Bye Week ... a better way?

[JR4]

While looking at the teams on a bye this week I thought
when a team has a bye it often has an advantage on the
team it has to play after the bye.

I am not sure how NFL determine the teams on a bye.
But it seems that when a team has a bye then on the next
week back it should play a team that was also on a bye with it.
That way way both teams have two weeks to prepare for each other.

This shouldn't be very hard to do. Would it?

 

[Wides]

While looking at the teams on a bye this week I thought
when a team has a bye it often has an advantage on the
team it has to play after the bye.

I am not sure how NFL determine the teams on a bye.
But it seems that when a team has a bye then on the next
week back it should play a team that was also on a bye with it.
That way way both teams have two weeks to prepare for each other.

This shouldn't be very hard to do. Would it?

Spend more time drinking, and less time thinking.

 

[bencoateshelmet]

Or ALL teams have a bye in week 9....

 

[fxkane]

Or ALL teams have a bye in week 9....

For symmetry's sake, I agree with this--and also for fairness' sake.

There's always this confusion in looking at the standings because of this staggered system.

But a league that wants an 18 game schedule, will never give into this. The only symmetry for the league and the sponsors is the extra money in their coffers.

PS so i think i must agree with the thread post. (realism)

 

[neuronet]

Or ALL teams have a bye in week 9....

Great idea, but then NFL would not make as much money.

OTOH< they do wait two weeks for the dang SB every year to hype it. They'd find a way to turn it into more money by hyping things during bye week.

Great idea, let's call the NFL.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

According to data compiled through 2009...

Since the N.F.L. introduced bye weeks in 1990, the overall record of teams playing after them (309-276-1, 52.7 winning percentage) suggests the advantage is modest at best.

 

[s3antana5757]

According to data compiled through 2009...

Good stats. There's two thoughts to this. The team on the bye has the advantage because it's well rested and better prepared. The other being that the team coming off the bye hasn't played in two weeks and might be sluggish/not as sharp. Seems like it's a mx of both.

 

[TheBostonStraggler]

The counter point is the non bye team's disadvantage -- if a disadvantage actually exists -- will be recouped when it plays its own post bye opponent (who, I assume, will not be coming of a bye).

Personally, I think the bigger disadvantage of the bye is when you get it. A week 9 bye is, imho, an advantage versus a week 5 bye. I base this on the belief that a mid season week of recuperation is superior to a week 5 one. Seasons past had a stark difference in where a team's bye could be. The NFL got it right by condensing the bye weeks into a 5 week period. That makes the advantage -- again if one exists -- a small one.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

The only edge Pittsburgh has next week is playing at home.

About the biggest disadvantage you can have in the NFL is what Pittsburgh is about to encounter.

1) Going 2,000 miles to and 2,000 miles back from Arizona
2) The next week having to play a team fresh and relaxed off a bye week
3) It's a 5-1 NE Patriots team,not the same caliber as Hapless Arizona
4) Brady has been tough on the Steelers

About as big a task as Pitt gets in the regular season

If they go on to beat Arizona and then come home and beat NE,the defending AFC Champs are going to be a tough team to knock off.

 

[RelocatedPatFan]

The only edge Pittsburgh has next week is playing at home.

About the biggest disadvantage you can have in the NFL is what Pittsburgh is about to encounter.

1) Going 2,000 miles to and 2,000 miles back from Arizona
2) The next week having to play a team fresh and relaxed off a bye week
3) It's a 5-1 NE Patriots team,not the same caliber as Hapless Arizona
4) Brady has been tough on the Steelers

About as big a task as Pitt gets in the regular season

If they go on to beat Arizona and then come home and beat NE,the defending AFC Champs are going to be a tough team to knock off.

Though Arizona is coming off a bye week, so Pitt has to play opponents 2 weeks in a row coming off a bye. You'd think that would be something Ben would complain about more than the officiating.

 

[convertedpatsfan]

According to data compiled through 2009...

It is what it is. It's not as huge an advantage as people think, but the original point is still fair. I don't see why teams can't play other teams out of byes.

For the record, BB is 9-2 after the bye week for an .818 winning percentage. It's an incredibly small sample size though, with one extra loss leading to a .727 percentage which would be quite close to his .720 percentage as head coach of the Patriots.

It is worth noting the Patriots lost 2 of their first 3 games after byes under BB, and so they have won their last 8 games after byes.