Maybe unpopular opinion here on practice squads and the playoffs

[BeyondTheProcess]

I am going to guess that the move to an 18 game season with two byes may also include doing away with the first round no 1 record playoff bye 

 

I am also guessing that "college" footballs' lock on Friday and Saturday nights  is going away sooner rather than later.   I have to believe the players union will want Thursday night football to go away (plus 2 byes)  in return for an 18 game schedule . 

Edited January 15 by ProcessTruster

[BeyondTheProcess]

13 hours ago, Shortchaz said:

I like 8 playoff teams with everyone getting a bye

I hear ya, but there is no way the networks will agree to a dark weekend ... just no way.  It's just not negotiable IMHO

[Mr. WEO]

or rest the starters?

[Cash]

18 hours ago, dollars 2 donuts said:

 

 

 

Respect to all of you and thank you gentlemen, but just to add a little bit more and make the case.

 

Football is not a contact sport.  Football is a collision sport.  High impact and damage, sometimes intended and even if it isn't but does occur, oh well, drink milk.

 

That said it is a whole lot...a whole freaking lot to have one team not only have HFA, but they get pass.  I believe in advantages, but I do not believe in passes.  

 

I would sacrifice the week off for everybody as long as EVERYBODY plays in round 1.  That ground should be even.  

 

 

 

I hear ya when you say that the bye week is too big a reward for the 1 seed.  Maybe it is - I'm not sure either way.  But I think your proposal is too little a reward for the 1 seed.  The regular season should matter.  Part of the reason they went to 7 playoff teams is that the top teams stopped caring about whether they were the 1 or 2 seed, because the difference didn't really come into play until the conference championship.  The NFL wants teams to care about winning the conference in the regular season.

 

Take this year as an example: The 8 seed could've been Lamar and the Ravens, or in a slightly different timeline could've been an uninjured Mahomes and the Chiefs.  Even if it was the garbage Colts or someone like that, every NFL team can beat every other NFL team.  That's one of the reasons I prefer the NFL over college football.  

 

I think if the NFL implemented your 8-team proposal, veteran teams (like the Bills this year!) wouldn't care much about seeding.  You'd still of course rather have a home game than a road game, so teams would care.  But I think you'd see perverse outcomes under this model.  Similar things happened in the NBA.  They had to add the play-in games because contenders were only interested in finishing the regular season top 8, rather than trying hard for the highest possible seed.

[colin]

17 hours ago, Don Otreply said:

Maybe with eighteen game seasons we go to 57 man game day rosters for the entire season, with those additional PS call ups DTD was suggesting during the playoffs, players union would get behind that I would think…,

 

this is the simple and obvious solution.

 

the nfl has more games now, more games off of short weeks (thursday), and soooooo much more travel with the international games.

 

there should just be bigger rosters.  it seems like there are lots of barely on team/practice squad guys who perform well when called up.  teams should be able to just roster a few of these guys in the case of injuries and what not.

[colin]

17 hours ago, Don Otreply said:

Maybe with eighteen game seasons we go to 57 man game day rosters for the entire season, with those additional PS call ups DTD was suggesting during the playoffs, players union would get behind that I would think…,

 

this is the simple and obvious solution.

 

the nfl has more games now, more games off of short weeks (thursday), and soooooo much more travel with the international games.

 

there should just be bigger rosters.  it seems like there are lots of barely on team/practice squad guys who perform well when called up.  teams should be able to just roster a few of these guys in the case of injuries and what not.

[Livinginthepast]

18 hours ago, dollars 2 donuts said:

OK, even in advance I know this is self serving for the Bills and Bills fans, but it doesn't change the fact that I think these are two particular right and helpful moves.

 

Allow teams to have 5-7 call ups from the practice squad in the last 2-3 weeks of the season.

 

This just in: the League makes money...a lot of it.  Additionally, we know they want to expand by at least one more game shortly.  In that instance you see the League go to a 20 week season and I would be fine with it.  However, injuries, especially late in the season, are still a problem ad especially for teams you are going to be counting on for ratings during the playoffs.  Therefore, give at least a little bit of your inventory of players (cash cows) a break.  Maybe this should just be the last two weeks of the season, but teams generally know where they are in the playoff hunt and such a move as letting more players come up give a real possible rest bit for teams to at least lick their wounds and getting ready for the post season.  For the lesser teams (I'm looking at you, Raiders) you get an opportunity to tryout some of your younger, prospective talent in real games.  This maybe would have come in handy for the Bills against the Jets.

