Proposal: No Divisions

gftChris

Some of the bigger rivalries here come from teams competing against each other over a period of time. So Patriots and Ravens, have both been going after the AFC crown for years/decades now, and would be (are?) big rivals.

The Gipper

@tour2ma said:

I like the division set up as is.

Division winners should go into the playoffs, regardless of record.

Whether they should get home-field over a WC with a better record is the question...

Spoilsport. Old Fogey. Guy in a rut..

The Gipper

@gftchris said:
Some of the bigger rivalries here come from teams competing against each other over a period of time. So Patriots and Ravens, have both been going after the AFC crown for years/decades now, and would be (are?) big rivals.

Yea, to me, that is NOT a rivalry. That is just two teams that happen to be good at the same time. I used this before: there is NO real rivalry between the Colts and Patriots. They just by happenstance were good at the same time.

There was no real rivalry back in the 80s between the Browns and Broncos. They just happened to be the best two teams in the AFC at the time.

Do the Cowboys and the Steelers have a real rivalry? No....they just happen to be the two teams that have played each other most in the Super Bowl. Most rivalries are backyard varieties....you compete over the same territory sometimes. Browns/Steelers compete for the Youngstown area. Browns/Bengals for Columbus. Proximity helps. Similarity of lifestyle helps. Cleveland and Pittsburgh/Cincy/Buffalo have that. Not so much Cleveland and NY/San Fran/Boston (Oakland? Maybe). There is no similarity between Boston and Indy....other than that the two cities have had great QBs at the same time.

Tour2ma

@the-gipper said:
Spoilsport. Old Fogey. Guy in a rut..

And?

Bob806

I'm in a rut too, I don't like changing out of a division format. The NFL is obviously unique, as the 16 game schedule makes every game mean something. 3/8 of the schedule is in the division and heightens the importance. To me, games against Tennessee, Jacksonville, Miami for example just don't have any appeal, probably never will.

NBA, NHL, MLB have so many games that it does make some sense to eliminate divisions.

hx214

Divisions suck when you get stuck in one that has the best teams in the league...

If the Browns were in one of the south divisions.... we would all love them...

Oh well.

jrb12711

Also, don't overestimate the fact that a team with the record like the Panthers winning the division happens very infrequently. Since '02 it's only happened twice and both times that team actually won (seahawks, panthers). I'm with the idea that keep divisions the way they are and division winners get playoffs, but home field is determined by record.

I also really like the way the NFL is set up now because it affords a ton of parity in playoff teams. Gipper could fill this in better, but it's something like 2-4 teams from the previous year of playoffs aren't in and new teams are. That has a lot to do with the way scheduling is made up currently.

The Gipper

@bob806 said:

I'm in a rut too, I don't like changing out of a division format. The NFL is obviously unique, as the 16 game schedule makes every game mean something. 3/8 of the schedule is in the division and heightens the importance. To me, games against Tennessee, Jacksonville, Miami for example just don't have any appeal, probably never will.

NBA, NHL, MLB have so many games that it does make some sense to eliminate divisions.

OK, this thread does not ask you if you want to stay with the current setup or switch. It asks what you think of the proposed set up...how you think it would work. How it could be tweeked. You are to make an assumption that a non-divisional setup would be in existed.......and how it could be implemented.

It is obviously for shits and giggles as it would never be adopted. (though....like I said....some....including probably team owners, are not happy with the losing teams making the postseason....so something could happen in that regard)

TexasAg1969

@the-gipper said:
Spoilsport. Old Fogey. Guy in a rut..

Yes, we are.

You are to make an assumption that a non-divisional setup would be in existence...............

Heresy.

The Gipper

@jrb12711 said:

Also, don't overestimate the fact that a team with the record like the Panthers winning the division happens very infrequently. Since '02 it's only happened twice and both times that team actually won (seahawks, panthers). I'm with the idea that keep divisions the way they are and division winners get playoffs, but home field is determined by record.

Don't underestimate the fact that owners hate that those losing team making the playoffs even those few times.

I also really like the way the NFL is set up now because it affords a ton of parity in playoff teams. Gipper could fill this in better, but it's something like 2-4 teams from the previous year of playoffs aren't in and new teams are. That has a lot to do with the way scheduling is made up currently.

My proposal could actually create even more parity.

You would have the 4 winningest teams in one conference playing the 4 winningest teams in another conference....plus they would automatically play the 3 winningest teams from their own conference. In other words, the 8 winningest teams in the league one year would be playing a round robin the next year......and the same for the 8 losingest teams. Some teams are definitely going to slide down and some are definitely going to slide up.

Does that seem fair? No.....but then it is not supposed to be, is it.

DieHardBrownsFan

I like it the way it is now. Football has far fewer games than basketball obviously, so having the same type of playoff structure wouldn't be good.

The Gipper

@diehardbrownsfan said:
I like it the way it is now. Football has far fewer games than basketball obviously, so having the same type of playoff structure wouldn't be good.

Any one that wants to say "I like it the way it is now" Just shut the fuck up. You are just being lazy and not responding to what this thread is about.

Taco918

If you went with the pod setup, you might run into problems with teams tanking towards the end of the season to get into an easier pod for the next year. You'd also run into the argument from consistently good teams that they are being punished with tougher schedules for being successful.

I think the best option would be to keep the divisions but remove the seeding, if that hasn't been done already, and/or requiring at least a .500 record to make it into the playoffs. However, as jrb noted, it is infrequent and hasn't reached a point where any changes are really necessary.

DieHardBrownsFan

Like it the way it is now.

Tour2ma

Me, too DH... what do you like best about it?

DieHardBrownsFan

Tradition.

The Gipper

@taco918 said:

If you went with the pod setup, you might run into problems with teams tanking towards the end of the season to get into an easier pod for the next year. You'd also run into the argument from consistently good teams that they are being punished with tougher schedules for being successful.

I think the best option would be to keep the divisions but remove the seeding, if that hasn't been done already, and/or requiring at least a .500 record to make it into the playoffs. However, as jrb noted, it is infrequent and hasn't reached a point where any changes are really necessary.

Like I said...the owners of NFL teams that go 10-6 while a 7-9 record makes it may not agree with you that it hasn't reached a point where a change in necessary.

And while you are right about the pod situation....teams tank now for draft positions.

And, again, while you say "lose the seeding" what do you mean? That the divisional setup should be kept for scheduling only, but that for determining who makes the playoffs only the 6 best teams make it? If that were the case last year only 1 change would have happened: Carolina out, Eagles in.

But then....if you win a division yet don't get a playoff berth....what is the point of having a division? Again, just scheduling?

AFC would have been fine, looking like this:

New England Patriots (1) 12 4 0 East Champion head-to-head record

Denver Broncos (2) 12 4 0 West Champion

Pittsburgh Steelers (3) 11 5 0 North Champion head-to-head record

Indianapolis Colts (4) 11 5 0 South Champion

Cincinnati Bengals (5) 10 5 1 Wild Card #1

Baltimore Ravens (6) 10 6 0 Wild Card #2

Houston Texans 9 7 0 conference win percentage

Kansas City Chiefs 9 7 0 head-to-head record

San Diego Chargers 9 7 0 head-to-head record

Buffalo Bills 9 7 0