NFL adding a 7th seed to the playoffs

[TezMaKai]

maybe they can go to 16, have top 2 teams in each division play eachother and give a trophy, then lowest vs highest division champ can play, then the last 2 winners play for the conference title.
I am guessing the rest of the teams can get participation ribbons for the season until they let everyone in the playoffs.

Your name is very spot on.

 

[JoJoBoxer]

More playoff games the merrier but sucks for the 2nd seed.

Well, maybe try a little bit harder next time.

Seriously, this forces teams to not sit their players at the end of the season because those games suddenly become important

 

[JUSTFINGWIN]

Well, maybe try a little bit harder next time.

Seriously, this forces teams to not sit their players at the end of the season because those games suddenly become important

Umm...teams will still sit if they know they can’t do better than the 2nd seed.

 

[BradyJay]

maybe they can relocate more teams for no reason too while they're at it.

are we getting rid of kick returns too because Devin Hester dominated the league too hard for about 2 years?

Why do Bears fans think they changed the kickoff rule because of Hester?? ... Wasnt it the injuries/collisions?

 

[JoJoBoxer]

Umm...teams will still sit if they know they can’t do better than the 2nd seed.

Umm ...

If teams have a chance at the top seed, they will not sit their players.
If teams have a chance of losing the top seed, they will not sit their players.

If teams have a chance at the 2nd seed, they will not sit their players.
If teams have a chance of losing the 2nd seed, they will not sit their players.

 

[JUSTFINGWIN]

Umm ...

If teams have a chance at the top seed, they will not sit their players.
If teams have a chance of losing the top seed, they will not sit their players.

If teams have a chance at the 2nd seed, they will not sit their players.
If teams have a chance of losing the 2nd seed, they will not sit their players.

How is this different then what we have now??? If teams can’t improve or do worse they will sit.

 

[Toast88]

2019: 9-7 Rams
2018: 8-7-1 Vikings
2017: 9-7 Lions
2016: 9-7 Bucs
2015: 8-8 Falcons
2014: 10-6 Eagles
2013: 10-6 Cardinals
2012: 10-6 Bears
2011: 8-8 Bears
2010: 10-6 Giants
2009: 9-7 Falcons
2008: 9-7 Bucs
2007: 8-8 Vikings
2006: 8-8 Packers
2005: 9-7 Vikings
2004: 8-8 Saints
2003: 9-7 Vikings
2002: 9-7 Saints

Wow, look at all those sub-.500 teams...

 

[JoJoBoxer]

How is this different then what we have now??? If teams can’t improve or do worse they will sit.

Imagine a team that is currently a second seed but with a chance of becoming a 1st place team. Imagine that team is really banged up going into the final week.

2019
Do we go all in and try to win the game to become the #1 seed (and hope for a loss from the #1 seed) or do we rest our injured players?

Home field advantage is really nice, but we could sure use 2 weeks to get our players healthy (week 17 and 1st round bye). We can hope for the unlikely situation where we rest our starters, but the backups win and the #1 seed is upset.

Tough decision.

2020

Do we go all in and try to win the game to become the #1 seed (and hope for a loss from the #1 seed) or do we rest our injured players?

Best case scenario, we rest our players, our backups win and the #1 seed is upset. Two weeks rest for our players (though unlikely)

Good scenario, we rest our players, we lose the game or the #1 seed wins. Highly likely. We get one week's rest before the playoffs start.

Other good scenario, we play our injured players, we win and the #1 seed is upset. One week's rest for injured players.

Worst case scenario, we play our injured players, we lose or the #1 seed wins. Our team is the walking wounded and it has a game next week. Highly likely of happening.

Having no 2nd seed bye for the first round of playoffs can have a huge effect.

 

[JUSTFINGWIN]

Imagine a team that is currently a second seed but with a chance of becoming a 1st place team. Imagine that team is really banged up going into the final week.

2019
Do we go all in and try to win the game to become the #1 seed (and hope for a loss from the #1 seed) or do we rest our injured players?

Home field advantage is really nice, but we could sure use 2 weeks to get our players healthy (week 17 and 1st round bye). We can hope for the unlikely situation where we rest our starters, but the backups win and the #1 seed is upset.

Tough decision.

2020

Do we go all in and try to win the game to become the #1 seed (and hope for a loss from the #1 seed) or do we rest our injured players?

