NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the league is looking into expanding the NFL playoffs from 12 to either 14 or 16 teams. This is what the AFC would look like if we went to a 16 team playoffs this year. AFC 1. Houston Texans (11-2) 2. New England Patriots (10-3) 3. Denver Broncos (10-3) 4. Baltimore Ravens (9-4) 5. Indianapolis Colts (9-4) 6. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6) 7. Cincinnati Bengals (7-6) 8. New York Jets (6-7) It hardly seems right that the Jets would get in at 6-7 . http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2012/12/12/3760538/nfl-playoff-expansion-roger-goodell
the best system would be 7 teams in each conference. That way the #1 seed would be the only team that gets a bye week, and that way it will ensure that the top teams play all the way through to get that #1 seed. wildcard round: #2 plays #7 #3 plays #6 #4 plays #5 then those three winners join the #1 seed in the divisional round and you re-seed.
Its such a bad idea to expand the playoffs. You will see teams that just suck and have no business to be there make it. I absolutely hate this idea.
This is their denied expansion of 16-game regular season being masked in another form. I hate it for the reason Skyfire stated. Sure those losing teams have a chance to win, any given Sunday, but it makes it even harder for a team who's had a successful regular season to win a Super Bowl.
I understand both sides of this but 9 times out of 10, the 8 seed is going to get stomped. Imagine the Jets going to Denver for a wildcard game. It would be the same thing if we took that 8 seed.
The stomping would be the equivalent to a bye in some cases except for the injuries which could ruin a teams chances to go all the way.Rosters would have to be expanded too.
Would be a lot of added revenue for the NFL. Not sure how I feel about the effects on the actual competition. Sure, an 8th seed most likely would get stomped. But there would still be around 15-20% of 8 seeds winning games.
This already sometimes happens when a ****ty team wins their ****ty division. I can understand your rational, though. I like the idea of a reward for the #1 seed and 7 teams would be just fine IMO. 8 teams would be overkill.
I think one more game per conference would be beneficial. I think too often you have a division champion going while a better team doesn't get a wildcard spot. Why? It's not all that rare to have upsets. A 7-9 team beat the defending Super Bowl champions a couple years back.
I've personally never understood the concept of byes. I understand that football is a different animal from other sprots given the punishment the body takes, but only two teams get the privilege and you are also voluntarily putting your best product on the shelf for a week. As Lamar Hunt said, the NBA doesnt sit Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson for a round of the playoffs.
I like this, expanding to 14 playoff teams (16 is too many though). Getting a bye week is no guarantee of getting to the Super Bowl, let alone even winning a playoff game (Falcons say "Hi"). The NFL gets more TV money, there are more meaningful games played right through the last week of the regular season, and many more fans holding out hope of a playoff run for their team. Having to play three playoff games to get to the Super Bowl didn't stop the Giants, so why worry about most teams having to play an extra game to get there? If anything, it feels like they "earned it" even more.
If you eliminate bye weeks, you're going to have teams sitting their starters or half-assing it during the end of the regular season because they have nothing to play for after they've wrapped up a spot. The NFL hates that.
It happens now, with the bye weeks, when teams clinch early. Teams would still be playing for homefield, just like they do now. I'm not sure that resting starters would be a greater phenomenon with expanded playoffs than it is now.
But on the flipside, plenty of good 9-7, 10-6 and 11-5 teams have missed out on the playoffs. Sometimes there would be 8-8 or 7-9 teams, mostly 8-8 probably, but as we've seen even they've managed to perform well in the playoffs. See: 7-9 Seahawks.
I think only the division winners should make the playoffs. If you can't win your own division, you shouldn't be in the playoffs to begin with. I know teams have won the SB after making the playoffs as a wildcard, but that still doesn't make it right that they were in the playoffs to begin with. I also realize some divisions are weaker than other divisions, but that changes over time. So win your division to get in the playoffs or else sit your butt down during the playoff period. I happen to feel this way about every professional sport, not just the NFL.
That's all correct; it's too bad that it's come at the cost of the game. Nearly everything he does from playoff structure, to rule changes, to "safety" revisions devalues the game. Everything that he does brings football closer to futbol. It'll take a lot to get me to drop the NFL altogether....the soccer penalty system of cards should do it, though
Hope they don't expand the playoffs to more teams,the regular season would seem not as important.I also hope they don't go to 18 games and bring in anymore teams for a while. The NFL has a good product going and I hope they don't screw it up . If the want something different they should let the defense play again.
NFL is so hypocritical. They say they are looking out for players safety by wanting to get rid of kickoffs and helmet hits but then they create more thursday night games, wants to expand the season to 18 games, and now wanting to expand playoffs.
