Goodell may award playoff teams extra draft picks who don't rest starters

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

Introducing: The Curtis Painter Rule - Roger Goodell - Deadspin

I don't get it,Doesn't Goodell want a league where most of the teams are very competitive and the records between the top teams and bottom teams are not so such a big difference like they are this year but he now wants to give playoff teams a reason to start their players by giving the good teams additional draft picks as a reward? ?

I think thats ******ed - Maybe give the good teams an extra million in cap space if they play thier starters but extra draft picks?

Goodell is on crack with no ideas of how to implement an idea that is fair to the entire league,no way does his idea stick with the owners,especially owners of perrenial losers like the Lions,Bills ect:.

 

[vyrago]

Good idea. Now give the Patriots back that 1st round draft pick you took from them in 07.

 

[BradyManny]

This may be the worst idea I've heard in professional sports in a long time.

While I agree what the Colts did was gutless and pathetic given the history at stake, it has overshadowed the fact that any team has a right to rest any players at any time. Teams that have earned themselves the opportunity to rest players as the final weeks approach have put themselves in that position by playing well throughout the season. The Colts resting players was a separate and specific issue - and even then, under no circumstances should the league get involved.

By trying to force teams into doing what is best for the business of the NFL instead of what is best for the teams themselves, the NFL is setting a horrendous precedence.

When business becomes more important than competition, you ruin the game.

 

[BillBelichickFan79]

This may be the worst idea I've heard in professional sports in a long time.

While I agree what the Colts did was gutless and pathetic given the history at stake, it has overshadowed the fact that any team has a right to rest any players at any time. Teams that have earned themselves the opportunity to rest players as the final weeks approach have put themselves in that position by playing well throughout the season. The Colts resting players was a separate and specific issue - and even then, under no circumstances should the league get involved.

By trying to force teams into doing what is best for the business of the NFL instead of what is best for the teams themselves, the NFL is setting a horrendous precedence.

When business becomes more important than competition, you ruin the game.

Agreed 100%. These teams have EARNED THE RIGHT to do whatever they please. Teams like the Steelers, Phins, etc should stop complaining. They only have themselves to blame for not taking care of business earlier in the season.

I'm sorry Mr. Woodley, but when you lose to KC, Oak, Cleveland and even Chicago, you don't deserve to be playing ball in January. Go cry in your Terrible Towels you pu$ $ies.

 

[BradyBranch39]

This may be the worst idea I've heard in professional sports in a long time.

While I agree what the Colts did was gutless and pathetic given the history at stake, it has overshadowed the fact that any team has a right to rest any players at any time. Teams that have earned themselves the opportunity to rest players as the final weeks approach have put themselves in that position by playing well throughout the season. The Colts resting players was a separate and specific issue - and even then, under no circumstances should the league get involved.

By trying to force teams into doing what is best for the business of the NFL instead of what is best for the teams themselves, the NFL is setting a horrendous precedence.

When business becomes more important than competition, you ruin the game.

THis. This. This.

 

[BradyManny]

Agreed 100%. These teams have EARNED THE RIGHT to do whatever they please. Teams like the Steelers, Phins, etc should stop complaining. They only have themselves to blame for not taking care of business earlier in the season.

I'm sorry Mr. Woodley, but when you lose to KC, Oak, Cleveland and even Chicago, you don't deserve to be playing ball in January. Go cry in your Terrible Towels you pu$ $ies.

Agreed. It's just the nature of sports. Teams can only worry about themselves and what is best for their attempt to achieve their goals: win the division, make the playoffs, win the championship, etc.

Take last season for instance, should the Pats be comp'd some picks for being screwed out of the playoffs since we were relying on a NYJ victory in week 17 and they hopelessly rolled out the corpse of Favre without putting him on the injury list? Crap happens in sports. Teams can only worry about winning their games.

 

[letekro]

This may be the worst idea I've heard in professional sports in a long time.

