1st Ammendment NoMas Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 If the NFL wants parity and balance, I think it is time we dump the divisional schedules playing each team 2x and go to a wider conference schedule where you play 12 conference games and 4 out of conference games. There are really no old time rivalries and with players moving teams, nobody really builds long time chemistry to root for a team and a core of players. Back in the '70's, '80's and '90's it worked but the modern NFL is a different animal. Outside of the Patsies and Brady, no other team has had a long term identity, especially a winning one. Brees in NO? Eh... Manning had his run in Indy, then went to Denver so allegiances switched. It doesn't benefit teams stuck in strong divisions that may miss the playoffs because they have 6 tough games as opposed to 6 easy ones. I'm ready for a change. Are you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
What a Tuel Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 How would the schedule work? Wouldn't someone still get the "easy" games? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Goodell Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 The NFL always appreciates feedback and ideas from our fans, but at this time we are not contemplating any realignment of the current division structure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragonborn10 Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 I like it. Do away with division winners with 7-9 or 8-8 records getting home playoff games against WC teams at 10-6. Also gets the teams to visit other cities more often. NFL fans especially from the North East have migrated South and West for decades. Huge fan bases for these teams out west especially. I would tweak the proposal and go 10 AFC and 6 NFC games a year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Vader Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 No Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virgil Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 It needs to change. 4 team divisions are dumb and less than a quarter of the league has a true rival. Either that, or re-align based off of geography. We should be playing Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh every year. Those will develop into rivalries and will be easier sells because the fans will travel. You can still schedule the cowboys, giants, and skins against each other, but it doesn't have to be twice a year. Best 6 should get in from the conference. Don't need to play any team potentially 3 times with the playoffs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iinii Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 If the NFL wants parity and balance, I think it is time we dump the divisional schedules playing each team 2x and go to a wider conference schedule where you play 12 conference games and 4 out of conference games. There are really no old time rivalries and with players moving teams, nobody really builds long time chemistry to root for a team and a core of players. Back in the '70's, '80's and '90's it worked but the modern NFL is a different animal. Outside of the Patsies and Brady, no other team has had a long term identity, especially a winning one. Brees in NO? Eh... Manning had his run in Indy, then went to Denver so allegiances switched. It doesn't benefit teams stuck in strong divisions that may miss the playoffs because they have 6 tough games as opposed to 6 easy ones. I'm ready for a change. Are you? Totally! Play everyone in your conference. 15 game season would give a very accurate assessment of who the best teams are. Top 8 get in the playoffs which makes up for the lost game and Super Bowl makes 19. Make the bye week one week for each conference making it much more fair in that regards also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papazoid Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 31 weeks...play everybody once double the roster to 106 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCBongo Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 That's how the NHL does it! I think divisions still could be fun but we need to break our own attachments. Think about the Bills in the AFC North with 2 games a year against Pittsburgh and Cleveland, similar cities about 300 +/- miles from Buffalo. That is how you build rivalries; sadly memories of 'Squish the Fish' are more meaningful than recent games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
May Day 10 Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 I have been in favor of this awhile. I like: 4 conferences, 8 teams.. play each team once, but pair up 1 vs 2, 3 vs 4 and so on for one extra game. Play 4 games vs your other afc conference... then 2 vs each nfc one Im sick of miami, ne, and the jets taking up like 40% of the schedule every season. Its boring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyC81 Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 It needs to change. 4 team divisions are dumb and less than a quarter of the league has a true rival. Either that, or re-align based off of geography. We should be playing Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh every year. Those will develop into rivalries and will be easier sells because the fans will travel. You can still schedule the cowboys, giants, and skins against each other, but it doesn't have to be twice a year. Best 6 should get in from the conference. Don't need to play any team potentially 3 times with the playoffs. I agree with some of this. I liked the 5 team divisions because, playing the other 4 teams twice each, half of the 16 game schedule were divisional games. I also think they need to realign the divisions. Indianapolis should not be in the South division. Move Miami to the South. New York, New England and Baltimore are all on the coast so they should be in the same division and probably with Philadelphia and/or Washington. Why do they have to stick with the AFC and NFC conferences? Why not have them also be geographical like the NBA, with Eastern and Western conferences? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhitewalkerInPhilly Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 Something like this. Every year it seems like one really good or exciting team gets left out of the playoffs. Less so this year less so with Mariota going down, but the Titans and Bucs were knocking on the door and instead you got the Texans vs a Derek Carr-less Raiders and the Patriots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty McFly Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 The NFL always appreciates feedback and ideas from our fans, but at this time we are not contemplating any realignment of the current division structure. Goodell has a troll account on here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasons1992 Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 31 weeks...play everybody once double the roster to 106 So nearly as long as NASCAR? I don't think many marriages will last if that's the case, unless everyone likes football. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Wagon Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 I think this is a very innovative idea that I enjoy. My tweak....it seems 18 games is an inevitability, hopefully eliminating the preseason in the process. I would love to see a 15 game conference schedule, where every team plays every other team once, combined with rotating 3 game cross conference matchups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanC883 Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 Yes!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
May Day 10 Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 (edited) I would like it if they went with 4 conferences Lambeau Shula Buffalo Houston Cleveland Miami Pittsburgh Jacksonville Detroit Tampa Bay Cincinnati Carolina Chicago New Orleans Minnesota Atlanta Green Bay Tennessee Parcells Walsh New England Denver NY Giants Los Angeles Rams Washington Seattle Philadelphia Kansas City Baltimore Oakland Dallas San Francisco Indianapolis Los Angeles Chargers NY Jets Arizona It is treated more like NCAA football. Play each Division team 1x. rotate home/away year to year. Pair up 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 for an extra Divisional game to make 8 Divisional games. It would also keep teams at the top of the Division duking it out once more each season so you wouldnt lose the 'situational' rivalries that pop up. Then 4 from your other conference Division with typical home/away rotation, and 2/2 from each Division from the other conference with typical home/away rotation. Conference winners get byes. #2 and #3 in each division play in the wildcard round. Then play for the conference championships and re-seed for the final 4. Edited January 13, 2017 by May Day 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah John Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 The league and the owners believe the long-standing rivalries are good for keeping fan interest up. The Bills and Dolphins are in the same division because Ralph Wilson considered them as established rivals (memories of the 70s stuck around). A more regional rivalry would make sense but it isn't going to happen. Also the NFL is convinced that winning a division is big deal. Or at least, they want it to be a big deal. And it does keep the competition interest going late into the season even when all four teams have losing records. One of them will sneak into the playoffs, even at 8-8 or even 7-9. Anything to sell tickets and commercials. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAJBobby Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 Comes up every year. No thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. WEO Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 This thread is like groundhog day. Comes around over and over--was only a few weeks ago last time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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