Do you feel the NFL playoff system should be changed?

[Disco Volante]

I personally say division titles, rivalries, etc. are good for the game, but do not necessarily produce the best 6 teams of each conference every year.

This thread is not a reactionary bitter thread either, just a topic of discussion seeing as there's not a game for 9 months to discuss.

 

[billdog3484]

i really think it is ok. this year was a fluke....we got screwed but it keeps things interesting

 

[Bella*chick]

Nope, change it. The whole thing is a total travesty.

 

[BlueCoats]

I think it should be expanded to include more teams. But there are so many conservatives who don't want to see change cause they're used to seeing this 6 team from each conference system.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

I know it sucks to have an 8-8 team probably get in over us, but I still wouldn't change the format.

One thing I would change is division tiebreaks should be settled on the field. Start the regular season a week earlier (it used to start a week earlier than it currently does anyways) and save a weekend before playoffs start for tiebreak games. But I guess 3 way ties would have to be settled with this gay tiebreak system.

 

[Sean Pa Patriot]

We lost out fair and square, but you cant change the rules, but Im not convinced the jets gave a all out effort..

 

[Jackson 2]

Some year we may be the team that benefits from being in a division where 8-8 is good enough. It just didn't work out. I'm still proud of our team.

 

[dtbrks]

"it is what it is".

the nfl knew that going to this format could result in teams with better records not getting in.

This year we lost out but sometime in the future we may not .

 

[Rob0729]

Although it is frustrating to see a mediocre team in the West get into the playoffs every year, I don't have much of a problem with the system. The last time a 11 win team didn't get in was 1985 and the playoff structure was different then.

 

[cincipatsfan]

If we weren't in this situation we wouldn't even be discussing it. Football needs division rivalries.

 

[ALP]

right now i must say no, no matter how much it pains me...

 

[alamo]

No changes.

 

[AFPatsFan12]

Nah, I'm ok with it. When 12-4 Jacksonville came up to Foxboro to play the 10-6 Pats in 2005, we benefited from it. Divisions create rivalries, and give teams a common "goal" to start the year with. You always know that you can get in by winning your division, and winning division games.

The end result in doing away with the current system is to do away with divisions AND conferences, and lump all 32 teams together, which would be asinine. And even then, you'd have people *****ing about the schedule (Why did Team A play the Lions, while Team B played the Pats, and so on)... there's never going to be a completely equitable solution.

I still think the NFL has the best playoff setup of any major sport.

 

[Kontradiction]

If we change it, what would be the point of winning the division anymore? Say we win the division at 9-7 and the Broncos do not win their division but finish 10-6 (and also have a cake schedule). Then we, as the winners of a tougher division, are screwed anyway because the system has a flaw, albeit a different flaw. Keep things the way they are. *****ing about the system needing to be changed just because we didn't get in at 11-5 is acting like Bill Polian IMO.

 

[Real American Hero]

is acting like Bill Polian IMO.

I'm glad the results are skewed the way they are despite the vocal minority in some of the other threads. This is exactly what sprung to my mind as well, acting like Polian.

 

[Ochmed Jones]

I think what needs to change is the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th place schedules. If every division winner in every division gets a playoff spot, then everybody in that division should play the SAME schedule. Why should we get Pittsburgh and Indy for winning the division and Miami get Houston and Baltimore?

Every team in a division should play the same schedule and then the best record in that division should get the playoff spot.

Of course the NFL would need to go to an 18 game schedule to do this right, but that's OK, they can cut out 2 worthless preseason games.

 

[jdk19]

I said the same thing after the Pats finished 9-7 in a 3 way tie and lost on I don't know what tie breaker.

If you want to make the division championship matter it should be tie breaker #1 in the following year.

If you win in 2007 it is tie breaker # 1 for 2008.

To be the man you have to beat the man philosophy. Not tie and win on some BS tie breaker.

Then move on to the other tie breakers.

 

[T_Brady12]

It does seem to happen almost every year that a division winner has a worse record and either hosts a wild-card team, or misses the playoffs.

But, that's just apart of the game, in my opinion, and it should stay the way it is.

 

[pheenix11]

NFL has the best playoff system, don't change it.

 

[abejarano12]

I do believe that only the best teams should be in the playoffs. I know that sometime a 8-8 team will make it but they really should have to earn it. I mean really earn it.