Thoughts on an 8-8 or 7-9 team

[BLZFAN4LIFE]

It looks like either the Rams or Seahawks are going to advance to the playoffs with an 8-8, possibly a 7-9 record. Then, as division champions, a team with a much better record will have to play the division winner on the road. Not to mention that teams like Tampa Bay and Green Bay are likely to miss the playoffs with 10 or 11 wins.

 

So, is this an issue that needs to be addressed? Should the NFL create a rule that you must win your division with a winning record to advance to the playoffs? Should they scrap the entire system? Are you fine with the way things are?

[FightClub]

I have to say, this has really been pissing me off over the last few weeks listening to "Greeny" on Mike and Mike talk about this. The very suggestion he makes that the rules should be changed in season speaks to the type of culture we have now-a-days, where people think they can change pre-existing rules to be whatever they want when they don't like what happens when the rules they previously agreed to are applied.

 

You simply cannot do that. The rule at the beginning of the season was the Division winner gets in and has home field advantage over the wild card. NOT..."well, unless we don't like the situation. Then we change it to suit our preferred system." No. No. NO. You CANNOT change a rule now just because it looks like a bad team is going to get in. TOO. BAD.

 

Now, if the NFL wants to look at the rule IN THE OFFSEASON when everyone is 0-0 and propose a change, that is fine. Personally, I think the current rules are just fine, but a change while everyone is on a level playing field is okay if people vote for it. But if I hear Mike Greenberg say one more time "I wouldn't allow a team with a losing record in" I am going to crack (maybe I have already).

 

I have no rooting interest in anyone in the NFC West, but it is not fair to those teams to even discuss the possibility of changing the rule now and not letting them into the playoffs.

 

/RANT

[Mr. WEO]

It looks like either the Rams or Seahawks are going to advance to the playoffs with an 8-8, possibly a 7-9 record. Then, as division champions, a team with a much better record will have to play the division winner on the road. Not to mention that teams like Tampa Bay and Green Bay are likely to miss the playoffs with 10 or 11 wins.

 

So, is this an issue that needs to be addressed? Should the NFL create a rule that you must win your division with a winning record to advance to the playoffs? Should they scrap the entire system? Are you fine with the way things are?

What if the 7-9 teams wins a playoff game?

[8-8 Forever?]

What if the 7-9 teams wins a playoff game?

its an NFC problem. the NFC sucks. I don't care. the rules are what they are. The Rams and Cards will be fine next year and win 9-10 games. just let it go for this year as an abberation. the rivalries are very important in the NFL and although the NFC West rivalries are the worst in football, they do exist and need to mean something..

[jester43]

i have been saying forever they should go to 4 divisions with 8 teams:

1. you'd play 6 of the other 7 teams in your division once, and play one other team as a home-and-home. it would be a different team each year, of course. this would comprise half your 16-game schedule.

2. you'd play 4 games against teams in the other division (from your conference).

3. the other 4 games would come from the other conference.

 

the bills division would be:

BUFFALO

miami

n.e.

jets

steelers

ravens

browns

bengals

 

PLAYOFFS: winner in each division gets a bye. The other 4 teams would all be determined by record, using existing tiebreakers.

 

This would make a division title really MEAN something, plus it would be much less likely that an 8-8 team would make the playoffs.

 

i also think it make the division rivalries more exciting if you only played them once a year (except for 1 year out of 7), and only got them at home every other season. also, i like playing the other rust belt teams and we'd be guaranteed a chance to play them every year. the buff/pgh and buff/cleve rivalries should be cultivated by the nfl and this would help that happen.

 

its an NFC problem. the NFC sucks. I don't care. the rules are what they are. The Rams and Cards will be fine next year and win 9-10 games. just let it go for this year as an abberation. the rivalries are very important in the NFL and although the NFC West rivalries are the worst in football, they do exist and need to mean something..

this is hypothetical of course, but for one of those teams to get in with 7 or 8 wins while green bay sits home with 10 is STUPIDITY!

 

But i suppose you sell a tiny bit more merch to the fans of all those extra "divisional champions" each year so it's worth it for the nfl to water down the product by having 8 divisions.

 

why don't they just go all the way and have 16 divisions with 2 teams each and give all 16 division champions a playoff berth? it's only slightly more stupid than the system they have now and just think of the extra useless crap they could sell that has "Division Champions!!" printed on it.

[machinegun12]

its an NFC problem. the NFC sucks. I don't care. the rules are what they are. The Rams and Cards will be fine next year and win 9-10 games. just let it go for this year as an abberation. the rivalries are very important in the NFL and although the NFC West rivalries are the worst in football, they do exist and need to mean something..

An NFC problem? Maybe nobody whines about it because it was New England who missed out, but in the 2008 season the Chargers won the division with an 8-8 record while the Pats* DIDN'T EVEN MAKE THE PLAYOFFS with an 11-5 record (they lost out on a tiebreaker with the Dolphins for the AFC East) and the NY Jets even had a winning record and missed out. I don't know if there's any way that a division winner gets NO playoff berth, but I think maybe you change the rules (NOT THIS YEAR) to re-seed playoff teams by their records. So if a wild card team has a better record than a division winner, they get seeded higher and would actually host a playoff game.

