National Football League Thread

[Matto_lsi]

2 hours ago, Zio_Sam87 said:

Dan Hanzus is right about playoff formula

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001086554/article/nfl-power-rankings-week-15-49ers-jump-seahawks-pats-drop

 

He may be right that it needs a change, but the proposed one is far superior to his idea.  His power rankings are awful most of the time.  Just re-seeding playoff teams based on record would help a lot.  I personally could go for a system where even if you win your division, you get left out if you don't reach .500 or better, but that's a fairly controversial idea.  Just re-seeding the teams that make the playoffs in the current system would make a lot more sense.  W/L record is the best measure we can go by, trying to factor in too many variables would be a nightmare.

[Zio_Sam87]

2 hours ago, djb5f said:

Manning Tragic.  More career losses than wins now.

Nah, that does not work.  The NFL season is a lot more interesting because of division (and conference) races.  Just seeding by power rankings sounds terrible in that they are arbitrary (some sort of committee deciding?) and division rivalries would not mean much.  These games the next few weeks will be a lot more because of division races and playoff positioning.  In his method, if you finish with a power ranking of 5-7, who really cares which one.  

 

Also, for his power rankings this week, having the Eagles jump up 6 spots because they rallied to beat the hapless Giants at home in OT? Ummm, no.

 

 

 

33 minutes ago, Matto_lsi said:

 

He may be right that it needs a change, but the proposed one is far superior to his idea.  His power rankings are awful most of the time.  Just re-seeding playoff teams based on record would help a lot.  I personally could go for a system where even if you win your division, you get left out if you don't reach .500 or better, but that's a fairly controversial idea.  Just re-seeding the teams that make the playoffs in the current system would make a lot more sense.  W/L record is the best measure we can go by, trying to factor in too many variables would be a nightmare.

 

Wait both, I intended he is right about the need of change, not with his proposal :-)

 

I think top N records, with a schedule rework, should be good

[christhedog3]

1 hour ago, Matto_lsi said:

 

He may be right that it needs a change, but the proposed one is far superior to his idea.  His power rankings are awful most of the time.  Just re-seeding playoff teams based on record would help a lot.  I personally could go for a system where even if you win your division, you get left out if you don't reach .500 or better, but that's a fairly controversial idea.  Just re-seeding the teams that make the playoffs in the current system would make a lot more sense.  W/L record is the best measure we can go by, trying to factor in too many variables would be a nightmare.

 

I personally don't see why divisions have to be as important as they are in US sports but short of changing up the entire format I don't see why they don't just re-seed once the 6 are locked in.

 

Only thing I'll say is the best teams and eventual winners should still be able to win whether they play Dallas at home or away. Obviously tell that to the Saints what with their loss a few years ago... but in the sake of fairness I do think Division titles should be deemed irrelevant when it comes to playoff seeding. Hardly Seattle's fault that the bar for winning their division is SO MUCH higher than it is in the NFC East this year.

[skidmarkgn]

I think Acasser was the one that brought up keeping everything the same except for division winners automatically getting a home game and I'm 100% on board with it.  Keep the division winner in as an automatic, 1st round bye for #1 and #2, 6 vs 3 and 5 vs 4, even seeding the divisional winners as 1-4 with the wildcards being 5 and 6.  All the same.  The only difference is the better record gets the home game.  Divisional games would mean a little less but they'd still be important because winning still gets you in no matter what.  The NFC East this year is on the verge of being statistically the worst division of all time yet the winner will still get an advantage in the tournament, Seattle was 7-9 and they still got an advantage, the Panthers not to long ago were 7-8-1, boom, advantage.  Seems like every year there's an (or multiple) undeserving team getting an undeserved advantage and it feels wrong.

Edited December 11, 2019 by skidmarkgn

[djb5f]

Given the remaining schedules, I bet the Cowboys/Eagles winner finishes at least 8-8.  It is silly they host a game but in the bigger scheme not that big of a deal.  If the wildcard from SF/Seattle were really a legit Super Bowl contender then it should be seen as a layup home or away.  If they lose, they were never getting there anyway.

 

The real playoffs start in the divisional round and are business as usual.

 

So while it was cheap when the Seahawks won the NFC West at 7-9 and won a game, the were bounced in the next game.  The Cardinals won the NFC West at 9-7, only way they were making the playoffs, and actually made it to the Super Bowl but that is quite unusual.

 

 

 

[acasser]

2 hours ago, skidmarkgn said:

I think Acasser was the one that brought up keeping everything the same except for division winners automatically getting a home game and I'm 100% on board with it.  Keep the division winner in as an automatic, 1st round bye for #1 and #2, 6 vs 3 and 5 vs 4, even seeding the divisional winners as 1-4 with the wildcards being 5 and 6.  All the same.  The only difference is the better record gets the home game.  Divisional games would mean a little less but they'd still be important because winning still gets you in no matter what.  The NFC East this year is on the verge of being statistically the worst division of all time yet the winner will still get an advantage in the tournament, Seattle was 7-9 and they still got an advantage, the Panthers not to long ago were 7-8-1, boom, advantage.  Seems like every year there's an (or multiple) undeserving team getting an undeserved advantage and it feels wrong.

