Brady_to_Moss

Should they change the playoff system to go just based on record? Either the Pats or the Jets are going to get shafted here by having a say 12-4 team go to play a team at their field that is 9-7 or 10-6...to me that just sounds messed up. Whats your take?

D-Money

Lets hope its not us.That jet game might be our season.The jets are still undefeated in the division and losing that game would be like being 2 games back.

I think they definetly should take a look at it although i doubt they would change it.The chargers might win the division at 9-7 but they arent a 9-7 team.

Sicilian

As long as a league plays an unbalanced schedule (aka, more games against teams within your division), you have to reward the division winners.

aluminum seats

This comes up periodically, then thankfully goes away. The division structure is great--creates rivalries, heightened importance of certain games, etc. It's cyclical how good the divisions are; it's just the nature of the beast. I didn't bat an eye when the Pats didn't get in w/the 11-5 record--all teams know the deal from the get-go. Teams that complain are whining crybaby losers.

__________________
"So I'm going to throw myself against the wall...
'Cause I'd rather feel bad than not feel anything at all."

Deus Irae

It's bad enough that they are screwing with overtime in the playoffs. Let's not have them completely screw the entire playoffs by changing to a straight record system.

__________________
"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane."
- Marcus Aurelius

Disco Volante

No, it's part of what makes football great.

__________________

Elijah

You're giving up on the Pats' chances of winning the division already? I feel like this thread wouldn't exist otherwise.

juxtapoz15

I don't think the OP was suggesting that it be a straight record system. I am guessing what he meant was that division winners would still get in, but the seeding would be based on record and division winners wouldn't automatically get a 1-4 seed.

Example:

1. Patriots 13-3 (East Winner)
2. Jets 12-4 (WildCard)
3. Ravens 10-6 (North Winner)
4. Steelers 9-7 (Wild Card won tiebreaker over Colts)
5. Colts 9-7 (South Winner)
6. Chargers 8-8 (West Winner)

Deus Irae

How is that any more fair? The whole problem with all of this is that people want to define "fair" from their perspective. It's not "fair" for a 9-7 team to have a home game instead of a 10-6 team. Well, perhaps it wasn't fair that the 10-6 team played the toughest schedule in the league, and the 9-7 team played the easiest. Why does an 8-8 winner deserve to make the playoffs over a 9-7 team that came in 3rd place in another division?

There's no way to have a 'fair' seeding system as long as there's an unbalanced schedule, just as there's no way to have a 'fair' overtime system other than eliminating overtime entirely.

__________________
"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane."
- Marcus Aurelius

Brady_to_Moss

yeah thats what i ment