NFL playoffs

[S2M]

In Bill Simmon's column today he brings up a GREAT point. is it fair for a 10-6 team to miss the playoffs due to not winning it's division, but a crappy team from the NFC West getting in with an 8-8 record?

Are you ready for a sub .500 playoff team?

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmonsnfl2010/100924

[YoungJRNY]

I think the NFL system is set up perfectly. I think that's the nature of this game, which is first in foremost winning your DIVISION over anything. That's a great setup. What if a DIVISION WINNER goes 10-6, but yet, a second place team in another division goes 11-5? What do you do then? Pit the 2nd place team over the division winner? I don't like that. Win the division or else stay at home if your record isn't good enough for a Wild Card. Teams have 2 cracks at each team in their division. It's fair.

[S2M]

I think the NFL system is set up perfectly. I think that's the nature of this game, which is first in foremost winning your DIVISION over anything. That's a great setup. What if a DIVISION WINNER goes 10-6, but yet, a second place team in another division goes 11-5? What do you do then? Pit the 2nd place team over the division winner? I don't like that. Win the division or else stay at home if your record isn't good enough for a Wild Card. Teams have 2 cracks at each team in their division. It's fair.

IMHO...I think the playoffs should be ranked like the NBA....top 8 teams in each conference make playoffs. No wild card. 1 plays 8, 2 plays 7....etc. its the only FAIR way....If a team wins a division with a record of 8-8, and there are 8 teams with better records...well tough shit for that NFL West team....go play golf.

Also....win-loss matters most for home field. If a wild card team has better record, then the game is played in their stadium....no way an 8-8 division winner gets home field over an 11-2 wild card team....no way.

[RedWingFan]

I think the NFL system is set up perfectly. I think that's the nature of this game, which is first in foremost winning your DIVISION over anything. That's a great setup. What if a DIVISION WINNER goes 10-6, but yet, a second place team in another division goes 11-5? What do you do then? Pit the 2nd place team over the division winner? I don't like that. Win the division or else stay at home if your record isn't good enough for a Wild Card. Teams have 2 cracks at each team in their division. It's fair.

IMHO...I think the playoffs should be ranked like the NBA....top 8 teams in each conference make playoffs. No wild card. 1 plays 8, 2 plays 7....etc. its the only FAIR way....If a team wins a division with a record of 8-8, and there are 8 teams with better records...well tough shit for that NFL West team....go play golf.

Also....win-loss matters most for home field. If a wild card team has better record, then the game is played in their stadium....no way an 8-8 division winner gets home field over an 11-2 wild card team....no way.

Doesn't an NBA team who wins the division automatically qualify for the playoffs, no matter what their record?
Or does David Stern tell them to go play golf?

[Don]

Remember the 2008 Chargers?
The first team in NFL history to actually go an entire season without having a winning record until after the first round of the playoffs, where they improved to 9-8 by beating the Colts.

[S2M]

I think the NFL system is set up perfectly. I think that's the nature of this game, which is first in foremost winning your DIVISION over anything. That's a great setup. What if a DIVISION WINNER goes 10-6, but yet, a second place team in another division goes 11-5? What do you do then? Pit the 2nd place team over the division winner? I don't like that. Win the division or else stay at home if your record isn't good enough for a Wild Card. Teams have 2 cracks at each team in their division. It's fair.

IMHO...I think the playoffs should be ranked like the NBA....top 8 teams in each conference make playoffs. No wild card. 1 plays 8, 2 plays 7....etc. its the only FAIR way....If a team wins a division with a record of 8-8, and there are 8 teams with better records...well tough shit for that NFL West team....go play golf.

Also....win-loss matters most for home field. If a wild card team has better record, then the game is played in their stadium....no way an 8-8 division winner gets home field over an 11-2 wild card team....no way.

Doesn't an NBA team who wins the division automatically qualify for the playoffs, no matter what their record?
Or does David Stern tell them to go play golf?

If you have to ask, you know nothing about the NBA....


http://espn.go.com/nba/standings

http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/group/3

[RedWingFan]

I think the NFL system is set up perfectly. I think that's the nature of this game, which is first in foremost winning your DIVISION over anything. That's a great setup. What if a DIVISION WINNER goes 10-6, but yet, a second place team in another division goes 11-5? What do you do then? Pit the 2nd place team over the division winner? I don't like that. Win the division or else stay at home if your record isn't good enough for a Wild Card. Teams have 2 cracks at each team in their division. It's fair.

IMHO...I think the playoffs should be ranked like the NBA....top 8 teams in each conference make playoffs. No wild card. 1 plays 8, 2 plays 7....etc. its the only FAIR way....If a team wins a division with a record of 8-8, and there are 8 teams with better records...well tough shit for that NFL West team....go play golf.

