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Since people are complaining about the AFC East

T

Troglodyte

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My idea for re-structuring the NFL.

So the Pats get a 1st round bye every year because their division sucks is the current complaint. That is just one problem that is a result of the NFL's 8 4-team division structure.

Why not switch to 4 8-team divisions? 7 intra-division games, 5 intra-conference inter-division games, and 4 inter-conference games.

Inter-division and conference scheduling would be based on prior year finishes. Schedule strength would be much more even.

Teams with lousy or mediocre records would be much less likely to win their divisions and make the Playoffs. Playoff seedlings would make more sense.

There would be more prime match-ups. It would likely create or re-kindle inter-conference rivalries as teams may face each other in consecutive years rather than every four years.

You would lose the home and away intra-division rivalry games but are you really going to be as amped-up for Browns games as you are for the Pats game?
 
I hear what you're saying but the Pats*** do pretty well in the playoffs against other divisions anyway, helped by cheating of course. I'd rather have rivalries with teams that are relatively close but then Dallas plays in the NFC East for TV ratings purposes, so there you go.
 
Because it worked GREAT for hockey, so now the 1 and 2 seeds play in the second round instead of the conference finals...
 
Troglodyte said:
My idea for re-structuring the NFL.

So the Pats get a 1st round bye every year because their division sucks is the current complaint. That is just one problem that is a result of the NFL's 8 4-team division structure.

Why not switch to 4 8-team divisions? 7 intra-division games, 5 intra-conference inter-division games, and 4 inter-conference games.

Inter-division and conference scheduling would be based on prior year finishes. Schedule strength would be much more even.

Teams with lousy or mediocre records would be much less likely to win their divisions and make the Playoffs. Playoff seedlings would make more sense.

There would be more prime match-ups. It would likely create or re-kindle inter-conference rivalries as teams may face each other in consecutive years rather than every four years.

You would lose the home and away intra-division rivalry games but are you really going to be as amped-up for Browns games as you are for the Pats game?
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The AFC east has given New England a free pass to the playoffs for years. In the past ten years, outside of New England has there every been a 11-5 or better team? I think not and 10-6 over the course of ten years for the Jets, Bills and Dolphins is rare.

Such a switch would really penaizled the best teams as they would be playing each other more often next season and it would take away key home games in a rivalary on the odd year.

Not for it.
 
Coach said:
The AFC east has given New England a free pass to the playoffs for years. In the past ten years, outside of New England has there every been a 11-5 or better team? I think not and 10-6 over the course of ten years for the Jets, Bills and Dolphins is rare.

Such a switch would really penaizled the best teams as they would be playing each other more often next season and it would take away key home games in a rivalary on the odd year.

Not for it.
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Truth, It's been odd in the AFC for the last 16yrs. Both the AFC East and South are pitiful allowing the only teams with a good QB to constantly win those divisions. Hell, the Colts were nearly clinched every week 12. Last season the south was terrible, and Indi couldn't muster 9 freakin wins. I personally think Luck is overrated as a team leader and winner. I don't think he's beaten us yet. Then the AFC West rotates run away division winners every damn year.

Only the North has been consistently competitive over that time. It's always been the Ravens and Steelers in that time frame with smatterings of the Bengals being competitive. They have the talent now to be competitors. Too bad the Steelers have more talent now!
 
Yet it is kind of broke because 8-8 division winners host 11-5 wild card teams. It should be considered seriously
 
Cope said:
Because it worked GREAT for hockey, so now the 1 and 2 seeds play in the second round instead of the conference finals...
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To be fair in this assessment. I think Tampa was a whole different beast then Washington. The nfl format is fine I think. These teams have world class athletes. Anything goes. As long as the pawtucket pats are not cheating
 
MTC said:
To be fair in this assessment. I think Tampa was a whole different beast then Washington. The nfl format is fine I think. These teams have world class athletes. Anything goes. As long as the pawtucket pats are not cheating
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Get REAL, as if that will ever happen...........................



Salute the nation
 
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MTC said:
To be fair in this assessment. I think Tampa was a whole different beast then Washington. The nfl format is fine I think. These teams have world class athletes. Anything goes. As long as the pawtucket pats are not cheating
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It was a great series MTC, but the Lightning was not nearly as talented as the Caps. The fact they won 3 of the first 5 games was all that goaltender, who was red hot. We significantly outshot, out possessed, and out chanced them in all 7 games. It never should have been close, but you can't control when you meet a hot goaltender.