While I agree what the Colts did was gutless and pathetic given the history at stake, it has overshadowed the fact that any team has a right to rest any players at any time. Teams that have earned themselves the opportunity to rest players as the final weeks approach have put themselves in that position by playing well throughout the season. The Colts resting players was a separate and specific issue - and even then, under no circumstances should the league get involved.

By trying to force teams into doing what is best for the business of the NFL instead of what is best for the teams themselves, the NFL is setting a horrendous precedence.

When business becomes more important than competition, you ruin the game.

I think you're missing something. Competetion is the fundamental principle on which all sports are based. By choosing not to compete, playoff-bound teams are destroying the foundation of the sport. I haven't gotten into what he proposes to do about it, but it clearly is something that can't continue in the most important professional sports league in the country. Note that teams like the patriots will be smart about it, rest guys that are "hurt", play vanilla, and pick up the extra picks, so I'm not sure how this is going to work in practice.

 

[Salva135]

Don't forget this is also a very slippery slope. How do you define "resting starters?" The QB? #1 WR? Starting DE's? There's no way to plausibly deal with this, it's the nature of football. MLB teams who have clinched divisions tank games by playing second-stringers all the time, football is just different in that they only play 16 games and they are all big deals for fans logistically, and you try to preserve footballers more than any other sport. IMO, there is no way out of this dilemma of late-season tanking, and this season has brought it into the spotlight more than any other season because of the greater discrepancy between good and bad teams.

 

[BradyManny]

I think you're missing something. Competetion is the fundamental principle on which all sports are based. By choosing not to compete, playoff-bound teams are destroying the foundation of the sport. I haven't gotten into what he proposes to do about it, but it clearly is something that can't continue in the most important professional sports league in the country. Note that teams like the patriots will be smart about it, rest guys that are "hurt", play vanilla, and pick up the extra picks, so I'm not sure how this is going to work in practice.

No, they aren't.

Sports is founded upon a desire to win, not a desire to create a level playing field. What you propose is basically sports-communism.

Teams have a right to do what is in their best interest. Just as NBA teams have a right to tank for draft picks, or MLB teams have a right to set up their rotation in the weeks leading up to the postseason. These are professional businesses who have one goal: win a championship. To not do what is in their best interest would be a disservice to their players, fans, and organization.

You simply cannot try and create a level playing field in sports. It's just insane, there are too many factors. Weather, SOS, team's health, a team's mentality, a team's momentum, refereeing, etc. Sports will never be fair, and it was never intended to be such.

 

[Salva135]

I think you're missing something. Competetion is the fundamental principle on which all sports are based. By choosing not to compete, playoff-bound teams are destroying the foundation of the sport. I haven't gotten into what he proposes to do about it, but it clearly is something that can't continue in the most important professional sports league in the country. Note that teams like the patriots will be smart about it, rest guys that are "hurt", play vanilla, and pick up the extra picks, so I'm not sure how this is going to work in practice.

The NFL, like any other professional league, is a business first, a sport second. It's in the interest of the league to push competition as long as possible to promote the league, but at the end of the day it's also the business of individual teams to win Super Bowls, so they will do whatever is best within their interests off winning it all. That philosophy obviously differs from team to team, and anecdotal evidence is pretty inconclusive. Bottom line is that I don't see any way to avoid this problem that doesn't seriously compromise the real integrity of the game, i.e., the drive for every team in the NFL to do whatever it takes to ultimately win a championship.

 

[Leave No Doubt]

I wish Goodel would just keep his nose out of the game, period, but if he's going to get involved in penalizing playoff teams/coaches/franchises why doesn't he start by penalizing those teams who try and lose just to get the draft picks. The article makes some great points on all that.

Goodell would be better served addressing the concussion issue.

 

[FU!TomJ]

Sounds like a lot of smoke that can't go anywhere. No way one can define who is playing competitive and who is not.

