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NFL PLAYOFF FORMAT MAY CHANGE STARTING NEXT YEAR

gotsparks09gotsparks09 Posts: 957
in Sports Talk

Should we change the playoff structure?

By MJD

Wednesday, Feb 6, 2008 5:08 pm EST

A small bit of news about the possibility of shaking up the NFL playoffs was buried, somewhat ironically, by the awesomeness of the playoffs themselves. To me, that suggests that the playoffs don't need changed, but what the hell, I'm open to new ideas.

Roger Goodell wants to make it so that in the first round of the playoffs, division winners wouldn't automatically have a home game. If they played a wildcard team that had a better record, the wild card team would get the game in their own crib.

The idea is that it gives teams more incentive to play hard throughout the end of the regular season, so we don't end up seeing something like a Charlie Batch vs. Jim Sorgi matchup in Week 17.

For example, this year, the Bucs couldn't have sat on their hands in weeks 16 and 17, knowing they had their division sewn up. If they wanted to play a home game in the first round, they'd have had to take the field in Week 17 with a line-up a with a little more firepower than was brought to the table by Luke McCown, Michael Bennett, and Chad Lucas.

I'm not opposed to this idea, necessarily. It makes perfect sense, and a team with a better record probably deserves a home game.

However, if it was put to a vote, I'd vote no, and here's why: If there's a coach out there who saw the Colts and Bucs tank the end of this season, and saw the Giants put forth a gargantuan effort with nothing to play for in Week 17, and then saw what happened in the playoffs, and that coach is still dumb enough to be letting his players collect rust over the last two weeks of the season, then I'm opposed to the league stepping in and saving this coach from his own idiocy.

If this year's postseason didn't hammer home the "tanking is bad" message for a coach, then he deserves a savage beatdown in the playoffs next year.


Here's the link to the article.

This makes a lot of sense to me. Hopefully it actually happens.
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Comments

  • perkdogperkdog Posts: 30,675 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Interesting, Im not sure how I feel about it though. I understand the analogy with fielding your team like the Giants did in that last game no matter how "meaningless" it was- keeping your team in game shape but what if a top player was hurt? Or nursing an injury and needed that extra rest?

    Tough call IMO
  • EstilEstil Posts: 7,058 ✭✭✭✭
    I support the "have the division winner get home field"; it gives teams incentive to go for the division title.
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  • dirtmonkeydirtmonkey Posts: 3,048 ✭✭
    Seems logical to me!!! Why should a team in a crappy division get the nod over a tough team that came up short in their own division? This is one of the problems with many professional playoff structures IMO. I want the 6 or 8 best teams to play for the conference title. Not four of the best team and a couple dici<wads fortunate enough to be playing against turds for competition.
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  • lawnmowermanlawnmowerman Posts: 19,477 ✭✭✭✭
    Who cares. Whether they change it or not, the Cowboys will still go one and done image

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  • stevekstevek Posts: 29,046 ✭✭✭✭✭
    a "circular file" idea - the owners are not going to approve that.
  • joestalinjoestalin Posts: 12,473 ✭✭
    Goodall is an idiot, maybe he needs to take care of teams cheating first before he tries to change 20 years of football.

    JS
  • thegemmintmanthegemmintman Posts: 3,101 ✭✭
    You have to play division rivals twice, and if you're in a tough division you should get a home game. Don't change the rule.
  • softparadesoftparade Posts: 9,276 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Interesting, Im not sure how I feel about it though. I understand the analogy with fielding your team like the Giants did in that last game no matter how "meaningless" it was- keeping your team in game shape but what if a top player was hurt? Or nursing an injury and needed that extra rest?

    Tough call IMO >>



    I am not in favor of any changes to the playoff format ........ BUT, Paul, injuries whether it is a top play making player or a top special teams guy, or a top kicker, or a top bla bla bla bla should NOT factor into any decisions. Injuries are a part of the game and if they happen then too bad. PERIOD. Players get extra rest after the season ends. And quite honestly, the regular season bye that was installed not so long ago has made the once NFL marathon season into a two part marathon with a break. Thats enough as far as I am concerned. Pretty soon we are going to get a minority crying for the right to call a floating bye once per season just cause whatever team is too beat up.

    ISO 1978 Topps Baseball in NM-MT High Grade Raw 3, 100, 103, 302, 347, 376, 416, 466, 481, 487, 509, 534, 540, 554, 579, 580, 622, 642, 673, 724__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ISO 1978 O-Pee-Chee in NM-MT High Grade Raw12, 21, 29, 38, 49, 65, 69, 73, 74, 81, 95, 100, 104, 110, 115, 122, 132, 133, 135, 140, 142, 151, 153, 155, 160, 161, 167, 168, 172, 179, 181, 196, 200, 204, 210, 224, 231, 240

  • stownstown Posts: 11,321 ✭✭✭
    As a season ticket holder, I love this idea.

    There are 16 games in a season for a reason. If someone gets hurt, too bad.. It's a risk that comes with the job.

    TB was a perfect example of why this should be implimented. Just because they played in one of the worst divisions and pretty much guaranteed to have locked it up by week 14, they started to rest players. That's sticking it to the fans and the advertisers who pay their hard earned money to watch a real NFL game. If starters want to sit out because they (or their coaches) are scared, doc them a game check.

    +1 for Roger
    So basically my kid won't be able to go to college, but at least I'll have a set where the three most expensive cards are of a player I despise ~ CDsNuts
  • Carew29Carew29 Posts: 4,025 ✭✭

    He's already in enough hot water with Congress for destroying the videotapes..............
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