Vikings Message Board.Com

Yes, technically, the New York Giants remain alive in the NFC East race. But in 2013, all that means is that they haven't folded the franchise. In few cases throughout history would a team three games under .500 with seven to play -- and 1.5 games back of two teams against which it's a combined 1-2 -- have legitimate cause for hope. But in this year's NFC East, everyone gets to hope because no one's any good and the rules say someone has to win it.

For fans of the division's teams, this is fine. If you root for the Giants (3-6) or the Redskins (3-6) or the Eagles (5-5) or the Cowboys (5-5), and you care about nothing but your own team's results, it's great. Just get into the playoffs and anything can happen. Who cares that you were 9-7 or 8-8 or even 7-9, as the NFC West champion Seahawks were in 2010. If you get in, you have a shot, and that's all that matters.

But when you step back and examine the NFL as a whole, the NFC East represents pretty much everything that's wrong with the league in 2013. And it is nothing about which to feel proud, excited or encouraged.

Neither offense produced a touchdown when the Giants and Eagles met on Oct. 27.

Creeping mediocrity is one of the NFL's great unacknowledged problems. The league has assigned it a more innocuous word, "parity," and people have bought into it because people buy everything the NFL sells. "Parity" in NFL parlance means everyone has a chance. Someone who finished in last place last year will finish in first this year. Four or five new teams make the 12-team playoff field every season. Round and round it goes, and it's supposedly exciting because you never know what might happen.

The problem is that, rather than push its players and teams toward greatness, this concept draws too many of them gravitationally toward a mediocre middle ground, where poorly played games between backup quarterbacks too often end up too significant. George Will wrote that "Sports serve society by providing vivid examples of excellence." But in this regard, the NFL increasingly fails

Crax wrote:I prefer the system where everyone has a chance. I absolutely hate the current college FB system where a single road loss on a bad day suddenly eliminates you from even having a chance. It sounds like he'd rather have the BCS system in the NFL where the 2 or 4 teams with the best record and/or writer/computer anking play each other and that's it. No thanks.

dead_poet wrote:Interesting piece on the perception (or reality?) of NFL slowly working its way to mediocrity. Worth the whole read (excerpt below):

Creeping mediocrity is one of the NFL's great unacknowledged problems. The league has assigned it a more innocuous word, "parity," and people have bought into it because people buy everything the NFL sells. "Parity" in NFL parlance means everyone has a chance. Someone who finished in last place last year will finish in first this year. Four or five new teams make the 12-team playoff field every season. Round and round it goes, and it's supposedly exciting because you never know what might happen.

The problem is that, rather than push its players and teams toward greatness, this concept draws too many of them gravitationally toward a mediocre middle ground, where poorly played games between backup quarterbacks too often end up too significant.

Eli wrote:I continue to say that if you want to field a better product: Reduce the number of teams and reduce the number of games played per season.

dead_poet wrote: The funny part is, there have been serious talks about doing the exact opposite.

Valhalla wrote:2 years ago, people were worried if the NFC West would have a division winner with a winning record. Maybe it goes in cycles. Not a big deal.

PurpleHalo wrote: Didn't someone win the NFC west like 4 years ago with a 7-9 record?