JoeSixPat

This tongue in cheek story aside, I can't help but wonder if the Eagles are making a strategic decision to rest McNabb this week. As Mike Florio recently noted "It's not like Philly is going to win at Gillette Stadium with him; the team will be better off if he sits one out and then is available for the stretch run."



***BREAKING NEWS***

JETS ANNOUNCE "STRATEGIC FORFEIT" AGAINST PATRIOTS

November 23,2007 - Hempstead, NY - New York Jets officials today announced that they would forfeit the their upcoming game against the New England Patriots scheduled to take place next month in Foxboro, MA. Jets Coach Eric Mangini justified the unprecedented move to abandon the December 16th game by suggesting it is in the team's best interest to do so.

"Really, when you think about it, what's the point?" said Mangini, once referred to as fans as "Mangenius" though now more often heard referred to as "MangIdiot" within the Meadowlands. "We already know we're going to lose - and chances are we're going to lose badly, with the team humiliated and any confidence we have left destroyed. The odds-makers are already predicting we'll be 30-40 point underdogs, potentially putting us in the record books as the most over-matched team ever."

"The best thing we can do is simply stay home, get some rest, prepare for our game against the Titans, and hold onto what little is left of our dignity," concluded Mangini.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/footb...82549139_x.htm[/

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pwes

Please excuse my ignorance but can a team actually refuse to play if they choose to do so, thus forfeiting the game?

QuiGon

I would imagine there would be some serious financial consequences to any team that actually refused to play a game.

pwes

Man I'm an Idiot. I didn't even think about that.

JoeSixPat

No - at least not without some serious financial ramifications... which is why I say "defacto" forfeits, resting key players who would otherwise be ok to play, if the game "counted" strategically to them.

It'd be much wiser, some would say, for the Eagles to put in backups in this game and give guys a rest for the stretch run.

Honestly we've been doing that ourselves... as tough as everyone's been on Maroney I think its accepted that if the Pats were in a must win situation he'd have been available for many of those games he missed. Better to let him rest and heal.

The only problem is in our case we're willingly not playing at full speed still expecting to win, whereas the other team strategically is not putting their best team on the field as a strategic forfeit of sort.

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RobAllan

You know if someone wanted to screw us, they could take a fine and forfeit. Can you imagine a perfect 15-0 season with the asterisk of a forfeit? Frankly, this would be a brilliant move. Either the Dolphins or the Jets should do this.

I hope they don't.

Pawn512

Its a serious breach of contract for an NFL team to unilaterally forfeit a game. The network in question would have ample grounds for a lawsuit. The fine would be well into the millions plus the team would be opening itself up to a bigtime litigation exposure.

QuiGon

Well, I'd imagine the ticket holders would get a full refund to any game that wasn't played... so that would be what...? Between $5 and $10 million...? I imagine the team the didn't show up would be on the hook for the full amount.

That's what you call cutting off your nose to spite your face.

JoeSixPat

If the Miami Generals choose to do that I guess we couldn't stop them... 15-0 is still better than 14-0... in typical Miami fashion they'd probably wind up with an asterisk themselves to make clear the limited number of wins they had.

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FrontSeven

Brilliant? Who said that? There is a such thing as TV commitments and commitments to honor the tickets sold, as well as not give the 16th game away, asterisk or no asterisk.

It would screw up the record books for all players who failed to play. Brilliant!

It would cost more money in fines than you or I will ever make in our lives put together.

I rather think that finding a way to make it rain in the desert would be brilliant. I'd find another word to describe failing to make a commitment in the big money world.

How about all the bookmaker money that they have give back? Hahaha, right, a few hundred million dollars given back to the rightful owners - great idea.

To say nothing of the fans who bought tickets to travel here for nothing. I'll give them your phone number.