Re-envisioning the NFL season format to be even better

[Flamma]

Some might like it, but having the regular season for seeding is almost like having the regular season for nothing. Besides the fight for the very top seeds, you'll have a bunch of meaningless games. It's like a warm up for the playoffs. As it is now we have a bunch of bad or meaningless games midway through the season. I could be wrong, but with nothing at stake, not much reason to watch the regular season.

 

[Flamma]

Completely reasonable question.

Answer: Still meat on the bone. Still money left on the table. And btw, let's realize please that this current weekend everyone is talking up the intrigue... why... because we don't ordinarily have this much going on for so many teams on the last weekend of the season... ie, historically this is a bar we rarely see reached.

A couple things here. As a fan, I'd rather the sport not be compromised for money. I realize it already has been, but that shouldn't be something a fan is interested in.

The intrigue is because something is on the line. Not so much if you're playing for 5th and 6th seed, let alone 11th and 12th. Tomorrow we might see the Rams take the day off and that might drop them from 6th to 7th. They don't care.

 

[erod]

Gawd awful.

What they really need to do is go back to three divisions in each conference and allow only one wild card team.

Get the undeserving trash out of the playoffs.

 

[_sturt_]

Really bad timing on my part to start this thread when we've got better things to talk about.

In my defense, if anyone cares... hehe... it came to mind as a direct result of all the talk going into Weekend 18 about how historically rare it is to have a last weekend with so much riding on so many games.

Bookmarked... will come back to this in off-season. For the record, it will be to further dig the grave of the naysayers' shallow objections, it really will.

Look. There's always an argument for standing pat if you're feeling kinda okay or even positive about current results... and there are instances where I've argued for exactly that. Some of us do seem to enjoy new for the sake of new, more than for the sake of reason.

In this case if you peruse it, you'll notice that every assertion I've made above remains stout... no one's debunking, everyone's either deflecting or being dismissive... and deflecting is a manipulation technique, not an argument... and dismissiveness is, well, just dismissiveness. Nothing more.

 

[JD_KaPow]

Really bad timing on my part to start this thread when we've got better things to talk about.

In my defense, if anyone cares... hehe... it came to mind as a direct result of all the talk going into Weekend 18 about how historically rare it is to have a last weekend with so much riding on so many games.

Bookmarked... will come back to this in off-season. For the record, it will be to further dig the grave of the naysayers' shallow objections, it really will.

Look. There's always an argument for standing pat if you're feeling kinda okay or even positive about current results... and there are instances where I've argued for exactly that. Some of us do seem to enjoy new for the sake of new, more than for the sake of reason.

In this case if you peruse it, you'll notice that every assertion I've made above remains stout... no one's debunking, everyone's either deflecting or being dismissive... and deflecting is a manipulation technique, not an argument... and dismissiveness is, well, just dismissiveness. Nothing more.

There's a fine line between confident and delusional.

You still haven't responded to the fact that your system pits #1s against #16s in the first round of the playoffs*, which the league would NEVER go for, and that your system would inevitably result in 5-12 type teams making deep runs in the playoffs, which everybody would despise and would make the league a laughing stock. But sure, if you completely ignore the obvious glaring flaws, your assertions are "stout."

*And again no, not 23-7 #16 seeds like in March Madness, these are 2-15 #16 seeds.

 

[_sturt_]

your system

It's not "my" system.

It's "a" system.

