What If The NFL Had A Best Out 7 Series In The Playoffs Like The NBA

[Haterproof]

I've always thought about this.This would make the entire football season longer.NFL freaks like myself would go crazy if something like this was to happen.

 

[Murphys95]

Win or go home is what makes the NFL playoffs (and NCAA tournament) what they are - extremely exciting. MLB and NBA water down their playoffs with game after game - game 1 of a series doesn't hold much value IMO.

The NFL has a great product and a great system, and logistically a best of seven type playoffs would never happen.

You raise a good question - but I think it should be posed to the NBA and MLB, why don't they play a more exciting 1 game championship instead of the diluted tripe they hand out to their audiences?

 

[RayClay]

I've always thought about this.This would make the entire football season longer.NFL freaks like myself would go crazy if something like this was to happen.

Hank Poteat would end up being the MVP after half the team exited with broken legs.

 

[JoeSixPat]

I've always thought about this.This would make the entire football season longer.

You think?

 

[Willie55]

If the series went the full seven games, it would take almost two months to finish it.

 

[CheerforTom]

Win or go home is what makes the NFL playoffs (and NCAA tournament) what they are - extremely exciting. MLB and NBA water down their playoffs with game after game - game 1 of a series doesn't hold much value IMO.

The NFL has a great product and a great system, and logistically a best of seven type playoffs would never happen.

You raise a good question - but I think it should be posed to the NBA and MLB, why don't they play a more exciting 1 game championship instead of the diluted tripe they hand out to their audiences?

I don't know about that. Consider the fact that the NFL is just about the only major sport (American run, I mean) to have 1 game playoffs. As in, the sports that CAN have long series do. I think 7 gamers tend to eliminate fluke wins. Thing is, that might not necessarily be a good thing since flukes give the playoffs a lot of flavour. On the other hand, it's still possible for an underdog to win a 7 game series.

I think it's just a case of equal but different, 2 different sides of the coin. 1 gamers are more intense and crazy-like, but there's literally no room for error. A seven gamer spreads out the intensity over multiple games, gives it more of an epic feel.

A good example actually just occured to me: if there were 7 game series in the NFL we may very well have won the Super Bowl last year (in my opinion). We were killed by Denver because of a terribly sloppy game.

 

[RayClay]

I don't know about that. Consider the fact that the NFL is just about the only major sport (American run, I mean) to have 1 game playoffs. I think 7 gamers tend to eliminate fluke wins. Thing is, that might not necessarily be a good thing since flukes give the playoffs a lot of flavour. On the other hand, it's still possible for an underdog to win a 7 game series.

I think it's just a case of equal but different, 2 different sides of the coin. 1 gamers are more intense and crazy-like, but there's literally no room for error. A seven gamer spreads out the intensity over multiple games, gives it more of an epic feel.

A good example actually just occured to me: if there were 7 game series in the NFL we may very well have won the Super Bowl last year (in my opinion). We were killed by Denver because of a terribly sloppy game.

We barely had enough healthy people to get in to the playoffs, (except our division sucked) and you think we would have won in 6 more games?

 

[AStack75]

Would NFL Films produce a new DVD....21 Games to Glory?

 

[RPCity]

Win or go home is what makes the NFL playoffs (and NCAA tournament) what they are - extremely exciting. MLB and NBA water down their playoffs with game after game - game 1 of a series doesn't hold much value IMO.

The NFL has a great product and a great system, and logistically a best of seven type playoffs would never happen.

You raise a good question - but I think it should be posed to the NBA and MLB, why don't they play a more exciting 1 game championship instead of the diluted tripe they hand out to their audiences?

Dilluted???? I take issue with this. I think the NFL, if it fit logistically and were not such a health risk, would turn to the series system as well. You get more action and more games, which I think fans of the sport enjoy. In addition to that, true followers of a sport know that half the fun is watching game to game adjustments and see the affect of small changes on the overall series. Could you imagine a 7 game series with guys like BB or Shanny involved? What kind of crazy offensive schemes (that of course totally ignore his running back) would a guy like Mike Martz be able to impliement? What kind of blitz packages would Pittsburgh or Philly be able to put together and how would their opponent adjust for that in their blocking scheme?

You can't tell me you wouldn't enjoy that.

 

[DarrylS]

I would really enjoy a longer season, particularly if the Pats were involved in some type of series ending championship, but because of the intensity it would become a competition of the fittest and luckiest. Not sure if their bodies could recover by the next season.

 

[Pats726]

A playoff with the best of 7 would take 2 months and would greatly disadvantage those teams in the next year. They would have over half a season in playoff games..just doesn't make any sense. The wear and tear by itself would be unreasonable.
Football is way different than the other 3 major sports..16 games..that is all a season is..while baseball is 10 times that amount and jockey and basketball 5 times that. They are used to playing multiple games a weeka and therefore, best of 7s makes more sense.
I do like the "epic" in baseball, but I think too many teams are involved.
The playoffs go on way too long. Same in basketball and hockey. Way too long and too many teams get in. The NFL has the right balance of that; and a not lengthy playoff system. 11 games total??? How many are in basketball??
Baseball?? Maybe I'm from the old school..but I liked it when the best two teams went at it in the World Series and it was done. The winter sports go on far too long.
The one and done is fine for football and the NCAA roundball..it's always VERY exciting. And I think a smiliar bracket of 16 would make college football tops if/when they ever got around to having a championship...ONLY sport in the NCAA that doesn't have a championship..I wonder why???
Even the World Cup seems to make sense..with a round robin of 3 games, advancing and then a bracket of 16.
I think each sport needs to find what is best for it, but in too many cases..
it's more games they seek..and to me, it ruins the sports at times, not enhances it.

