POLL: Expand the Playoffs?

(Mods, move to NFL Talk if warranted.)

Discuss...

Honestly 7 is too many... I liked 6 better. 8 is half the conference, that's practically a participation trophy and playing an entire season just for seeding. Playoffs should be more meaningful than half the teams in it.

Originally posted by mattster03:
Honestly 7 is too many... I liked 6 better. 8 is half the conference, that's practically a participation trophy and playing an entire season just for seeding. Playoffs should be more meaningful than half the teams in it.

Thanks, I added that option.

League though is ultimately is driven by revenue $$$ and with that added game, and increased interest from prolonged races for playoff berths down the line, I doubt it'll ever go back to 6 teams per conference (especially if the 17-game schedule is here to stay).

Originally posted by Dr_Bill_Walsh:

Originally posted by mattster03:
Honestly 7 is too many... I liked 6 better. 8 is half the conference, that's practically a participation trophy and playing an entire season just for seeding. Playoffs should be more meaningful than half the teams in it.

Thanks, I added that preference.

You are a gentleman and a scholar.

i like 7 teams

i always thought the #1 seed should be the only one to get the bye week more to fight for in the last week and less chance team will sit starters giving some teams essentially an extra bye week

14/32 is enough, just like 12/28 was enough in 1990.

*Also 8 teams doesn't work unless you either a) add another BYE (would never happen), b) add an extra round (also unlikely) or c) only top seed still gets BYE (math still doesn't work)...essentially in all these scenarios, there's always an odd team out. The only solution would be to get rid of the playoff BYE week advantage for top seed(s) altogether:

NO BYE (basically turning the 1st Round = "Super-Super Wild Card Weekend", #1 seed only has the feather in the cap of having HFA throughout):

#8 @ #1
#7 @ #2
#6 @ #3
#5 @ #4

Math doesn't work...

BYE:
#1 and #2

Wild Card games:

#8 @ #3
#7 @ #4
#6 @ # 5

= 3 victors after wildcard round to assign to #1 and #2

or:

BYE:

#1 only

Wild Card games:

#8 @ #2
#7 @ #3
#6 @ # ??? can't be at both #4 or #5

...can't even do what the MLB or NBA does and have a play-in round to even get in the playoffs, since football in so regimented prep-wise during a week.

Half the teams in the conference making the playoffs waters down the playoffs in my opinion

Originally posted by mattster03:
Honestly 7 is too many... I liked 6 better. 8 is half the conference, that's practically a participation trophy and playing an entire season just for seeding. Playoffs should be more meaningful than half the teams in it.

This. NBA already has watered down playoffs and now they're doing the stupid play in. What the f**k is the point of the regular season if everybody just makes the playoffs anyway

The bye is dumb but 8 or 6

Should go back to 6 teams. 7 out of 16 waters down the playoffs. Now you're getting 9-8 or 8-9 teams getting in.

Originally posted by amir_tn80:
Should go back to 6 teams. 7 out of 16 waters down the playoffs. Now you're getting 9-8 or 8-9 teams getting in.

the only advantage of the new system is it theoretically keeps media and fan interest piqued longer and later in the season than years prior (where powerhouse/dynasty teams dominated conferences and all the lesser "minnows" were pretty much out of it by late-Oct/November).

TLDR; We'll laugh if the Cowboys or Sehawks are a top seed (but get merked by a sub .500 team in the playoffs), and have a nuclear meltdown in NT if the same upset to a fluky wild card were to ever happen to the Niners

The season is already overly long. I really don't want to watch another weekend of mediocre football played between cobbled together rosters that have been decimated by injuries.

Should be only 6. The 9-8 49ers, and 8-8 Saints should not be fighting for a playoff spot. Neither should the Eagles. These are mediocre teams…

Originally posted by BubbaParisMVP:
The season is already overly long. I really don't want to watch another weekend of mediocre football played between cobbled together rosters that have been decimated by injuries.

Overly long? I'm shocked it's almost over. Now baseball drags on until eternity. Never feel that way about the NFL.

But additional teams in? Heck no. As mentioned watered down playoffs are a drag.