Best case scenario, we rest our players, our backups win and the #1 seed is upset. Two weeks rest for our players (though unlikely)

Good scenario, we rest our players, we lose the game or the #1 seed wins. Highly likely. We get one week's rest before the playoffs start.

Other good scenario, we play our injured players, we win and the #1 seed is upset. One week's rest for injured players.

Worst case scenario, we play our injured players, we lose or the #1 seed wins. Our team is the walking wounded and it has a game next week. Highly likely of happening.

Having no 2nd seed bye for the first round of playoffs can have a huge effect.

In both scenarios that team would play for a shot to get home field throughout. It's the same thing. You are overthinking this.

 

[JoJoBoxer]

In both scenarios that team would play for a shot to get home field throughout. It's the same thing. You are overthinking this.

Maybe I am, but they can be screwed if they don't get the bye week because of injuries.

 

[JUSTFINGWIN]

Maybe I am, but they can be screwed if they don't get the bye week because of injuries.

That's why I said it sucks for the 2nd seed. Technically a team can go 16-0 and still have to play what essentially is a wildcard round.

 

[JoJoBoxer]

That's why I said it sucks for the 2nd seed. Technically a team can go 16-0 and still have to play what essentially is a wildcard round.

Yeah, but two 16-0 teams in the same conference probably will never happen.

 

[JUSTFINGWIN]

Yeah, but two 16-0 teams in the same conference probably will never happen.

No but there will be 14-2, 13-3 and plenty of 12-4.

 

[JoJoBoxer]

No but there will be 14-2, 13-3 and plenty of 12-4.

Yes, there will.

 

[PeterG]

Super Bears, Super 7th seed, Super Bowl!

 

[Pegger]

Maybe you should buy a team then. What’s wrong with a company making money? The players agree to it. Move on

As fans we often miss the point. When a player under performs we want them fired (that's what being cut is). When they over perform and hold out we call then greedy.

Fans jump to the forefront to protect the billionaires just because the billionaire sells them a product. This is somewhat crazy.

When you look at the NFL and how much leverage they have over the NFLPA it's inconsistent to all the other leagues. As a fan the natural question is 'so what?'. For me I don't like seeing former NFL players end their lives prematurely while being financially ruined and physically/mentally broken. It happens in all sports, but disproportionately in football.

To your comments of 'maybe you should buy a team then', Mark Cuban has been transparent that an NFL team costs too much for him to buy. That is a very closed market where only the extremely elite/wealth can afford to buy an NFL team. I'm not against any company succeeding, but with the NFL I think a large part of their success stems from under paying it's work force. If you take it one step farther, their recruiting partner, being the NCAA, offers fully marketable players that cost the schools almost nothing while they generate massive money from them.

Finally I'd add that the NFL is not a company. It's a closed partnership of the 32 teams. This allows them to side step many of the employment standards that companies have to abide by. Instead their employment rules are negotiated in the CBA, but players really have no viable alternatives, so they have little leverage in those negotiations. In short the NFL is a football monopoly and they exert their full power with their employees.

 

[bearmick]

This is stupid. Who wants to see some 7-9 team in the playoffs?

I agree. I prefer playoffs in sports to be more exclusive, which is why I think the NBA and NHL formats suck. But at least with them, mediocre teams have to win a series to beat a good team. In the NFL, a mediocre team can have a good day and eliminate a team that's been better than them all year.

Not a fan of playoff expansion. I know the reasoning will be to make more meaningful games late in the year, but I don't think that's enough to offset the downside of average teams getting in.

 

[Pegger]

Not a fan of playoff expansion. I know the reasoning will be to make more profitable games late in the year, but I don't think that's enough to offset the downside of average teams getting in.

I made a slight adjustment to your comment to reflect the truth of the matter.

The players were not negotiating for an expanded playoff. This was something they gave up in the negotiations along with the 17 game season.

 

[bearmick]

I made a slight adjustment to your comment to reflect the truth of the matter.

The players were not negotiating for an expanded playoff. This was something they gave up in the negotiations along with the 17 game season.

Oh they're going to 17 games too? I haven't paid any attention to football since about week 12 of last season so I had no idea what's going on.

 

[Pegger]

Oh they're going to 17 games too? I haven't paid any attention to football since about week 12 of last season so I had no idea what's going on.

They aren't going to 17 games this year, but the NFL negotiated to go to a 17 game schedule by 2023 (I think). they have the option to change earlier if logistically they can work it out.