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NFL reportedly mulling expanding the playoffs to 14 teams

Posted: Mon Sep 30, 2013 8:08 am
by dead_poet
The NFL's playoff field is fine as is, with 12 teams, six in each conference. Yet, the league seems intent on messing with it.

ESPN reported that the league is "urgently" discussing expanding the playoffs to 14 teams. Because the playoffs need to be watered down some more, apparently.

The real reason for this, of course, comes back to money. As part of this new scheduling proposal, the NFL would cut the preseason down to three games (great idea), but would need to make up that revenue somehow (of course) and the solution is another playoff team in each conference.


The report said that in a previous interview NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said it's unlikely any changes happen in 2014.

Perhaps that will give the league some time to reconsider making the NFL playoff field too bloated by adding a couple of barely-.500 teams to the mix.
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutd ... --nfl.html

Re: NFL reportedly mulling expanding the playoffs to 14 team

Posted: Mon Sep 30, 2013 8:33 am
by Hunter Morrow
Teams already make it in as 8-8.

I don't want the league to get into NBA territory where half the league makes the playoffs out of weak conferences and
divisions that they aren't even .500 in.

Re: NFL reportedly mulling expanding the playoffs to 14 team

Posted: Mon Sep 30, 2013 3:24 pm
by Mothman
This is a bad idea from any standpoint other than making money but that financial bottom line will probably determine whether they expand the playoffs or not. :(

Re: NFL reportedly mulling expanding the playoffs to 14 team

Posted: Wed Oct 02, 2013 4:46 am
by jackal
Bad idea ...

It makes regular season wins mean less

Re: NFL reportedly mulling expanding the playoffs to 14 team

Posted: Wed Oct 02, 2013 5:56 pm
by NDVikeFan
I kind of like it.

I have always kind of hated that 2 teams per conference get a bye. Being the best in the conference should make you the only team getting a bye. If your number 2, tough luck your playing the first week.

Would give you 6 games the first playoff weekend instead of just 4. The extra 2 games might not be very competive, as it would be the 2 seed vs. The 7 seed, but it's more football so I am not complaining.

With all this being said they must only goto 7 teams. 8 would water it down as that would mean half the teams would make the playoffs. But I think the top 7 out of 16 per Conference would work. Just my opinion though.

Re: NFL reportedly mulling expanding the playoffs to 14 team

Posted: Thu Oct 03, 2013 2:04 pm
by S197
Hate it. Yes, there will be times, like last year, when the Bears won 10 games and missed the playoffs but this is not the norm. Team's shouldn't be rewarded for being .500 or slightly over with a postseason spot.

Re: NFL reportedly mulling expanding the playoffs to 14 team

Posted: Thu Oct 03, 2013 3:31 pm
by Eli
As awful as it sounds, it can't possibly be worse than what they did to the MLB baseball playoffs. The two wildcards in each league play a freaking _one_ game playoff to determine who advances to the five-game division series.

I watched the Pirate/Reds game the other day. (I'm from the Pittsburgh area and how can you NOT root for a team that hasn't been in the playoffs for 21 years?) I found it ridiculous that they were busting out the champagne to celebrate after winning a stupid one game playoff round.

The saving grace to the NFL's proposal is that it doesn't add an additional round to the NFL playoffs. It would just mean one fewer division winner gets a bye in the first round. Oh, and it would also eliminate a preseason game, which is something that might even get me on board for adding two more teams to the playoffs.

Re: NFL reportedly mulling expanding the playoffs to 14 team

Posted: Sat Oct 05, 2013 12:53 pm
by PurpleHalo
I would rather revert back to 3 divisions, where you had the division winners all get rewarded with a week off, and you had 2 wild cards determine who would join the other 3.

Re: NFL reportedly mulling expanding the playoffs to 14 team

Posted: Sat Oct 05, 2013 1:13 pm
by Eli
PurpleHalo wrote:I would rather revert back to 3 divisions, where you had the division winners all get rewarded with a week off, and you had 2 wild cards determine who would join the other 3.
Which would reduce the number of playoff teams from 12 to 10 and eliminate two playoff games. Exactly the opposite of this proposal. That's never going happen.

I'd like to see the NFL return to a 14 game season. That's never going to happen.

I'd like to see the bye week eliminated. The only thing I like about the bye is that it gives teams returning from these stupid games in Europe a few extra days to rest. It gives banged up teams a chance to recuperate, but when some teams have a bye as late as week 12 and some as early as week 3, it's not something anyone can count on. How about giving everyone a bye after week 8? Yeah, right.

