Neutral-site championship game = permanent?

[Tunescribe]

Did the Buff and Cincy ticket holders get first dibs on these seats? Or was it first come on Ticketmaster? Which means the scalpers and "official" ticket agencies of your favorite team gets the seats? Or was it a "lottery"?

How much to fly to ATL and stay in a hotel for 2-nights?

So many complications, so much $$$ at stake. I'm not blaming him, but if not for a millisecond uptick in Hamlin's heart rhythm causing a freak injury this never would've crossed the league's radar.

 

[crawhammer]

Why? #1 seed still gets the bye week. I would think one less playoff game is an even bigger appeal.

It's a big deal. Losing home field for the conference championship game. Take this year for example. Where do you think Kansas City would have a better chance of beating Buffalo? At Kansas City or at a neutral site? I had Kansas City going to the Super Bowl until I heard about the neutral site. Now I think Buffalo gets to the SB.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

Face it, the bye will go away soon and we will have 16 teams in the playoffs. 3-3-2, Sat-Sun-Mo. Two more games, more $$$$$$$. I don't want it, you don't want it, but Kraft and the owners love $$$$$$$$ with no extra outlay of salaries or anything save a modest postgame check.

This happens, then you need to keep HFA in the championship for #1 vs. #2 seed to mean ANYTHING at all.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

It burns my ass that Buffalo is even hosting a game this weekend, let alone the potential for the AFC Championship game being played in Atlanta. When the Cinci/Bills game was called, the Bengals were leading. If the game was not be resumed or replayed, then the Bills should have another loss. They would drop to the # 3 seed and would be playing in Cincinnatti this weekend.
Should they get past the Bengals, the NFL bends over backwards to accomodate the Bills yet again thus screwing the Chiefs (assuming they defeat the Jags), out of their rightful home field advantage.
I have no love for the Chiefs but this is just wrong. (Of course the OT rules only got changed after Buffalo whined about that too)
If there's any justice, the Bengals will beat the Bills this weekend.

There is no justice. Last time I checked Super Bowl XI had not been revoked. Regardless of the score at the time, when the Bills refused to resume play, they should have been assessed a forfeit. Insulting the Bengals by insinuating that they somehow cared less about the guy being taken to the hospital should not have led to the mass stupidity becoming contagious.

This is not 'new'. Frauders crybabying in the 70's rewarded with a fake title. Donkeys crybabying in the 90's rewarded with two salary cap cheating titles and Hall of Fame inductions for guys who had three decent seasons. Dolts, Sheaths crybabying rewarded today.

All these decades, the Patriots mind their business and play better football and are shat upon at every turn.

 

[PScottman]

#1 seed loses much appeal with this stupidity.

Could also turn a lot of weeks 16 and 17 into pre-season type games - nothing to play for equals rest and health game days. That will go over well with the fan base.

 

[Sect140]

It's a big deal. Losing home field for the conference championship game. Take this year for example. Where do you think Kansas City would have a better chance of beating Buffalo? At Kansas City or at a neutral site? I had Kansas City going to the Super Bowl until I heard about the neutral site. Now I think Buffalo gets to the SB.

I see it the opposite. The Chiefs have lost two AFC championship games at home recently, to the Pats and Bengals last season, they should’ve lost the divisional home game to the Bills last season. Unfortunately I probably favor them more now.

 

[Deus Irae]

They keep making the game worse in the name of making more money, and that's going to bite them in the ass sooner than they think.

 

[Sect140]

Good luck to the Bengals on Sunday, they are going to need it, down both OT’s and one guard along with the NFL wanting that neutral site next weekend, the refs won’t call a penalty on the Bills and the Bengals better not even look at a Bills player the wrong way.

 

[aluminum seats]

I like the idea of playing an important game in a dome without the weather being a factor.

Bad weather games are awesome

 

[PatsWSB47]

It burns my ass that Buffalo is even hosting a game this weekend, let alone the potential for the AFC Championship game being played in Atlanta. When the Cinci/Bills game was called, the Bengals were leading. If the game was not be resumed or replayed, then the Bills should have another loss. They would drop to the # 3 seed and would be playing in Cincinnatti this weekend.
Should they get past the Bengals, the NFL bends over backwards to accomodate the Bills yet again thus screwing the Chiefs (assuming they defeat the Jags), out of their rightful home field advantage.
I have no love for the Chiefs but this is just wrong. (Of course the OT rules only got changed after Buffalo whined about that too)
If there's any justice, the Bengals will beat the Bills this weekend.

I disagree. They needed to resume the game later and pushed the season another week. What if there was a weather related reason or some other reason that stopped the game? A one score lead in the first quarter doesn't earn you a win. I think a lot of the outrage is because it's Buffalo. Your post is more anti-Bills than anything else.