 

Simple Home Field Advantage is enough of a reward...expand the playoffs to 8 teams and give all teams two weeks off before the playoffs start.

 

This League rewards first place too much.  Enough.  You are going to be home all the way through the playoffs.  You are going to get two weeks off, as well.  However, everyone else should, too.  It is ridiculous (yeah, I said it) to put teams through a meat grinder, especially as we have now with no break.  It doesn't help the level play at all for the divisional round, regardless of whether you lose 2 WRs or not.  Finish the season, give everybody a break, and then EVERYBODY plays.  Your special, top conference team, but not that special.  There is a reward and then there is just unfair.  I think the NFL is unfair with this and besides baseball where attrition is a little bit different and less taxing NO OTHER SPORT DOES IT.  If you want work something out with the NCAA where the Semi Finals are during the week after the ending of the NFL season and then the Championship a week before the Super Bowl, I don't care...leave it if you want to, but I think it would be beneficial to both the paid NFL Minor (NCAA) and the paid NFL Major Leagues.

 

Just my Dollars to Donuts.

 

Go Bills!

 

 

I like the first point. I think football, especially in the last decade has been an incredibly violent sport where life altering injuries happen too often. Teams should have access to more players, bigger active rosters, more substitutions  and save them either in game or by resting them outright in certain weeks. If you watch football from the past, you start to realize that tackling has now become secondary to blowing up people on massive collisions. The hit on Gabe Davis is a good example. No need to hit him there to stop him, just could have been a tackled. But that doesnt work in the league mentality today.  There has to be some sort of correction from the league to stop these injuries, the dirty and violent hits etc.

[Don Otreply]

2 minutes ago, Livinginthepast said:

I like the first point. I think football, especially in the last decade has been an incredibly violent sport where life altering injuries happen too often. Teams should have access to more players, bigger active rosters, more substitutions  and save them either in game or by resting them outright in certain weeks. If you watch football from the past, you start to realize that tackling has now become secondary to blowing up people on massive collisions. The hit on Gabe Davis is a good example. No need to hit him there to stop him, just could have been a tackled. But that doesnt work in the league mentality today.  There has to be some sort of correction from the league to stop these injuries, the dirty and violent hits etc.

Those sort of hits stop very quickly with new rules and substantial consequences for those that don’t comply. 
the thing is that the league/ owners won’t go for it. 

[dollars 2 donuts]

1 hour ago, Cash said:

 

I hear ya when you say that the bye week is too big a reward for the 1 seed.  Maybe it is - I'm not sure either way.  But I think your proposal is too little a reward for the 1 seed.  The regular season should matter.  Part of the reason they went to 7 playoff teams is that the top teams stopped caring about whether they were the 1 or 2 seed, because the difference didn't really come into play until the conference championship.  The NFL wants teams to care about winning the conference in the regular season.

 

Take this year as an example: The 8 seed could've been Lamar and the Ravens, or in a slightly different timeline could've been an uninjured Mahomes and the Chiefs.  Even if it was the garbage Colts or someone like that, every NFL team can beat every other NFL team.  That's one of the reasons I prefer the NFL over college football.  

 

I think if the NFL implemented your 8-team proposal, veteran teams (like the Bills this year!) wouldn't care much about seeding.  You'd still of course rather have a home game than a road game, so teams would care.  But I think you'd see perverse outcomes under this model.  Similar things happened in the NBA.  They had to add the play-in games because contenders were only interested in finishing the regular season top 8, rather than trying hard for the highest possible seed.

 

 

Cash, good points and I am willing to be fluid about anything.

 

I think it is impossible to go to two weeks for everybody and then 7 teams because no way are the giving the Conference Champs 3 weeks.

 

Personally, I just think it is what 8 is at anytime and in almost any sport...a nothing burger.  Regardless of any flaws the Broncos may or may not have they would have rolled over an 8-9 Ravens team.  Same with Seattle even over Tampa, a team that was something like 2-7 down the stretch.

 

I just will continue to die on the hill that NFL Football Conference Champions are given way to much benefit of their position, especially in a sport that is so collision oriented.

 

Go Bills!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 15 by dollars 2 donuts