The NFL Scheduling Is Ridiculous And Counterproductive!
Hydrant
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in Sports Talk
Outside their divisions, the teams with the best won/loss records play other teams with good won/loss records. The teams with the worst won/lost records play other crappy teams. The good teams have to be on their game every week. The bad teams don't........ They don't face qualiry competition.
That's why the Packers are always in the hunt and the Lions never are......It's a no brainer!......Helping under performers doesn't help.... just keeps them.......UNDER PREFORMERS!.....
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I don't have a problem with how they schedule things. I just went and refreshed my memory, and the site I looked at included updated changes for the 17th game.
What you are referring to is the idea of playing a first place schedule, or a last place schedule, etc. I have never seen it the way you do. I always thought the cream rose to the top.
Wait, I know what this is all about.
The Cowboys won their division last year, and the Cowboys come to town Oct 9th to face off against your Rams. And you are pretty sure that Jerry Jones and Dak Prescott are going to steal the show.
You got me, Showboat!.....I have never forgiven Hollywood Henderson and the Cowboys for what they did to the Rams in the 1977 Championship game! I had awesome seats on the 50 yard line down close! I saw the whole mess up close and personal!
Over before it started! I still have nightmares about that game! I hate the Cowboys!.......
I am not sure I buy into this. My watching the NFL for 5 decades leads me to believe underperforming teams over long periods is a result of poor management in combination with poor coaching. Look at the teams that win year to year with different players. They do so because of the infrastructure around them that is the best.
Also, for teams with perceived weaker schedules it does not always end up that way bc perceived weak teams turn out to be better for that season and thus tougher than anticipated competition.
So my view is the Lions crap management trickles down through the system that leads to losses. I would also say that the same can be said about my employer (about to be ex at end of Aug) versus their competition. We have as many talented people in the trenches as the competition, but the admin infrastructure is so broken, we don't compete at the high level of our competition and thus the people in the trenches are affected by this and many underperform. I could write a book about it (and get sued for sure). It is really sad and bc admin runs the place, it can't change. Same for NFL IMO.
@Hydrant, it's easy to criticize but difficult to offer a solution, what would yours be to rectify what you see as a scheduling blunder?? I think that the effort by the NFL to create "parity" hasn't worked over the course of my lifetime but it isn't for lack of trying. Scheduling, the draft, a salary cap, etc. all attempt to reach that goal, yet some teams thrive continually and others can't get out of their own way and stay at the bottom. Short of spotting some teams a 14 point lead at the start of games I can't see how they can be helped.
Every team plays two games against the other three teams in their respective divisions. The remaining 11 games are chosen by a lottery......A game of chance.
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But who runs the lottery? Who rigs the lottery? Who controls the lottery?
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ETA: unless they really make it into a spectacle, like a carnival, for all the world to see, with each team's representatives doing something in front of our eyes. But no tricks. What about deep fakes? I don't know. I just don't know. But that would really spice up the off-season.
It's all cyclical. 10 to 15 years ago, the NFC East was a beast and the AFC west were creampuffs.
And having the first place teams (from prior season) play other first place teams gives the league and networks marque matchups. So some of it is $ driven.
But it also leads to worst to first and vice versa.
..... having the first place teams (from prior season) play other first place teams gives the league and networks marque matchups. So some of it is $ driven.
Some of it is $ driven?......I talked to a couple of friends at the Rams game on Friday night on this subject. You are right Fonzie. Except it isn't SOME of it is $ driven.... EVERYTHING in the NFL is $ driven......But,...there is another part to it......attendance. The fans of underperforming teams like to see their team win every once in a while. So, mediocre team vs. mediocre team fills the seats......again.... $ driven!
The schedule for 1st place teams is what makes the Brady Pats dynasty so impressive. 1st place schedule every year and they got it done over and over and over again including making the conference championship game every year from 2012-2019.
As for the under performers and the schedule, one of the reasons the NFL is so popular is that almost every team gets to make the playoffs in a 3 or 4 year span. So outside a few poorly run franchises, every fan base believes their team has a shot. No hoping for a high lottery pick that elevates the franchise like in the NBA, no tanking for 5 years to amass a strong farm system like in MLB. You can pick any of 28 or so teams in the NFL and plot a path for them to win their division and/or make the playoffs as a wild card.
Robb
I actually think the scheduling is fine. As an example, didn't Cincinnati play a last place schedule in 2021?? This year they'll play a first place schedule, we'll get to see if they are for real or a pretender.
One change that would appeal to me, though I believe most fans would be against, is if every team played every other team in their conference every season. That would eliminate the twice a year division games but in the overall scheme it might tell us who is best in each conference a little better. Right now it seems there are teams that someone plays almost every year and other teams they only play every 3-4 years.
There is a formula. Not sure how the 17th game is assigned, but in the olden days teams would play two games against each team in their division, plus every team in one division in their conference, plus every team in one division in the other conference, plus every team who finished the same position they did in the conference. Because one team is duplicated this adds to 16.
For whatever the heck that's worth.
Here is an update with how they do the 17th
https://operations.nfl.com/gameday/nfl-schedule/creating-the-nfl-schedule/