The new system reminds me of the World Cup tournament system. Though, 1st and 2nd place advance to the playoff round.
The NFL made its bed when they ignored the brain trauma going on for so long. They have no choice at this point.
But home court matters more in the NBA, so the regular season still has some relevancy. My system would insure that same advantage. There will only be two #1 seeds. They would be worth winning.
Well it's not like we're expanding the season to 82 games. If the NBA season was 26 games or something like that, the regular season would be a much bigger deal.
When teams start getting into the playoffs based on something OTHER than the regular season record? Then we can complain about the regular season games meaning nothing. I agree that 18 games is TOO much, and will add that the Thursday night games are really hard on the players. There is also no chance the NFL goes back on any changes they made for "player safety". It is now much better to have a good offense than defense in the NFL and the advantage will stay on the offensive side.
I'm not really sure home court matters more in the NBA. In a 7 game series, home court really only matters if the series goes 7 games. If it goes less than that, the other team may actually get more home games in the series, like the Heat did last year against OKC. That was under the somewhat atypical 2-3-2 format, but even in a 2-2-1-1-1 series, the team without "homecourt advantage" gets a chance to close out the series at home in 6 having played as many home games as the team that supposedly has ther advantage. In the NFL, the team with home field advantage in the playoffs only has to win 2 home games to get to the Super Bowl (where no team has home field advantage).
Home court is well known in the NBA to be incredibly difficult to overcome. The officiating factor is huge. In terms of football though as long as you can win in the elements, the refs are fairly miserable in their officiating both ways. Phil Jackson believed it was one of the absolute most important things for a team to have and protect.
Even though it would've meant the 2002 and 2003 Dolphins would've been playoff teams, I'm completely against this. I love the way it is now - the playoffs are a premium, a reward for a truly good season. Except in rare rare cases ('10 Seahawks), bad teams never make the playoffs. And only the very best get byes - those who have earned it. And it makes virtually every regular season game critically important. Why on earth they would want to change this is beyond me. It's different than when baseball had no wildcards. It was too few teams making the playoffs then, and some great teams missed out by JUST this much. They expanded, and it was perfect. The NFL right now is perfect. I do not want a 7-9 or 6-10 team sneaking into the playoffs EVER!!
Goodell is throwing something shiny at people so they will forget about the Saints "bounty gate" debacle. Expanding the playoffs is a ****ing HORRIBLE idea. We are talking about Roger Goodell though. This is the same game who has done his best to remove as much physicality from the game as he can. Took a PERFECT format for the draft and expanded it into a 3 day event. Added weekly Thursday night games (which was a dreadful decision) and wants to play 18 games (which is the worst idea I've ever heard). He is honestly wrecking the game. IMO he is a buffoon. Yes, he has made the owner's a boatload of cash but there is more to this than cash. The integrity of the game has been questioned (and not just because of the replacement officials). I don't think the sport has ever been worse than it is now.
I can only compare it to the NHL (because I ignore the NBA) and even though the NHL plays 82 games the regular season is very relevant. Home ice means a LOT and with the parity in the NHL if you do have a major injury of have a bad month you are in real danger of missing the playoffs. I don't think expanding the playoffs makes the regular season less relevant. I do think it makes the playoffs spots less of an accomplishment though. Personally, I liked the old way. 3 division winners, one wildcard.
I love the idea of more playoffs....think about how we would be right there. I know we suck, but hey makes the season more fun. I think a change is needed, why not ? It is not bb, where the series are long. One game baby.
this is a bad change they only play 16 games so the regular season matters the more teams you let into the playoffs makes each regular season game worth less. This is the main thing I hate about the nba 8 teams making the playoffs from each side just makes the regular season boring as hell.
This is simply another way to increase revenue. 99% of the time, that's what changes are about. Goodell and Co couldn't care less about the integrity of the game or cheapening the postseason. It's all about the bottom line. And this is another way to wring more $$$ out of the product. The league/ownership is dead set on more games. They couldn't get the 18-game schedule so they've readjusted their sights towards the postseason. And it is a smart way to do it. They nullify the player safety argument because, well....everybody is trying to get into the playoffs. That's the goal. And only 2-4 more teams would get there. They are the last of the four major US sports to further expand the playoffs, and that will be something they cite. I'm against this change, but it will happen.
And yes, get ready for .500 and sub-.500 teams in the postseason. It would be commonplace. And why not? I don't know about you, but when I watch the New York Jets, I think 'playoff team'. That is playoff-caliber football if I've ever seen it. Mark Sanchez throwing for 49 yards in a game to guys named Jeremy Kerly....that deserves to be on national television in January.
While you have a fair point, the Jets could actually make it to the playoffs this year under the current format with only a few breaks going their way. Would they still be undeserving in that scenario?