's unique to professional football and the NFL, that doesn't happen in other sports. And that's because we have such a competitive league and we want to keep that."

Clearly the NFL wants to continue to manufacture as much of the Week 17 drama as we saw in 2013.

"The races we had this past season, we had 16 games every weekend, the final weekend we have division games, so your opponent is a division opponent and 13 of those 16 games had playoff implications on the final day of the season," Goodell continued. "That's extraordinary and we want to keep that. If we could increase that, and again this is about believing in better, can you make it better, can you make those (division) races better by adding two more teams? That's compelling and that's what we're looking at."

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap20...ger-goodell-no-momentum-for-playoff-reseeding

I dont want anymore playoff teams. Although only adding one isn't such a bad idea as compared to two more.

 

[killgod]

I think it's pretty much a done deal that the 2 seed is losing the bye and we'll have 3 wildcard games.

The NFL can puke up whatever "we're not sure yet" commentary they want, but within 1-3 years this will be happening.

 

[MrBill]

I think it's pretty much a done deal that the 2 seed is losing the bye and we'll have 3 wildcard games.

The NFL can puke up whatever "we're not sure yet" commentary they want, but within 1-3 years this will be happening.

Agreed. It will be a travesty for the 2 seed to lose their bye but that is the path the NFL appears to be heading down in order to expand the number of playoff teams (which I also disagree with).

 

[killgod]

I don't know if they have much choice. We can be cynical and blame greed or whatever, but I think their growth to 32 is showing it's negatives.

In the 20 or so years I've watched the NFL closely, how many times have I seen the same teams in the playoffs? Or rather, how many times has the same team made the Super Bowl? My own damn team has played in fucking six!


How are franchises supposed to maintain positive growth when they go decades without anything to hang their hat on? Cleveland, Cincinnati, Oakland, Buffalo, Miami, Tennessee, Jacksonville, Kansas City, New York....combined, in all my years of watching football, do not have the singular success of a New England or Pittsburgh. That's kind of fucked up.


I like the NFL format as is just like everyone else, but this is the long term effects of having 32 fuckin teams.

 

[Influence]

I think the salary cap does exactly what it is there for. If a franchise has been losing for more than a decade, that means the owner is terrible and keeps hiring bad staff. The patriots have been so good for so long because of Belichick. He's the best coach in the league and having Tom Brady on your team sure doesn't hurt.

 

[Houston]

How are franchises supposed to maintain positive growth when they go decades without anything to hang their hat on? Cleveland, Cincinnati, Oakland, Buffalo, Miami, Tennessee, Jacksonville, Kansas City, New York....combined, in all my years of watching football, do not have the singular success of a New England

Some teams choose not to spy...

 

[killgod]

So a mere one coach/quarterback can show up half the conference for over a decade?

I guess there's not enough quality coaches or quarterbacks to go around.

That wouldn't be a downfall of having 32 teams, or be anywhere close to my point. :dd:

 

[Influence]

you right