I think overall record would be a better starting point, possibly changing the seeding system by not giving division winners the highest seeds. Who knows, its something that I'd love to see happen, but it ain't gonna happen.

 

[sbpatfan]

The thing that bothers me is it shouldn't be up to Goodell on who is or isn't a starter on a NFL team. Why should playoff teams be punished for something like this? They won their games, their players deserve rest if that's what they decide.
Why is he catering to teams like Pittsburgh that are relying on ridiculous scenarios to make the playoffs. The only one Pittsburgh has to blame is themselves for not winning when they needed to. It's not the Patriots job during week 16/17 to play their starters and ensure the Steelers make the playoffs.

 

[jmt57]

Don't forget this is also a very slippery slope. How do you define "resting starters?" The QB? #1 WR? Starting DE's? There's no way to plausibly deal with this, it's the nature of football. MLB teams who have clinched divisions tank games by playing second-stringers all the time, football is just different in that they only play 16 games and they are all big deals for fans logistically, and you try to preserve footballers more than any other sport. IMO, there is no way out of this dilemma of late-season tanking, and this season has brought it into the spotlight more than any other season because of the greater discrepancy between good and bad teams.

Yeah, that pretty much sums up my thoughts on the subject. How do you enforce it? What if a player is hurt and wouldn't have played? Does a team get penalized if a starter limps off the field on the first series? A lot of players start but perhaps typically only participate in half the team's snaps, what about them? What if the game is a blowout, is it okay to take them out then?

The other part of the equation is this runs counter to the NFL's commitment to parity. The league's very best teams - those that have played well enough to consider resting their starters for the playoffs, because they've already clinched their division - now get an extra draft pick - i.e., something to help distance them that much further from their competition.

There's nothing logical or beneficial with this idea.

 

[Leave No Doubt]

The thing that bothers me is it shouldn't be up to Goodell on who is or isn't a starter on a NFL team. Why should playoff teams be punished for something like this? They won their games, their players deserve rest if that's what they decide.

Exactly, that's what first hit me as well. He's way too much of a micromanager and he's got too much power apparently. I doubt this will ever fly but it's the audacity of even suggesting it that me. Plus it's just such a bad idea; he has no clue.

 

[Sicilian]

Terrible idea, for the reasons others have mentioned.

Besides, if they're worried about teams not getting a fair shake at the playoffs, why not wonder how an 8-8 San Diego team gets in over an 11-5 Patriots team? Sometimes, the "better" team doesn't get in due to some crap, it happens. Don't like it? Win one more game, problem solved.

 

[Schmo]

Maybe the awarding of draft picks thru arbitration in the case of an injury in meaningless games. Depending on the severity of the injury, production of the player, and importance of the game in question. In the case of Welker, a second or third round pick possibly. This actually makes sense to help a team rebound from losing a player as the Patriots could for a good portion of next season. It would be the same concept as the compensatory system we have now.

That said, I don't think anything should be changed. Should Goodell put a minimum on the length and number of practices that a team must have in order to play an entertaining and competetive game? Players get occassional practices off at the coaches discretion when it's in the best interest of the team and it should be the same case for games. I know he wants the fans to be entertained, but this is just silly.

Sometimes a coach wants his second string players to get experience instead of just resting the starters. How do you determine who a starter is anyway, especially on a team like the Patriots where we have many interchangeable pieces.

 

[Dr Pain]

This was the worst weekend of football this year. I think next year they should make Colt Patriots the last week of the season. Foxboro in January

 

[NovaScotiaPatsFan]

Roger Goodell is a complete and total bufoon, I've only seen 2 commissioners so I can't say with knowledge he's the worst ever but I can't imagine any being worse than him and the league still being here.

 

[Leave No Doubt]

Depending on the severity of the injury, production of the player, and importance of the game in question. In the case of Welker, a second or third round pick possibly.

So Goodell would be deciding how much players are worth in terms of compensation to the team? That's a decision best left to the franchise, not the commisioner.