[BLZFAN4LIFE]

This is what I would like to see:

- Keep the divisions and scheduling system in place but when it comes to the playoffs:

Simply rank the conferences 1-6. 1 and 2 get a bye. 3 hosts 6 and 4 hosts 5.

If you win a division but don't qualify for the playoffs, too bad. Sell your fans the caps and tees, but try a little harder next year. That's as fair as it can get.

 

 

[fridge]

i have been saying forever they should go to 4 divisions with 8 teams:

1. you'd play 6 of the other 7 teams in your division once, and play one other team as a home-and-home. it would be a different team each year, of course. this would comprise half your 16-game schedule.

2. you'd play 4 games against teams in the other division (from your conference).

3. the other 4 games would come from the other conference.

 

the bills division would be:

BUFFALO

miami

n.e.

jets

steelers

ravens

browns

bengals

 

PLAYOFFS: winner in each division gets a bye. The other 4 teams would all be determined by record, using existing tiebreakers.

 

This would make a division title really MEAN something, plus it would be much less likely that an 8-8 team would make the playoffs.

 

i also think it make the division rivalries more exciting if you only played them once a year (except for 1 year out of 7), and only got them at home every other season. also, i like playing the other rust belt teams and we'd be guaranteed a chance to play them every year. the buff/pgh and buff/cleve rivalries should be cultivated by the nfl and this would help that happen.

 

this is hypothetical of course, but for one of those teams to get in with 7 or 8 wins while green bay sits home with 10 is STUPIDITY!

 

But i suppose you sell a tiny bit more merch to the fans of all those extra "divisional champions" each year so it's worth it for the nfl to water down the product by having 8 divisions.

 

why don't they just go all the way and have 16 divisions with 2 teams each and give all 16 division champions a playoff berth? it's only slightly more stupid than the system they have now and just think of the extra useless crap they could sell that has "Division Champions!!" printed on it.

 

But...the major sports all have these small divisions. Your plan goes against the entire logic many leagues have followed for years.

[jester43]

But...the major sports all have these small divisions. Your plan goes against the entire logic many leagues have followed for years.

yeah well their logic sucks ass.

[peteski]

It is unfair, but that is the way it goes.

Every team has a couple of goals during the year. The first goal is to win their division. If you take care of the division then you make the playoffs.

If we were in a weak division then we would love this rule, but we are stuck in a tough one.

Personally, I think you should be rewarded to win your division.

[NyQuil]

The division winner should get a playoff spot. However they should not get home field advantage against a team with a better record.

 

Four division winners and two wildcards. Have 1 and 2 get byes and then have 3-6 be arranged according to W-L and whatever tie breakers.

 

3v6 and 4v5. The lower seed advancing plays the conference leader and the other team plays #2.

[Cynical]

This is what I would like to see:

- Keep the divisions and scheduling system in place but when it comes to the playoffs:

Simply rank the conferences 1-6. 1 and 2 get a bye. 3 hosts 6 and 4 hosts 5.

If you win a division but don't qualify for the playoffs, too bad. Sell your fans the caps and tees, but try a little harder next year. That's as fair as it can get.

 

Then why bother having divisions?

[BLZFAN4LIFE]

The division winner should get a playoff spot. However they should not get home field advantage against a team with a better record.

 

Four division winners and two wildcards. Have 1 and 2 get byes and then have 3-6 be arranged according to W-L and whatever tie breakers.

 

3v6 and 4v5. The lower seed advancing plays the conference leader and the other team plays #2.

 

That would help, but still not solve the problem of a 10 or 11 win team sitting home while a much inferior squad makes the playoffs. The second season should be reserved for the very best teams in the conference and the current 4 division system doesn't assure that.

 

Then why bother having divisions?

 

Just for the purpose of keeping current rivalries intact.

[Captain Hindsight]

Then why bother having divisions?

Exactly without divisions i dont like football as much. It takes away from the imporatance of the Bills dolphins games or even the 49ers seahawks. The division play is a good thing and it should be kept as such

[BLZFAN4LIFE]

The Rams and Seahawks both lost by 14 yesterday meaning the best possible finish for one of these teams (they play each other in the final week) is 8-8. This will create 2 injustices under the current playoff system:

1. 2 teams with a better record (most likely G.B. & T.B.) will stay home while a .500 club advances.

2. The winner of the "who sucks the least" contest known as the NFC west will actually play host to a much better team (perhaps N.O.) in the wild card round. So, essentially this system is going to allow a mediocre team that doesn't even belong in the playoffs to host a playoff game.

This scenario is a bit of an aberration, but it does reveal a significant flaw in the system. The NFL should rearrange the format to ensure that the Conference's best 6 teams get in and host games based on their regular season performance. It' a no-brainer.

 

 

[Mr. WEO]

Exactly without divisions i dont like football as much. It takes away from the imporatance of the Bills dolphins games or even the 49ers seahawks. The division play is a good thing and it should be kept as such

The importance of Bills-Dolphins games was taken away years ago.

 

49ers-Seahawks? That's a rivalry?