 

[Deus Irae]

It burns my ass that Buffalo is even hosting a game this weekend, let alone the potential for the AFC Championship game being played in Atlanta. When the Cinci/Bills game was called, the Bengals were leading. If the game was not be resumed or replayed, then the Bills should have another loss. They would drop to the # 3 seed and would be playing in Cincinnatti this weekend.
Should they get past the Bengals, the NFL bends over backwards to accomodate the Bills yet again thus screwing the Chiefs (assuming they defeat the Jags), out of their rightful home field advantage.
I have no love for the Chiefs but this is just wrong. (Of course the OT rules only got changed after Buffalo whined about that too)
If there's any justice, the Bengals will beat the Bills this weekend.

It's not Buffalo's fault that the NFL doesn't have a week between the season and the playoffs as a buffer for this sort of situation, so why talk about justice equaling a Bills loss?

 

[Nehalem]

It burns my ass that Buffalo is even hosting a game this weekend, let alone the potential for the AFC Championship game being played in Atlanta. When the Cinci/Bills game was called, the Bengals were leading. If the game was not be resumed or replayed, then the Bills should have another loss. They would drop to the # 3 seed and would be playing in Cincinnatti this weekend.
Should they get past the Bengals, the NFL bends over backwards to accomodate the Bills yet again thus screwing the Chiefs (assuming they defeat the Jags), out of their rightful home field advantage.
I have no love for the Chiefs but this is just wrong. (Of course the OT rules only got changed after Buffalo whined about that too)
If there's any justice, the Bengals will beat the Bills this weekend.

Honestly they should have just treated it as a no-contest.

So KC would have HFA, Buffalo #2, Cin #3

Its the simplest solution. Doesn't set a precedent of changing the playoff rules for "special" situations.

Its not even really unfair. If Allen/Burrows gets concussed in the 1Q and their backup goes in a throws 5 ints no one would be calling for redo. Its just how the game is. In this case both the Bills and Bengals agreed to stop the game due to special circumstances.

 

[Nehalem]

It's a big deal. Losing home field for the conference championship game. Take this year for example. Where do you think Kansas City would have a better chance of beating Buffalo? At Kansas City or at a neutral site? I had Kansas City going to the Super Bowl until I heard about the neutral site. Now I think Buffalo gets to the SB.

My point was before
#1 gets HFA + bye
#2 gets Bye

now
#1 gets HFA + bye
#2 gets nothing

So the #1 seed gets a much bigger advantage of the #2 seed than before. If you changed it to a neutral site AFCCG the #1 seed would still have an advantage but not an extra big one.

Honestly I would take a bye week over HFA.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Honestly they should have just treated it as a no-contest.

So KC would have HFA, Buffalo #2, Cin #3

Its the simplest solution. Doesn't set a precedent of changing the playoff rules for "special" situations.

Its not even really unfair. If Allen/Burrows gets concussed in the 1Q and their backup goes in a throws 5 ints no one would be calling for redo. Its just how the game is. In this case both the Bills and Bengals agreed to stop the game due to special circumstances.

NFL definition of 'special':

1. A team (not the Patriots) crybabying about nothing, for which the league applies an unfair competitive advantage.

1A. Made up/imagined infractions falsely accusing, convicting and punishing the Patriots, occasionally derived from an actual yet innocuous, trivial act, which otherwise would be ignored when committed by any other team, usually with crybabying by one or more teams as its impetus.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

I disagree. They needed to resume the game later and pushed the season another week. What if there was a weather related reason or some other reason that stopped the game? A one score lead in the first quarter doesn't earn you a win. I think a lot of the outrage is because it's Buffalo. Your post is more anti-Bills than anything else.

His post is anti-stupidity and anti-NFL giving preferential treatment to crybabying teams.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

It's not Buffalo's fault that the NFL doesn't have a week between the season and the playoffs as a buffer for this sort of situation, so why talk about justice equaling a Bills loss?

I suppose the Bills do not deserve misfortune just because of the NFL's stupidity. But they did choose not to play, unlike hundreds of other teams in all sports with teammates taken to the hospital with life threatening injuries. They certainly do not deserve to be rewarded as they are.

 

[Ras-IR Dowling]

This game is getting ruined by greed. There was no need to deviate from the the 6 team playoff system in a 16 game season.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Good luck to the Bengals on Sunday, they are going to need it, down both OT’s and one guard along with the NFL wanting that neutral site next weekend, the refs won’t call a penalty on the Bills and the Bengals better not even look at a Bills player the wrong way.

I expect the Bengals to win. That they're the better team helps, but of course as we know better than anyone that doesn't assure anything.

 

[Deus Irae]

I suppose the Bills do not deserve misfortune just because of the NFL's stupidity. But they did choose not to play, unlike hundreds of other teams in all sports with teammates taken to the hospital with life threatening injuries. They certainly do not deserve to be rewarded as they are.

The notion that they've been rewarded is simply not correct.

 

[Hyped]

Bad weather games are awesome

For us watching on TV, but the fans? It is brutal….