 

I've mentioned it several times in these spaces, but it's not an original idea by any stretch of the imagination.

 

But it's also a change I'd apply only to the Wild Card Round; if the top WC entrant has the 2nd best record in the League -- something that has happened a few times -- they still have to go on the road in the next round regardless of opponent.  Most of it is a logistics issue, allowing for the League and the networks to map out the playoffs largely in their entirety before the first snap.  But I also want to encouage teams to play to win divisions and have that mean something.  For the lesser divisions, sure, getting in and having a chance is reward enough.  But if you're good enough to earn that opening bye, you deserve a home game on top of that.  Make winning the division mean as much as you possibly can.

 

Yeah, you occasionally get a dreadful division with a pitiful champion.  But think of them as the NFL's version of Mid-South Bumfuck State University in the NCAA basketball tournament.  You win your division, you get into the dance. Case closed.  Because if you start putting additional, arbitrary requirements on making the tournament, you may as well throw everything out such as divisions and seeding (largely) by record and go straight to a selection committee sitting in a smoke-filled room arguing style points and other esoteric merits.

[conkervertex]

Will take some shuffles in the NFC to bounce back from the Saints loss to SF, but we'll be okay. Just need to win out and hope that SF loses to Seattle.

 

Also need a Packers loss. Lol.

 

Either way, it's gonna be a race for sure.

[kfree7]

We are fired up in Kansas City.  We got a little help from the refs at the end but they were out of challenges.  We have lost games just like that.

The city is bleeding red.  We may be a Mid Market team as they call us but we are a big heart city!  Go Chiefs!

[majob]

I honestly feel the NFL's playoff system, while flawed, works. Division winners are in, best two records get a bye, two best records after divisional winners get a wildcard. It works great on paper and more often than not, works great in real life. Nothing is perfect however and hiccups happen and this year we're looking at a possibly quite large hiccup but it is what it is. I think the real flaw is the way divisions are set up but that's another can of worms saved for after the season

[Zio_Sam87]

1 hour ago, majob said:

I honestly feel the NFL's playoff system, while flawed, works. Division winners are in, best two records get a bye, two best records after divisional winners get a wildcard. It works great on paper and more often than not, works great in real life. Nothing is perfect however and hiccups happen and this year we're looking at a possibly quite large hiccup but it is what it is. I think the real flaw is the way divisions are set up but that's another can of worms saved for after the season

 

Like someone Western and Southern that others being an "East" team? ?

 

After a decade following football I still can't understand who and how decided divisions composition

[acasser]

8 hours ago, Zio_Sam87 said:

 

Like someone Western and Southern that others being an "East" team? 

 

After a decade following football I still can't understand who and how decided divisions composition

 

They left the Conferences largely intact from the previous format, save for Seattle shifting from the AFC to the NFC.  Then they went vaguely on geography, but they also tried to leave existing rivalries intact as well as much as they could.  Not entirely, because they went from five and six team divisions to a batch of four team divisions, but as much as they could.

 

So it's arbitrary, but it's only semi-arbitrary.

[starcrunch061]

22 hours ago, djb5f said:

Nah, that does not work.  The NFL season is a lot more interesting because of division (and conference) races.  Just seeding by power rankings sounds terrible in that they are arbitrary (some sort of committee deciding?) and division rivalries would not mean much.  These games the next few weeks will be a lot more because of division races and playoff positioning.  In his method, if you finish with a power ranking of 5-7, who really cares which one.  

 

Also, for his power rankings this week, having the Eagles jump up 6 spots because they rallied to beat the hapless Giants at home in OT? Ummm, no.

 

Nutty as it sounds, I love the current playoff formula, because I feel that every seed has something to look forward to. I know sometimes one division is stronger than another, but honestly, if a wild card was THAT much stronger than the weaker divisional winner, they should be able to overcome what has generally been a 3 point disadvantage historically from playing on the road.

 

We already know that the NFL tries to match up the best teams from last year. It doesn't always work, mind you, but it does say that in many years, a divisional winner who was a powerhouse last year will fall off in the following year because they play stronger competition. This allows teams from weaker divisions from the previous year to look better on paper.

[MidnightDragon]

Here are the playoff scenarios heading into this week.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001086559/article/2019-nfl-playoffclinching-scenarios-for-week-15

 

If the Pats can't beat the Bengals, they should be fucking ashamed of themselves.

[skidmarkgn]

Man I love this guy's videos.

 

 

[Avatar_Of_Battle]

2 hours ago, skidmarkgn said:

Man I love this guy's videos.

 

 

 

Gotta watch this one youtube in case anyone didn't read the entire unavailable message.

[skidmarkgn]

1 hour ago, Avatar_Of_Battle said:

 

Gotta watch this one youtube in case anyone didn't read the entire unavailable message.

 

Damn NFL.  Anyways, his name is Urinating Tree.  He's the king of haters and he's pretty damn funny, especially when it's about his Steelers (he has an entire series about their 2018 season and 2019 pre-season called Days of our Steelers that's awesome).  

