Expanded Playoffs? Surprise Surprise Surprise

It seems that an expanded playoffs idea is gaining traction among owners at the spring meetings. Expanding the format to add two more teams to bring the total to 14. It would allow more 8-8 or 9-7 teams to compete in the playoffs which a few owners have expressed concern over watering down the product.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap20...l-primed-to-expand-playoffs-drive-competition

The huge surprise here is that the Rooney's are in favor of the move because it would have put them in the playoffs last season where Art thinks they were playing their best football and would have made some noise.

 

I wouldn't mind that route either but if they lower the preseason to two games I think they have to talk about moving the final cut deadline back to after week two or raising the 53-man limit in order to evaluate the bubble players. I think that would be hard to gain a group consensus though with some of the owners out there.

 

So how would it work, logistically speaking? As it sits right now your #1 and #2 seeds get a week off. Unless you add 2 more teams per conference I'm not sure how that works. Adding just one team per conference would make things all kinds of screwy.

 

I don't like the idea either, and I think with all the injuries teams face now, the league would have to expand rosters and salary caps for that to happen.

 

How can you all be against more football?

more playoff football is a great thing

bring it on

 

Division champs get a bye I guess

 

Arizona deserved to make the playoffs last season at 10-6, I have no problem with the expanded playoffs.

 

The NFL won't be satisfied until the Browns and Chargers actually make the playoffs on a regular basis.

 

Bettr start drafting kickers that can make the 30 yard extra point...
And, hire trainers that can keep our players "safe"...
PUKE!!!
I Don`t care if we could get in the playoffs, with a weaker record, when we are going 8-8!!!
We should do better, and EARN our way into a LEGITAMITE tournament, of the best of the best!
If we can`t, that`s our own Damn fault!!!
It`s like giving a trophy to kids that come in last place in their league, no matter what sport..
Can`t bruise their fragile "self-esteem"..

You wanna get in the playoffs?
EARN IT!!!
It`s bad enough now, when teams from a weak division get in with a worse record, than teams that go home at the end of the season with a better record, than winners of a weak division have.
You wanna fix somethin?
Fix that!
Don`t expand the field.
Go by records.
Period.
Oh, but that would take away from winning your division.
Not likely.
Most of the division winners would still be in.(And if not, I would say they didn`t deserve it)
They just might have to face better teams down the road.
And EARN their title.
Keep the best 4 Afc, and the best 4 Nfc teams, and line `em up...
Get rid of the "Wild Cards"...
OOps, then there`s less games to sell on tv..(you could always have a "wild card", if there were tied records)...
Teams would play harder to get to the fewer playoff berths, but the NFL would have less games to sell...
Unlike my beer, I prefer quality over quantity, when it comes to the football games.
But that sells less commercials on the networks...
Hell NO, there should not be more teams in the playoffs!!!

 

I think they are thinking it through or at least the ones looking at the business side are. Two more playoff games means potentially more money. Will it lead to a watered down product? more than likely but it is just as likely that it will eliminate powerhouse teams and dynasty talk and make it so the team playing their best ball at the right time can go far. I haven't formed an opinion on it yet but lets be honest here guys as much as we bluster about the changing face of the game and watering down the product and so on, we are all still going to watch on Sunday. We might spout off about making the owners hear us by boycotting or other such high minded ideals but we will all still tune in for every game and still pay some amount of money to the league for something no matter how small. Things like expanding the playoffs are really out of our hands.

 

Come on Blast you know you will watch up and until they start having either robots or girls in lingerie lining up under center.

 

GREED, another bad move. Mark Cuban
may actually be right.

 

I don't think it should be expanded. The number right now is usually pretty good. Every year maybe one or two teams make it that appear to be mediocre at least by their record 9-7, 8-8, God forbid 7-9 like Seattle. But then again remember that 7-9 Seattle team beat New Orleans and 9-7 NY Giants won a Super Bowl. The overall effect is hard to predict - you have to admit, we would have been more excited about the Steelers getting in last year and there could be some ferocity fighting for the #1 seed as opposed to slipping into the #2 seed. It could also work the other way at times where we see a 7-9 team make it every other year and teams not fight as hard at the end of the season the last couple of games because they are in the playoffs but have no way of securing a bye.

I think SteelCity_NB made the best point of all though - if I have to choose between expanded playoffs vs. adding two games to the regular season, then I'll take the added playoffs every time.

 

One other point - something they could do is put a rule in that you have to at least have a :500 record to make the playoffs. So even if you won your division at 7-9, if a team existed at 8-8 they would knock you out because you were sub :500. Of course there would have to be a tiebreaker that if multiple teams are 7-9 looking for the last spot, but that probably would rarely if ever happen.

 

And to add to what you said, no one DESERVES to make the playoffs. It is earned throughout the regular season. If you want to be in the playoffs, then play better when it counts.