Would you be OK with a smaller/lighter NFL version of the play in tournament like the NBA has?

[Chandler#81]

9 hours ago, MJS said:

I think the NFL playoffs are the best and no other sport compares. Actually, they were the best before they expanded the number of playoff teams.

I agree with most of this but we need another reg season game and another Bye team per conference in the playoffs.

[Doc Brown]

6 hours ago, Don Otreply said:

True, but it’s not about ratings, if ya can’t win your division, you don’t deserve to be in the postseason, again , jmo. 

Um, yeah it is.  Having a 14-3 team like the Vikings not make the playoffs is crazy to me in your scenario.

[BarleyNY]

So which would be better:

 

A) Current format with one team in each conference getting a bye and seven teams making the playoffs

 

B) A post season play in round where seeds 7-10 play each other for the last two playoff spots. 10 teams in each conference make it beyond the regular season and 8 make the official playoffs. 6 teams effectively get a bye. 

 

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think I like option B better and by a fair bit. But with one important caveat - elimination of divisions. Every team plays every other team in the conference plus 2 (or 3) opposing conference teams on a rotating basis. Seeding is by record. I guess point differential would be the tie breaker. 

 

If we’re going to have teams that are .500 (or worse) make the post season, then making those teams win another game to get in to the actual playoffs would be fine with me. I’d rather see that then an 18th regular season game. 

[dgrochester55]

I would rather see the NFL overhaul their officiating and stop running an obnoxious amount of gambling app ads. Regardless of how much tampering if any is actually going on in the games,  those two things combined are a bad look and leave it wide open for people to question them. As far as expanding the playoffs, I haven't seen enough competitiveness from the 7th seeds in the playoffs to make me think that adding an 8th or 9th team would enhance the experience.

Edited yesterday at 11:37 AM by dgrochester55

[stuvian]

44% of teams in the NFL make the post-season. There's a lot of mediocrity already baked into that. 

[BobbyC81]

11 hours ago, BillsPride12 said:

NHL playoffs are the best IMO 

The leagues really need to stop tinkering with things every year, 99% of the time the changes they make are for the worse 

I think we currently have the worst ever set of commissioners for the 4 major sports.

[May Day 10]

I'm not a huge fan of the current nfl format, but not sure what the answer is.

 

I dont like the 1 seed getting the embarrassment of riches

[AlCowlingsTaxiService]

11 hours ago, MJS said:

I think the NFL playoffs are the best and no other sport compares. Actually, they were the best before they expanded the number of playoff teams.

Lord Stanley enters the chat …

[ProcessTruster]

1 hour ago, May Day 10 said:

I'm not a huge fan of the current nfl format, but not sure what the answer is.

 

I dont like the 1 seed getting the embarrassment of riches

yeah the tournament is what it is, but a single elimination tournament as the only measure of success is way overemphasized relative to the 4 month+ regular season where the real work gets done.   

 

If the tournament is so great, why not have 50 franchises and make the whole damn season one big f ing 4 month double elimination tournament with losers brackets, the works?  

[C.Biscuit97]

13 hours ago, thronethinker said:

These are things desperate leagues do. The NFL is not desperate. The NBA is losing fans by droves. 

The Celtics just sold for $6 billion. 

[HOUSE]

Sure, let's give even more money to the NFL.  

 

[BillsFan130]

14 hours ago, MJS said:

I think the NFL playoffs are the best and no other sport compares. Actually, they were the best before they expanded the number of playoff teams.

Football is by far my favourite sport, but hockey playoffs are by far the best IMO.

[JakeFrommStateFarm]

12 hours ago, Johnnycage46 said:

No, in fact I wish they would drop the 7 seed and go back to the way it was for 30 years.

Either this or go with the 1 and 2 seed bye and add an 8th team.

 

1st and 2nd seed should get a bye

[Alphadawg7]

Hard pass.  
 

NFL doesn’t need it, and you can’t just keep adding more games, injury risk and physical toll on the players is way too high.  

[Billy Claude]

3 hours ago, BarleyNY said:

So which would be better:

 

A) Current format with one team in each conference getting a bye and seven teams making the playoffs

 

B) A post season play in round where seeds 7-10 play each other for the last two playoff spots. 10 teams in each conference make it beyond the regular season and 8 make the official playoffs. 6 teams effectively get a bye. 

 

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think I like option B better and by a fair bit. But with one important caveat - elimination of divisions. Every team plays every other team in the conference plus 2 (or 3) opposing conference teams on a rotating basis. Seeding is by record. I guess point differential would be the tie breaker. 

 

If we’re going to have teams that are .500 (or worse) make the post season, then making those teams win another game to get in to the actual playoffs would be fine with me. I’d rather see that then an 18th regular season game. 

 

 

I would definitely be in favor if they did this instead of adding an 18th game but definitely not if they do this and add an 18th game.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Mikie2times]

1 hour ago, ProcessTruster said:

yeah the tournament is what it is, but a single elimination tournament as the only measure of success is way overemphasized relative to the 4 month+ regular season where the real work gets done.   

 

If the tournament is so great, why not have 50 franchises and make the whole damn season one big f ing 4 month double elimination tournament with losers brackets, the works?  

You’re the only person I have ever met that calls the NFL playoffs “the tournament”. I imagine it’s trying to liken in to March Madness as part of an agenda so we can feel better about our team (shocking, a guy named process truster trying to campaign for the playoffs to not matter). We have officially seen it all.

 

Sorry, but “the tournament” is all that matters for history or anything else. Nobody remembers what happens outside “the tournament” 20 years later. Nobody cares about the regular season. 

Edited yesterday at 03:15 PM by Mikie2times

[Augie]

15 hours ago, thronethinker said:

These are things desperate leagues do. The NFL is not desperate. The NBA is losing fans by droves. 

 

I went into a bar yesterday for lunch and there was basketball on TV. It took me a while to realize it was the NBA. I didn’t ask them to change the channel because there were other TV’s to watch. 

 

NFL players try on every play of every single game, unlike the NBA. If you don’t try in the regular season, I don’t care about your playoffs. 

[4th&long]

No. The play in tournament is stupid.  The play 82 games already, they didn't need play in games. 

[Don Otreply]

6 hours ago, Doc Brown said:

Um, yeah it is.  Having a 14-3 team like the Vikings not make the playoffs is crazy to me in your scenario.

Life is inherently unfair 

[Utah John]

16 hours ago, BillsPride12 said:

NHL playoffs are the best IMO 

The leagues really need to stop tinkering with things every year, 99% of the time the changes they make are for the worse 

The NHL playoffs are too long, and there are too many games for viewers to keep track of.  But for the teams involved, of course the tournament is a grueling demonstration of toughness and stamina.  I just can't watch that much hockey when the weather is so nice (here in Memphis).