I don't think expanding the playoffs to 14 teams is terrible.  You'd be giving the top seed only a bye and the 2 seed would be playing the 7 seed on wildcard weekend.  That's not drastically changing things too much.  I do agree that 16  teams is too much.  So half the league makes the playoffs?!?  Not a good idea.   But expanding to 14 would have allowed a hot Cardinals team into the playoffs this year and I would have enjoyed seeing that.

 

I am vehemently opposed to reseeding based on record alone.  People are up in arms that the 49ers have to go to Lambeau this year.  They aren't taking into account that the NFC West played the AFC South this year which in my estimation is the worst division in football at the moment.  Giving division champs a home game is the equalizer against a wildcard team that gets in and has a better record due to fortunate scheduling.  It also helps to foster deep rivalries between division opponents because the games are worth more and that is good for the game.

 

To further the point, the AFC West also played the AFC South this year and put 3 teams into the playoffs.  I'm not saying they shouldn't be there, but let's not gloss over the fact that they had an easier schedule than the rest of the AFC and start handing out home field advantage to a team like the Chiefs.

 

  While I respect where you are coming from regarding the case for a 14 team playoff,  my greatest concern if this happens is it will be only one step from leading to a 16 team playoff.  The following is what I can envisioning happening regarding a 14 team playoff:

 

  Complaints that the top seeded team was in a weak division and/ or had a relative weak schedule and hence it gets a bye,  with the 2nd seeded team having to play a first round playoff game.    This probably will eventually lead to no more byes,  hence expanded playoffs to 16 teams.     Keeping the playoffs with only 12 teams getting in is from my point a view a proactive method to help prevent the playoffs being expanded to 16 teams.

 

  If given the choice,  I much rather the emphasis in the NFL be on teams with 10 or 11 wins for example than 7 to 9 wins.   With more teams in the playoffs,  winning more games in the regular season will lose meaning in many,  if not most cases.    

 

   While I enjoy the NFL level of play and overall game more than College Football, to the credit of College Football,   it has the most important regular season of any major sport in either the Professional or College Ranks,  in North America.   Every game is critical in college football if your goal is to win the National Championship.   It's the complete opposite of College Basketball,  the NBA, and NHL.   As Alabama saw,  there's very little margin of error when it comes to having the opportunity to play for the National Title.  One play resulted in one loss in the regular season that cost them a chance at 3-peating.   Those high stakes games are tremendous!

 

 Though the Cardinals were unfortunate that they didn't make the playoffs despite having 10 wins,  the bottom line is a wildcard spot is in reality a bonus.  This line of thinking is at least part of the reason why I agree with you that division winners should continue to get home games in their first playoff game,  not wildcards.   If a team fails to win their division through the course of the regular season,  they shouldn't be rewarded over a team that did win its division.   Great point regarding keeping divisional games that much more important if the current playoff seeding formula remains in place.

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A major concern of mine is that under Roger Goodell's leadership,  the NFL is seriously thinking about expanding the playoffs from 12 to either 14 or 16 teams.   

 

The playoff formula that exists right now is ideal.  Division winners are awarded at least one home game in the playoffs and the top 2 division winners in each conference get a bye.   Expanding the playoffs will lessen the importance of regular season games.   That much more if the NFL expands the playoffs to 16 teams and eliminates byes.  

 

While the NFL would have added revenue from more playoff games,  the incentive to watch regular season games,  especially when your favorite team isn't involved,  would be lessened significantly.     Teams with 8-8 or worse records getting into the playoffs would become common.   My interest in the NBA and NHL is minimal until the playoffs begin because 16 teams reach the playoffs and there are no byes. 

 

 

His insistence of pushing an 18 game schedule and the asinine proposition of a fulltime franchise in London make me want to donkey punch the commish. Both are awful, awful ideas. An 18 game schedule is a contradiction of his repeated claims of making the game safer. And a London franchise is a logistical nightmare. If India can form their own professional league www.efli.com, Europe surely can as well. Having teams fly 7 time zones to play a game is absurd.

 

 

The above 2 posts are a big reason I do not like Goodell. 

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The above 2 posts are a big reason I do not like Goodell. 

 

Neither are purely Goodells doing. You are mistaken if you believe Goodell has the power to expand the season by 2 games and change the playoffs. If Goodell wanted to change the season he COULD have before the new cba. 

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"Don't argue with an idiot, people watching may not be able to tell the difference."