NFL needs new anti tanking measures

[Thelonious]

It's a problem (though, truth be told, I wa spretty pissed at Mayo for blowing our tank job: let he who is without hypocrisy cast the first stone.) Once upon a time we could assume that in most cases teams would be ashamed to tank, but those more ethical days are gone, to the extent they ever existed.

I guess the lottery thing for the bottom-most few is OK: kind of a McGyverish gimmick, but it seems to work for the NBA.

 

[1960Pats]

Are these teams truly tanking?

KC just lost got eliminated and lost Mahomes and Minshew. Were these intentionally sustained injuries as part of a tank?

The Jets and Giants can’t win 4 games at full strength. Is it a tank if they “settle” for 3?

Miami started the year like 2-7 or something, and waited until now to bench Tua after 6 years of trying to squeeze him into a round hole. Is that really a tank?

Lest we forget, we were actively rooting for the tank in both ‘23 and ‘24, and called for Mayo’s head on a silver platter when he failed.

The premise of this thread is absurd, and it reflects every negative stereotype the rest of the country holds about this fanbase.

Do better.

Fans are the same everywhere.

I know that Indy ownership tanked twice. Once in 2009 to avoid the Steelers and again in 2011 to get Andrew Luck.

It looks to me that the teams that draft at the top every year are also at the bottom of the standings every year. All those picks don't seem to help much.

I remember arguing with the Tankheads, aka Losers. There were far too many of those here for my liking.

 

[NFL Mystique]

There were too many fans who wanted to lose Mayo's last game to get the top pick. The Pats screwed that up by winning and ended up with Maye.

Looking at all of the QBs taken first in the draft there are only a handful who ended up being the best of their class.

Like you said, it's a crap shoot.

Maye was already a Patriot when Mayo screwed up the last pick.

I think the draft is fine as is. It's not as if the league is getting SB winners who benefited from first overall picks. The Chiefs traded for Mahomes. Eagles got Hurts in the second round. Rams never tanked.

 

[NFL Mystique]

do you think "suck for Luck" was real?

That was maybe the most blatant tank in NFL history. They ensured the QB's were garbage. Once they clinched first overall, they tried and won a few games to save face. Karma (2014 AFC title game, terrible GM, and Luck retiring early) got them though.

 

[1960Pats]

Maye was already a Patriot when Mayo screwed up the last pick.

I think the draft is fine as is. It's not as if the league is getting SB winners who benefited from first overall picks. The Chiefs traded for Mahomes. Eagles got Hurts in the second round. Rams never tanked.

I think the draft is fine also. Adding a lottery would make it harder to believe that everything is on the up and up.

 

[Rob0729]

People overstate tanking. Last year, both the Patriots and Giants gave away the #1 overall pick by winning meaningless games late in the season.

And does tanking even help? The #1 pick doesn't always turn into the best player. In fact, he may not more often than they do. Sometimes the QB taken outside the top 5 or even 10 turns into the far better QB taken first.

 

[SlowGettingUp]

I think a bigger problem than tanking is the opposite - the couple of games at year-end that the teams that already have things locked up don't try on - think of the last Pats game last year. I'd say one improvement would be that meaningless games count less as a tiebreaker. So the Pats win that last game would count as 0.99 points not 1.

 

[JoeSixPat]

Its getting completely out of control, where at least half the teams in the league will be actively trying to lose the next 2 weeks.
Look at the Jets, Chiefs, Giants, Dolphins, as the most egregious examples.

There needs to some incentive for sub .500 teams to try and win for the last quarter of the season.

My proposal(s)

1. Teams with 5 or fewer wins draft order is determined by best point differential getting top pick and second best 2nd pick etc.(Tier F)
2. Teams with between 6 and 8 wins, draft order is determined by best point differential getting top pick in that tier and second best 2nd pick etc.Tier D)
3. teams with 2 best point differential in tier F get an extra 3rd round draft pick
4. teams with 2 best point differential in tier D get an extra 4th round pick


The product is becoming unwatchable for the last 4 games because most games both teams have nothing to play for and are trying to lose
Check out the Xmas games to see what I am talking about

Let's just make the worst team in the NFL play the best team in college as an exhibition in humiliation.