[acasser]

One of these teams may be the best in the League.

 

One of these teams is the New York Jets.

 

It's going to be a long night.  /sigh

[skidmarkgn]

Can we please just get a mercy rule end to the game?

[Conker]

Well the Highlight was Lamar breaking the rushing record for qb in a season, nothing else as game went as expected

[Matto_lsi]

Oh man, I am not looking forward to this weekend.  This is the exact definition of a trap game.  The Niners are playing the Falcons - who look terrible on paper - right when they decided to start actually playing pro football.  They might be 4-9, but they still have Matt Ryan, they still have Julio Jones, they still have other pro bowl caliber players on their team, and they just recently found their groove.  A different variation of this team went to the Super Bowl 2 years ago and almost won it all.  I really hope the Niners go into this game realizing they are still playing a dangerous team.  And even worse, they know they aren't making the playoffs, so each game they play against a division leader is like a mini super bowl for them.  This team beat the Saints a couple weeks ago, and they did so on the road.  Niners better get up for this game or else it could have drastic consequences.

[PsychicVibe]

4 hours ago, Matto_lsi said:

Oh man, I am not looking forward to this weekend.  This is the exact definition of a trap game.  The Niners are playing the Falcons - who look terrible on paper - right when they decided to start actually playing pro football.  They might be 4-9, but they still have Matt Ryan, they still have Julio Jones, they still have other pro bowl caliber players on their team, and they just recently found their groove.  A different variation of this team went to the Super Bowl 2 years ago and almost won it all.  I really hope the Niners go into this game realizing they are still playing a dangerous team.  And even worse, they know they aren't making the playoffs, so each game they play against a division leader is like a mini super bowl for them.  This team beat the Saints a couple weeks ago, and they did so on the road.  Niners better get up for this game or else it could have drastic consequences.

 

I'm taking the complete opposite view. Atlanta is terrible both on paper and on the field. The Super Bowl variation of the Falcons is missing the person that was key to their success and his name is Kyle Shanahan. For Shanahan, it is the third revenge game of the year for him. Cleveland and Washington scored a combined 3 points against them.

 

Atlanta might be able to win a division game, and they've played better of late, winning the last three out of five. Their victory over New Orleans was a trap game.

 

Frankly, once the Niners go up by more than one score I think Atlanta's defense will start to fold.

 

At this time of year there really aren't many trap games. The question becomes, who is the better team and who has more to play for?

[skidmarkgn]

8 hours ago, Matto_lsi said:

Oh man, I am not looking forward to this weekend.  This is the exact definition of a trap game.  The Niners are playing the Falcons - who look terrible on paper - right when they decided to start actually playing pro football.  They might be 4-9, but they still have Matt Ryan, they still have Julio Jones, they still have other pro bowl caliber players on their team, and they just recently found their groove.  A different variation of this team went to the Super Bowl 2 years ago and almost won it all.  I really hope the Niners go into this game realizing they are still playing a dangerous team.  And even worse, they know they aren't making the playoffs, so each game they play against a division leader is like a mini super bowl for them.  This team beat the Saints a couple weeks ago, and they did so on the road.  Niners better get up for this game or else it could have drastic consequences.

 

I'd think the Rams game would be the one to sweat.  Division game against a good team that's getting hot and sniffing the playoffs.  Not to mention the players the 9ers will be without.  Falcons might put of some kind of a fight early, especially if San Fran's defense puts on the same shit-show as last week but I just don't see Atlanta keeping up.  The Rams however, they still have Donald, who at any given time can single handedly wreck a game, (man I can't wait to not have to watch Seattle play against him twice a year) and their offense is starting to find their groove again.  

 

And on a side note, both times Seattle and the 49ers play this year San Fran's coming off extra time to rest, wtf man.

[Matto_lsi]

1 hour ago, skidmarkgn said:

 

I'd think the Rams game would be the one to sweat.  Division game against a good team that's getting hot and sniffing the playoffs.  Not to mention the players the 9ers will be without.  Falcons might put of some kind of a fight early, especially if San Fran's defense puts on the same shit-show as last week but I just don't see Atlanta keeping up.  The Rams however, they still have Donald, who at any given time can single handedly wreck a game, (man I can't wait to not have to watch Seattle play against him twice a year) and their offense is starting to find their groove again.  

 

And on a side note, both times Seattle and the 49ers play this year San Fran's coming off extra time to rest, wtf man.

 

I'm sweating the Rams game too, but at least the Niners can see the Rams are only 3 games behind them and just beat the snot out of Seattle.  There's no trap there, just a hard match-up on the horizon.  They should be prepared.  But that's the problem, I guarantee you there's people in the organization already thinking about the Rams when the Falcons are coming to town this weekend.  They need to stay focused on the game at hand.  They can start worrying about the Rams on Sunday night.  And the reason the Niners D looked bad is cause half of it is injured!  It's not the same D from even 3 weeks ago.  That's going to be rough with the games left to play and then the playoffs looming.  Injuries make all the difference.

[Splathew]

 

[MidnightDragon]

3 hours ago, Splathew said:

 

Yep, but didn’t slow KC down. Pats better watch their backs!