It doesn't matter who put it on the table, it only matters what is put on the table

(... albeit on an internet sports forum, one table amongst thousands, and a deficient one at that since there is no direct line from here to any decision-maker's desk... we all get that, including muah.)

pits #1s against #16s in the first round of the playoffs*

It's called a qualifier because that's what it is. Yes, there's a playoff aspect to it, but it's a hybrid because it effectively takes the place of what is currently a pre-determined regular season game that may or may not have any reason whatsoever for anyone to show up and care. None. It's as readily seen as a bonus home game for the 8 best teams. You're allergy to this is over the line... an overreaction. I say that, knowing that saying it only incenses you further. But hey... it's just one table amongst thousands. No one really cares anyway. I'm only posting it for the enjoyment of a substantive discussion to the degree I can draw others into one. By the way, again, that said, I do still appreciate your interest. Thanks.

which the league would NEVER go for,

Says you. And that's fine.

would inevitably result in 5-12 type teams making deep runs in the playoffs

Thought 1... "Deep?" It's not March Madness... this is not actually that much different than the playoff format we currently have in terms of the middle. It only creates a different front end, and the big prize is, we get, not just a Super Bowl, but what amounts to a Super Bowl Tournament between the 4 best teams, and the potential for an grander grand finale.

Thought 2... Even if it were March Madness... to the friggin contrary (!)... people love to see upsets, love to see Cinderellas... that's an interesting story.

And again

And again again... I'm punting on the topic. We have better things to talk about for now.

 

[JD_KaPow]

Thought 1... "Deep?" It's not March Madness... this is not actually that much different than the playoff format we currently have in terms of the middle. It only creates a different front end, and the big prize is, we get, not just a Super Bowl, but what amounts to a Super Bowl Tournament between the 4 best teams, and the potential for an grander grand finale.

Thought 2... Even if it were March Madness... to the friggin contrary (!)... people love to see upsets, love to see Cinderellas... that's an interesting story.

There you go again, saying "the best 4 teams," when your system (and yes, it's your system, since you conceived it and you're the only person who thinks it's a good idea) is designed to make it very unlikely it will be the best 4 teams.

And you're still dodging the fact that the "Cinderellas" we're talking about here would be 2-13, not 23-7, and no, people would not want to see that, nor would they want to see, say, a 6-9 or 5-10 team make it to the final four.

 

[_sturt_]

@JD_KaPow ... I didn't read what you wrote, because I know if I do, I will just feel prompted again to reply. Will come back to it later... hopefully sometime next month after everyone's done celebrating the big achievement.

 

[Pola_pe_a]

Terrible. Makes the regular season meaningless. The end of the year games would be garbage since there’s nothing to play for. And potentially two Super Bowl weeks? That’s even more ridiculous.

 

[Flamma]

Gawd awful.

What they really need to do is go back to three divisions in each conference and allow only one wild card team.

Get the undeserving trash out of the playoffs.

I agree. I liked it when they had 3 divisions and 2 wildcards at most. Then have a wildcard weekend. Even just one wildcard is good. I miss the days when making the playoffs was a celebration by itself. Now it's so watered down that making the playoffs is no big deal.

 

[_sturt_]

Okay, okay. I'll say this much, but only this much for now.

Complaining is just complaining. It's not an argument.

Dismissiveness is just dismissiveness. It's not an argument.

Argument done legitimately involves offering substance in support of conclusions, and/or debunking the other person's substance in support of his/her conclusions.

Bottom line, anyone is entitled to their opinion... anyone is entitled to feel strongly their preferences are better preferences. You, me, anyone. The support for the Super Bowl Tournament concept presented rests on the idea that the NFL and its fans benefit from slightly more post season, slightly less regular season, and the elimination of games in the last month of the season that matter absolutely nothing.

 

[JustChip]

In exchange for that, the pay off is that no team has to endure 1-3 pointless home games every season as a consequence of being eliminated from playoffs

Mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, yes, but that isn’t going to change how fans feel about the games or their teams. Would Panther fans really be that enthused knowing their crappy team would be playing SF on the road?

Fans want to see good football, not horrible. Thursday Night games get criticized because most games produce substandard, often immensely so, games.

 

[_sturt_]

Would Panther fans really be that enthused knowing their crappy team would be playing SF on the road?

There's an answer to that.

Fans want to see good football, not horrible. Thursday Night games get criticized because most games produce substandard, often immensely so, games.

That, too... and even substantial agreement.

But it can wait.