 

[SlowGettingUp]

Complex proposal:

My Plan to Defeat Tanking

I examine the types of tanking that NFL teams engage in, how bad the problem is, and offer a potential fix to the problem.

www.statbutler.com

 

[pazrul72]

Really the only way.

If it's straight up playoffs or lotto, you eliminate any and all reason for a team to want to lose any games.

The only drawback would be I don't trust this league to run a fair and ethical lotto.

If they did run a lottery I 100% see a scenario where GoToHell is on stage announcing "despite a less then 1% chance with the first pick Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs select...."

 

[TommyD4207]

Why not all non-playoff teams lottery, but weighted?

Always position the teams that it's in their best interest to win. There's never a scenario available where it benefits you to lose, or tank.

Every win grants you X balls in the lottery and then run the balls and you get your order right?

Weighted encourages tanking

 

[PatsfanTN]

Bottom 5 teams - lottery.

Honestly if you really want to avoid talking- all non-playoff teams, lottery. Unweighted.

That’s actually a really good idea

 

[jdlboot14]

Tanking is at the peril of the coaches & staff though - like Mayo winning game 17 last year. He wanted desperately to not look worse than BB in his worst year ever, and probably thought he'd get a 2nd year.
Also, for fans - like us the last few years - seeing young players get chances and build some hope for next year is something worthwhile for guys to play for.
Finally, the top of the draft is as big a gamble as anything. Half the top picks fizzle. We got Maye & Campbell at 3 and 4...
I do like the lottery idea - if they could work out a penalty system to prevent more tanking for bubble teams trying to get in.

 

[ErniesPinkStripes]

Weighted encourages tanking

I meant weighted as in wins affect draft positioning, inverse to the current setup.. More wins = better draft position

 

[patfanken]

I have a different train of thought. The league can set aside a set of conditions that would designate a team as "tankers", and list the number of games the have been deemed to tank. Those owners would be forced to refund their season ticket holders for each game they were designated . Make real $ consequences and it won't happen as often.

Also, I have always felt the draft would be fairer if they used a serpentine method for the first 4 rounds. Giving good teams picks in the high 20's &30's all 7 rounds was too much of a penalty for being a well run team.

With this plan you still reward ineptness and bow to the god of parody, BUT only in the 1st 3rd 5th-7th. You at LEAST give a nod to excellence in the 2nd and 4th. Thus in some degree, reduce the reward of tanking

 

[festy1986]

All leagues need to run a loser playoff bracket for the number 1 seed.

Lock in the top 8 teams to a playoff and the rest will be locked to by their record. This way the better of the **** teams don't have a advantage by beating the truly **** teams.

Make them earn it.

This way they can make money off their misery.

 

[n1997y]

All leagues need to run a loser playoff bracket for the number 1 seed.

Lock in the top 8 teams to a playoff and the rest will be locked to by their record. This way the better of the **** teams don't have a advantage by beating the truly **** teams.

Make them earn it.

This way they can make money off their misery.

Great idea! To enhance competition, players get paid out of a pool where winners get paid more.

I’d do two separate brackets. Four worst records play for the top four draft picks, five through eight worst play a separate bracket for draft slots 5 - 8. That way a stronger team with eighth worst record doesn’t get to walk into #1 draft slot.

Could run the brackets on Fridays and/or Mondays during the playoffs, and schedule the last rounds for the weekend before the Super Bowl.

Good opportunity to milk more revenue from bad football!

I like that better than my idea. Mine was to rank the top five based on record in December games. So the team out of the worst five that had the best record in December gets to draft first, etc.

 

[Huckleberry1]

Last 2 team are relegated to the CFL

Relegation/promotion is the best system for every sport. You will eventually see the USL surpass the MLS because it's building in communities all across the United States, and their system excites fans everywhere.

 

[NovaScotiaPatsFan]

I think the GMs of the bottom 5 teams should fight in a 57 round Battle Royale.

 

[Patriot Missile]

Seems like this is a start? Crosby isn’t happy and I don’t think it’s in his DNA to tank. He is definitely a position or need for the Pats so I hope this gains legs.

Jay Glazer: Maxx Crosby Left Raiders Facility After They Wanted to Shut Him Down | FOX Sports

DE Maxx Crosby left the Raiders' facility after disagreeing with the team's plan to shut him down, per FOX Sports' Jay Glazer.

www.foxsports.com