Potential travesty

[leoram]

Imagine this...the Cowboys could lose out and go 6-10 and still win their division while the Rams could win out at 11-5 and miss the playoffs. This would call for a change in format that won’t happen...but should.

 

[Loyal]

This is the chaos I would like! To do what you suggest, would make divisional crowns worthless, which I don't want to happen.

I guess fix it would be to have the highest rated wild card replace the divisional champion in the tournament as the home team. If there two Wild Card teams with a better record than a divisional winner, out goes the divisional winner. I don't like it, but if the Rams win 11 games and miss out, and a 7-9 division winner is in.....CHAOS!

 

[fearsomefour]

Keeps it interesting.

 

[Turducken]

I'd cut the baby in half. Division winners get a berth as long as they have at least a .500 record.

 

[Q729]

Screw it. It comes around every so often. We had our chance to sneek in that way before. Just think of divisions like countries in the Olympics. You bring the best of your country to represent. It's not your fault all the athletes in your country are shitty.

 

[kurtfaulk]

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I like the format the way it is but @Turducken made a solid compromise proposal.

No team that has a losing record should make the playoffs.

.

 

[coconut]

Imagine this...the Cowboys could lose out and go 6-10 and still win their division while the Rams could win out at 11-5 and miss the playoffs. This would call for a change in format that won’t happen...but should.

Yikes

 

[CGI_Ram]

Imagine this...the Cowboys could lose out and go 6-10 and still win their division while the Rams could win out at 11-5 and miss the playoffs. This would call for a change in format that won’t happen...but should.

If it happens, it happens.

Teams are built to compete in their division. Winning your division is the goal. I like it that way.

 

[fearsomefour]

The biggest reason the league likes and will keep divisions is it feeds and keeps rivalries in place.
Win your division against your rivals and you’re in.

 

[max]

Rams blew games that they had no business losing. Bucs and Steelers games should not have been lost, and that's given that we should have won in Seattle on GZ FG. Rams should easily be 9-3.

I don't blame anyone else, its all on us.

 

[Malibu]

We are on the outside looking in and it is directly our fault we should not be in this position. Missing that Seattle FG was unexcusable. We should have never lost to TB at home disgraceful. And coming out of a bye we lost to Pittsburg with a backup QB, their entire RB Corp hurt. Again unexcusable. We are where we are because of a large inconsistent play, bad coaching and to a degree injuries.

 

[Legatron4]

To be honest I’m kind of over the division thing. I get tired of seeing the same teams year after year. The NFL is so obsessed with history that it will never change. But yeah, I wouldn’t mind something different. The NFL loves parity and that would happen more if divisions weren’t a thing. Just the best 12 teams in the league going at it.

People talk about Seattle going at 7-9 in 2010 and beating the Saints. But would that have happened if it was in New Orleans? Probably not. That was a huge advantage being in Seattle. I just don’t think it’s fair to put in teams that have worse records then others.

 

[fearsomefour]

Rams blew games that they had no business losing. Bucs and Steelers games should not have been lost, and that's given that we should have won in Seattle on GZ FG. Rams should easily be 9-3.

I don't blame anyone else, its all on us.

Amen.
Every fan of every team I know can point to 10 times they think the refs screwed them this year.
Officiating has been very bad this year.
Only part of that is on the refs. The more that is loaded into the judgement call basket the worse it’s going to get. Judgement call meaning the roughing calls.
The PI review is a joke.
Reviewing every border line catch under 2 minutes is a joke.
They started calling holding more honestly early in the year. The NFL then decides that could affect the precious offenses so they went back to last years models. Has to be an obvious hold on a pass rusher with a shot of getting to the QB or directly affecting a run. Meaning hold early in a pass rush and you probably won’t get called. If the RB runs behind your block you will get the hold call. Block the same way and he doesn’t run behind you it’s not a hold. This is what kept bitting Edwards on Sunday. He could probably say he blocked that way all day and he’d be right.
According to what’s called Donald was held a lot the first few weeks and hardly at all since then. We all know that’s BS. The NFL changing how they are going to enforce fouls during the year is bizarre.
Anyway, no simple answer.
Cameras at every angle and a league determined of over complicate things has made the refs job impossible.
The roughing call on Oko for example.
It was a clean hit. No helmet to helmet, no leading with the head. But, partly because of Murray’s height, the hit was high. But a high hit not to the head is preferred.
You can’t go at the knee. You can’t hit high, you have to pull up once the ball is thrown, if you go the mid body there is a decent chance you’ll get flagged for lowering your head....or if the QB sees you and lowers his head you may get a helmet to helmet call.
The rule as it is enforced is basically can’t contact the head or down low and can’t hit the QB hard. It’s a joke.
Asking a ref to make a call on a play like Oko’s in real time when they have been (clearly) instructed to anticipate the penalty is impossible.
It’s maddening.
But the BS is equally applied.

 

[fearsomefour]

.

I like the format the way it is but @Turducken made a solid compromise proposal.

No team that has a losing record should make the playoffs.

.

The problem is you will end up with exceptions. Maybe not often but certainly could happen.
As soon as the exceptions are in place the no losing record rule doesn’t apply.

 

[LesBaker]

Rams blew games that they had no business losing. Bucs and Steelers games should not have been lost, and that's given that we should have won in Seattle on GZ FG. Rams should easily be 9-3.

I don't blame anyone else, its all on us.

We are on the outside looking in and it is directly our fault we should not be in this position. Missing that Seattle FG was unexcusable. We should have never lost to TB at home disgraceful. And coming out of a bye we lost to Pittsburg with a backup QB, their entire RB Corp hurt. Again unexcusable. We are where we are because of a large inconsistent play, bad coaching and to a degree injuries.

Nah, you guys are all wrong. It was the refs.

 

[Selassie I]

The equally divided divisions that now exist in the NFL is the best way to do it. As CGI pointed out... winning your division has to be the 1st goal of every team.

If a division winner has a losing record at the end of the regular season... that would be a trip, but they would still be the Champ of that horrible division. Their penalty of course is not getting a bye in the playoffs.

Remember when the divisions were fucked up and had some with 5 teams and some with 4. THAT was fucked up. It's fixed now... let the chips fall.

It ain't broke ANYMORE... so it needs no fixing.

 

[Merlin]

The fix is simple...

1. Keep the schedule focused on divisional rival games (x2 vs each) which will make the owners happy. This ensures the divisions mean something.

2. Playoff entry is a points system derived off of wins.

Or they can do what other leagues have done and fix the problem. I like the NHL's approach personally.

 

[Zaphod]

To be honest I’m kind of over the division thing. I get tired of seeing the same teams year after year. The NFL is so obsessed with history that it will never change. But yeah, I wouldn’t mind something different. The NFL loves parity and that would happen more if divisions weren’t a thing. Just the best 12 teams in the league going at it.

People talk about Seattle going at 7-9 in 2010 and beating the Saints. But would that have happened if it was in New Orleans? Probably not. That was a huge advantage being in Seattle. I just don’t think it’s fair to put in teams that have worse records then others.

It really doesn't bother me that the Rams may well miss out on a playoff position to a team with a lesser record ... if people deflect blame there, they'll complain about strength of schedule, officiating, uniform colors or whatever else anyway.

I just think it would be cool and highlight the diversity of schemes and create parity as you stated.