NFL Owners Meeting

by sduncan24 on Mar 28, 2008 6:16 AM CDT Comment 12 comments

I just saw on the Bottom Line on ESPN that the Owners are discussing changing playoff seeding for the upcoming season. The change would be that when a Wildcard team has a better record than a division winner, that team will get to play a home game. Perfect example this year would have been the Giants (10-6) playing at the Bucs (9-7) this year.

I would like to see this rule change. For a team like the Bucs to be allowed to play a home game just because they play in the worst division in football is a raw deal for the rest of the conference. You have a team, who is clearly inferior, playing a home game instead of allowing the team who was better during the course of the season to reward it's fans with one more game. In this case the Bucs were 5-1 in their division and only 4-6 against the rest of the conference.

The only down side to this is I can see the slippery slope you are starting to climb. What happens when a division winner is say 9-7 or 8-8 and the two wildcards are 10-6 or 9-7, then you have a third team that is 10-6 or 9-7 who loses out because of tiebreakers. You gave higher seeding to the two wildcards because they had better records, what about the third team who also has a better record than that division winner and misses the playoffs completely? Would that lead to doing away with division winners all together?

What do you guys think?

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For once

I actually believe the seeding is fine. You want to play a home game, play harder in your division. And if you truly believe you're better than the home team you're playing, then beat them on their turf for extra satisfaction.

CHOMP! CHOMP!! Catch some Pacman fever...at a club near you.

by goodjobtimmyheresabluestar on Mar 28, 2008 8:03 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Leave it as it is

I wouldn't be too upset with this, but it's an issue in every sport. I think the division title should mean something, and that it's not altogether unfair to give a worse division champion a home game over a better wildcard.

by grapejoos on Mar 28, 2008 9:44 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

as the Giants proved, home field doesn't make

that much difference anymore. If you're a better team, it really doesn't matter where you play or how much you have to travel.

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Mar 28, 2008 10:15 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

TB

If TB knew they needed more wins to get a home game, they would have played their starters more. They pretty much shut everything down the last month which is not good for the league. If this is used to encourage teams to play harder in the final week of the season, then I think it's a good thing.

Derek

Signature! I don't need no stinking signature!!

by DerekSTheRed on Mar 28, 2008 12:10 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

The rule needs to be changed

Its rediculous that a woldcard team thats 11-5 play a wildcard game on the road against a team that has a record of 9-7.

Trade up a few spots to get ahead of Houston and draft Jonathan Stewart, thee best all around Back in the draft.

by Deke on Mar 28, 2008 12:10 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Deke, its "ridiculous", noticed the mispelling

a few times bud.

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Mar 28, 2008 12:35 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed

Cowboys fan since 1978.. I was 3 years old

by Mullin on Mar 28, 2008 2:17 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Grammar Nazis Out In Full Force...

LOL!!!

Just kidding guys.

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by kcbrett5 on Mar 28, 2008 2:47 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

It's not necessarily ridiculous

There are scenarios where teams in really easy divisions can amass a lot of wins while teams in very competitive divisions end up with less as a result of superior competition. I'd rather reward the team that emerges from a tough division than one that has fattened up with a creampuff schedule.

Now, admittedly, usually it works the other way around (ala Tampa last year), but there's nothing inherently unfair about requiring a team to win its division to get a home playoff game. It's how every sport works and has worked as long as I've been watching.

Frankly, I'm not sure it matters so much to the teams on the field; wild cards seem to do pretty well. However, I'm sure it matters to the owners who'd like to have some home playoff game revenue.

by grapejoos on Mar 28, 2008 3:14 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't know

But I think if your team wins it's division (no matter how weak) they still deserve to host the wildcard team. I mean the fans deserve to get at least one home game. Plus if the WC team is good enough, they should win anyway regardless of home field. I like the way they have it set up now, lowest seed plays highest seed.

"On my signal...unleash Hell." Demarcus Maximus Decimus Ware

by APerfectStar on Mar 28, 2008 10:57 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Until there is a schedule playing every team

in the conference the overall record is not equal and therefore granting home games to division winners still is right and winning the division still means something.

by lee3022 on Mar 31, 2008 1:35 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Well put!

Makes sense to me. Those teams tend to end up with a home playoff loss anyway, and the wildcard team plays the no-respect card forever. Again, I think the owners are the only ones that really lose sleep over this, because they miss that home playoff game revenue.

by grapejoos on Mar 31, 2008 3:16 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs