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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="FBT" data-cid="99380" data-time="1388689774">
<div>I've already posted several times how foolish that notion is. Yeah, its noble to want the most competitve division possible, but ask the late 1980's and early 1990's Cardinals and Eagles how beneficial that was playing in a division with the Redskins, Giants and Cowboys largely very good,. Then by comparison look at the road that the San Fran 49ers were able to take during that same period - their division was much less easier than the NFC East and the Niners benefited from better records and higher playoff seeds, thus an easier road to the SB because of it. 
The Eagles, despite the best defense ever assembled were so exhausted over the war of attrition that division caused them, that by the playoffs they were usually largely spent and flamed out quickly.  Even the Jaguars can illustrate how an easier division is helpful as we have had our best success in the late 1990's while in a weak division with the likes of bad a Cleveland team in turmoil in 1996 & 1999, a so so Bengal team, a Steeler team in its ebb, a new Baltimore team which was bad until the late part of that timeframe, and an average Houston/ Tennessee team until 1999. So sitting there and talking about how a tough division is something good, is rather stupid.