Hell of a series though.
 
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Or just base the playoff seedings on overall records, period.
 
Coach said:
Such a switch would really penaizled the best teams as they would be playing each other more often next season and it would take away key home games in a rivalary on the odd year.
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They do the same thing now with the intra-conference games. There's no mechanism currently in place to assure equal schedule strength and there's only two wild-card teams in each conference. With four divisions, there would be four wild-card teams in each conference so it would double the number of playoff spots that are based on best overall record.
 
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Or maybe the AFC East teams could do a better job at constructing their roster and coaching staffs to actually compete for a division title. You don't change the structure of the entire league because of the ineptitude of three teams in a division.
 
SteelerFan448 said:
Or maybe the AFC East teams could do a better job at constructing their roster and coaching staffs to actually compete for a division title. You don't change the structure of the entire league because of the ineptitude of three teams in a division.
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No, no, no.

The AFC East is just one of many examples of problems with an 8 4-team division structure.

As I said, the Steelers have never really been screwed by it, other than maybe playoff seeding, but if they ever miss the playoffs as an 11-5 team and some 7-9 division champ makes it, I think you'll see my point.
 
Cope said:
It was a great series MTC, but the Lightning was not nearly as talented as the Caps. The fact they won 3 of the first 5 games was all that goaltender, who was red hot. We significantly outshot, out possessed, and out chanced them in all 7 games. It never should have been close, but you can't control when you meet a hot goaltender.

Hell of a series though.
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Tampa was a more of a faster team than the Caps. I think the Caps have better talent skill wise but don't exactly have it together. Barry Trotz is another Bylsma. Tampa has a better system which challanged the Pens speed at the time. Cooper and Sullivan were chess match minds. It was great. I'd take Ovie over anyone on Tampa but Tampa's lines were constructed beautiful. Johnson, Callahan, Brown, factor in the size of their D men. Hedman and Boyle are big dudes. Talk more hockey when the season starts. Agreed with ya Cope. Good series. I think the NFL runs a fine playoff system. And the NFL anything can go.
 
Troglodyte said:
No, no, no.

The AFC East is just one of many examples of problems with an 8 4-team division structure.

As I said, the Steelers have never really been screwed by it, other than maybe playoff seeding, but if they ever miss the playoffs as an 11-5 team and some 7-9 division champ makes it, I think you'll see my point.
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So, we should toss our rivalries in the trash because of a long shot possibility that we might go 11-5 and miss the playoffs? Instead of a second game with the Rats, we get San Diego. Yuck!
 
steelermania said:
So, we should toss our rivalries in the trash because of a long shot possibility that we might go 11-5 and miss the playoffs? Instead of a second game with the Rats, we get San Diego. Yuck!
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College rivalries do just fine playing once a year. Playing a rival just once intensifies the games importance. Would you be in favor of the NFL increasing intra-divisional games to 4 games (2 home, 2 away)? I wouldn't, it would just water it down.
 
I think this argument is bad. Sure the AFC east is not good, but the winner of the division has to play a first place schedule. The Pats would clean up in any division. They do more than fine outside the division and the Jets / Bills seem to give them more trouble than a lot of teams.
 
jitter77 said:
I think this argument is bad. Sure the AFC east is not good, but the winner of the division has to play a first place schedule. The Pats would clean up in any division. They do more than fine outside the division and the Jets / Bills seem to give them more trouble than a lot of teams.
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Again, mine is a broader argument about the structure of the league, not specific to the AFC East. My primary issue is mediocre division champs getting playoff births for winning their crappy divisions, not New England winning the AFC East.
 
Regardless of the divisions I think the winner should still make the playoffs. I do believe teams should be seated according to record though.
 
jitter77 said:
Regardless of the divisions I think the winner should still make the playoffs. I do believe teams should be seated according to record though.
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I'd be in favor of that short of restructuring, however what you are saying is record shouldn't necessarily determine who makes the playoffs, but should determine seeding. In theory, under that format, a 12-4 could miss the playoffs in which they would have been the #4 seed based on record.
 
Or all afc teams play each other and all nfc teams play each other once. Best records go to the playoffs. For the history of cheating all the cheatriot games are away games.
 
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