Eliminating the bye shouldn't affect the NFL's revenues much. It would, however, substantially impact gambling revenue. But, of course, we all know the NFL doesn't acknowledge the fact that billions of dollars are bet on NFL games each year.

I do like to see them seriously entertaining the idea of eliminating one preseason game, which would actually reduce the length of the season by a week.

Re: NFL reportedly mulling expanding the playoffs to 14 team

Posted: Sat Oct 05, 2013 1:45 pm
by PurpleMustReign
Eli wrote: Which would reduce the number of playoff teams from 12 to 10 and eliminate two playoff games. Exactly the opposite of this proposal. That's never going happen.

I'd like to see the NFL return to a 14 game season. That's never going to happen.

I'd like to see the bye week eliminated. The only thing I like about the bye is that it gives teams returning from these stupid games in Europe a few extra days to rest. It gives banged up teams a chance to recuperate, but when some teams have a bye as late as week 12 and some as early as week 3, it's not something anyone can count on. How about giving everyone a bye after week 8? Yeah, right.

Eliminating the bye shouldn't affect the NFL's revenues much. It would, however, substantially impact gambling revenue. But, of course, we all know the NFL doesn't acknowledge the fact that billions of dollars are bet on NFL games each year.

I do like to see them seriously entertaining the idea of eliminating one preseason game, which would actually reduce the length of the season by a week.
Unfortunately, Goodell is too intent on squeezing every last dollar out of the game than for making it more entertaining. I hate what he has done to the NFL. Hate it. Two games in London now? Trying to add a team in London (which, IMO is the STUPIDEST thing I have ever heard)? Expanding the playoffs to make them even more watered down than they already are? I miss Paul Tagliabue.

Re: NFL reportedly mulling expanding the playoffs to 14 team

Posted: Sat Oct 05, 2013 1:53 pm
by Eli
PurpleMustReign wrote:Unfortunately, Goodell is too intent on squeezing every last dollar out of the game than for making it more entertaining. I hate what he has done to the NFL. Hate it. Two games in London now? Trying to add a team in London (which, IMO is the STUPIDEST thing I have ever heard)? Expanding the playoffs to make them even more watered down than they already are? I miss Paul Tagliabue.
Goodell works for the owners. Don't discount the role of the player's union and the players and their agents who are intent upon squeezing every last dollar out of the game. They're also to blame.

Re: NFL reportedly mulling expanding the playoffs to 14 team

Posted: Sat Oct 05, 2013 11:48 pm
by viking_guy
i don't like the idea. what else are they going to mess with?

Re: NFL reportedly mulling expanding the playoffs to 14 team

Posted: Sun Oct 06, 2013 8:04 am
by PurpleHalo
Eli wrote: Which would reduce the number of playoff teams from 12 to 10 and eliminate two playoff games. Exactly the opposite of this proposal. That's never going happen.

I'd like to see the NFL return to a 14 game season. That's never going to happen.

I'd like to see the bye week eliminated. The only thing I like about the bye is that it gives teams returning from these stupid games in Europe a few extra days to rest. It gives banged up teams a chance to recuperate, but when some teams have a bye as late as week 12 and some as early as week 3, it's not something anyone can count on. How about giving everyone a bye after week 8? Yeah, right.

Eliminating the bye shouldn't affect the NFL's revenues much. It would, however, substantially impact gambling revenue. But, of course, we all know the NFL doesn't acknowledge the fact that billions of dollars are bet on NFL games each year.

I do like to see them seriously entertaining the idea of eliminating one preseason game, which would actually reduce the length of the season by a week.
Well if they continue to change all that was great with the NFL for the sake of more dollars they will lessen it's popularity. This game makes more than any other in the world, and Goodell seems hell bent on his #### ways of recreating it in his image, and expanding everything. I don't want the NBA or the NHL, there is a reason this game smokes them both. I lost interest in MLB because of what it has become, which is a watered down product.

I know they wont go backwards and have less playoff teams, but it is very stupid to include 7-9 cannon fodder teams in the tournament. There are 9-7 and 10-6 teams who have no shot at the Super Bowl. This is just more chance that some fodder team will get lucky one day and knock off the best team, that doesn't solve who the best team is.

Re: NFL reportedly mulling expanding the playoffs to 14 team

Posted: Sun Oct 06, 2013 8:06 am
by PurpleHalo
viking_guy wrote:i don't like the idea. what else are they going to mess with?
Everything! Thery are changing the best game in the world, because billions in revenue isn't enough. I'm sick of it!