 

[edgecy]

7 games is a little excessive, although I won't have problems with a best-of-3 series

 

[godef]

I've always thought about this.This would make the entire football season longer.NFL freaks like myself would go crazy if something like this was to happen.

Given that a single round could last a month-and-a-half, the presumption here would be that players are able to play full games every other day ala the NBA, and that they can then play 80-odd games in the regular season.

That said, then each individual game would take on less importance. Instead of one loss and out, we'd just say "oh well, need to come back in game 2", and the hype and dread of losing a series wouldn't occur until you get down 3 games to whatever.

Additionally, teams would not prepare as much for individual games as they do now, so you would see many more "upsets" in the ebb-and-flow of a season, as well as the play offs.

Bottom line is: the NFL 1-game playoff system is what it is, exisiting as much more of necessity than anything else. You don't think the NFL would have multi-game series if it were practical, to increase revenue? But even then, for reasons stated above, a 7 game series would not draw 7 times as much revenue as a single game; it would be a case of diminishing returns. Primarily because TV would never pay 7X what it pays now for single games.

 

[Haterproof]

I think a 7 game series could be too much.How ever I do agree with edgecy.A 3 game series would be amazing.The 1st game will as usual be at the team with HFA house.The 2nd game can be at the team that doesn't have HFA house.If a 3rd game is forced it will be at the team that has HFA house.That 3rd game would be battle.

 

[JoeSixPat]

Generally I like the idea of "Best of 7" series throughout the playoffs.

The season could start each May, with the Playoffs and Super Bowl finishing by the end of the following June.

Sure, a 13 month season might be a little bit tough on the players, but from a fan's perspective it's great, and the fact that the two SB teams will have to have their pre-season games in between the time they are competeing in the playoffs will probably help further the interest of parity.

 

[Kdo5]

I never liked best out of whatevers because it makes it seem like Game 1 doesnt even matter because you get another chance in Game 2. When you just have one game its everything on the line best team wins the game means everything, I like it better.

 

[edgecy]

You could do Game 1 like the NBA, it determines home field advantage. First game would be at team with HFA, second game at the other teams, and third game will be based on who won the first game.

 

[Mike the Brit]

Generally I like the idea of "Best of 7" series throughout the playoffs.

The season could start each May, with the Playoffs and Super Bowl finishing by the end of the following June.

Sure, a 13 month season might be a little bit tough on the players, but from a fan's perspective it's great, and the fact that the two SB teams will have to have their pre-season games in between the time they are competeing in the playoffs will probably help further the interest of parity.

Nice points.

To inject a small amount of seriousness: some sports have a proportion of luck and randomness or dependence on external factors, so it's appropriate to extend the series. MLB obviously has to have a series, given the statistical variation of the pitcher-batter battle and the need to rotate pitchers.

On the other hand, all of the different factors should be included in a coach's plans for a football game. Of course, there are adjustments in the course of the game. But a coach shouldn't have another shot at it.

I'm sure that 2 times out of 3 the Rams would have won SB XXXVI. But that one time they were outwitted and outcoached. The Pats played better and the Pats deserved to win.

 

[VJCPatriot]

No and No. This would be stupid. It would cheapen the sport of football.

The great thing about football is that every week is a life or death game. Every week is intense.

Doing that to the football playoffs would be watering it down.

Some people say, oh but this would elminate the fluke SB winners. There are no fluke SB winners in my book. Because that team had to defeat at least 3 of the top teams in the league, in 3 games in a ROW.

Oftentimes the SB is a blowout because the team that wins it all is so dominant.

So no I don't like the idea of a 7 games series for football. For other sports it would be ok but not for football. No way.

I'm sure that 2 times out of 3 the Rams would have won SB XXXVI. But that one time they were outwitted and outcoached. The Pats played better and the Pats deserved to win.

I disagree with your statement. If the Pats had played the Rams 2 games in a row the Rams wouldn't have had enough healthy people to suit up for game 3. One of the Rams wideouts broke a rib on the first offensive series of the game... The Pats physically dominated the Rams on both sides of the ball. Pats were a smash mouth team that season. You have to watch the replays of the hits to appreciate just how hard nosed and physical the Pats were that year. I don't think there's a chance the Rams would have won in a 3 game series when half their offensive starters are hobbling onto the field. No. Pats won that year and it was no fluke. They would have done it in a 3 game series as well because Martz simply could not outcoach BB in the Xs and Os and the Rams finesse game was smashed to pieces by the Pats tough and disciplined defense. But since there is no such thing as a 3 game series in football this discussion is moot. But that's just how I feel about it.

 

[NovaScotiaPatsFan]

Q: Default What If The NFL Had A Best Out 7 Series In The Playoffs Like The NBA?

A: The rosters would have to be expanded to over 200 players.