Also....win-loss matters most for home field. If a wild card team has better record, then the game is played in their stadium....no way an 8-8 division winner gets home field over an 11-2 wild card team....no way.

Doesn't an NBA team who wins the division automatically qualify for the playoffs, no matter what their record?
Or does David Stern tell them to go play golf?

If you have to ask, you know nothing about the NBA....
http://espn.go.com/nba/standings

I'm proud to know nothing of the NBA. Stopped following when they decide to let Shaq back himself under the basket for dunks no matter how many defenders he plowed over that had position. Stupid sport.

[Don]

I think the NFL system is set up perfectly. I think that's the nature of this game, which is first in foremost winning your DIVISION over anything. That's a great setup. What if a DIVISION WINNER goes 10-6, but yet, a second place team in another division goes 11-5? What do you do then? Pit the 2nd place team over the division winner? I don't like that. Win the division or else stay at home if your record isn't good enough for a Wild Card. Teams have 2 cracks at each team in their division. It's fair.

IMHO...I think the playoffs should be ranked like the NBA....top 8 teams in each conference make playoffs. No wild card. 1 plays 8, 2 plays 7....etc. its the only FAIR way....If a team wins a division with a record of 8-8, and there are 8 teams with better records...well tough shit for that NFL West team....go play golf.

Also....win-loss matters most for home field. If a wild card team has better record, then the game is played in their stadium....no way an 8-8 division winner gets home field over an 11-2 wild card team....no way.

Doesn't an NBA team who wins the division automatically qualify for the playoffs, no matter what their record?
Or does David Stern tell them to go play golf?

Speaking of the NTA, I love the expanded technical foul rules.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5609817

[lights1961]

In Bill Simmon's column today he brings up a GREAT point. is it fair for a 10-6 team to miss the playoffs due to not winning it's division, but a crappy team from the NFC West getting in with an 8-8 record?

Are you ready for a sub .500 playoff team?

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmonsnfl2010/100924

THATS WHY THE NFL ROCKS MORE THAN ANY OTHER LEAGUE...winning DIVISION IS MOST IMPORTANT... being a wild card doesnt mean squat... even if you have an 10-6 record you still have to go on the road to prove that you really are an 11-5 team that can beat a divisional winner even if that team was 9-7... or even 8-8...remember some divisons are very week... thats why you would have two teams in 1st or 2nd place at 11-5 and 10-6...

[S2M]

In Bill Simmon's column today he brings up a GREAT point. is it fair for a 10-6 team to miss the playoffs due to not winning it's division, but a crappy team from the NFC West getting in with an 8-8 record?

Are you ready for a sub .500 playoff team?

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmonsnfl2010/100924

THATS WHY THE NFL ROCKS MORE THAN ANY OTHER LEAGUE...winning DIVISION IS MOST IMPORTANT... being a wild card doesnt mean squat... even if you have an 10-6 record you still have to go on the road to prove that you really are an 11-5 team that can beat a divisional winner even if that team was 9-7... or even 8-8...remember some divisons are very week... thats why you would have two teams in 1st or 2nd place at 11-5 and 10-6...

If winning your division was most important there wouldn't BE any wild card. You either win your division, or go home. You'd have AFC: North, South, East, West....and same for NFC. 4 winners per conference. seeded 1-4. 1 plays 4, 2 plays 3....the only other FAIR way. That is if division winners really ARE the most important.

[YoungJRNY]

In Bill Simmon's column today he brings up a GREAT point. is it fair for a 10-6 team to miss the playoffs due to not winning it's division, but a crappy team from the NFC West getting in with an 8-8 record?

Are you ready for a sub .500 playoff team?

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmonsnfl2010/100924

THATS WHY THE NFL ROCKS MORE THAN ANY OTHER LEAGUE...winning DIVISION IS MOST IMPORTANT... being a wild card doesnt mean squat... even if you have an 10-6 record you still have to go on the road to prove that you really are an 11-5 team that can beat a divisional winner even if that team was 9-7... or even 8-8...remember some divisons are very week... thats why you would have two teams in 1st or 2nd place at 11-5 and 10-6...

If winning your division was most important there wouldn't BE any wild card. You either win your division, or go home. You'd have AFC: North, South, East, West....and same for NFC. 4 winners per conference. seeded 1-4. 1 plays 4, 2 plays 3....the only other FAIR way. That is if division winners really ARE the most important.

Every teams response to the upcomming season is this : Win that next game, beat your division opponents, win the division and worry about the playoffs later. It's all about winning the division and going from there.

[Jonny B]

What I wonder, if winning the division is so important, then why only 6 division games out of 16? Why not up and ante and make it 9 games out of 16? That way, it's justified that winning the division is more important than the overall team record.

[conversationpc]

Teams that do not have a winning record should not make the playoffs, in my opinion, even if they have won their division. The only thing it means in that case is that you were able to win your division by beating a bunch of weak-ass teams.