Hey once you're in, anything can happen
As a Pats fan who's seen us blow the last 2 SBs, I have a loser-thinking suggestion that would stretch out football another month and a half.
1. Back to 14 games a season, running net, -2 weeks of football.
2. Win the division or go home. 4 teams/conference, no bye week.
3. Division winners play best of 3 series. Running Net: 0 additional weeks (2 last games and bye week eliminated)
4. Championship series, best of 3 games. Running net: 3 more weeks.
5. Super Bowl Series, best of 3 games. Guess we'd still have to stuff in a rest week before the Super Bowl. Running net: 6 more weeks.
Disadvantages:
You lose some of the dramatic suddenness of playoff death.
Advantages:
1. likelihood that the better team win in a series of 3
2. Mo better football
Hell, if all the extra games bring cries of "boo hoo players won't ever play that many games," fine. Have teams ONLY play their division games to see who wins the damn divisions. 8 game regular season followed by extended second season.
Or maybe have just an East and West division, and relegate half the teams to the "minors" every year... and while playoff teams are playing for the Super Bowl, the crap teams can continue to play one another in an "avoid relegation" game. Meanwhile NFL Division II can be playing its playoffs to move teams up into next year's Division I.
Never mind, sometimes Carolina wins a wild card game. It's fine.