P sucks the refs

NFL owners are considering a new rule that would force officials to make sure there is a penalty before they throw a flag.

As Mike B. points out, this implies that the current system allows officials to throw a flag without actually seeing a penalty. It's hard to argue against this rule change.

One idea I don't support, however, is the proposal to expand the playoffs from 12 to 14 teams. If more teams make the playoffs, it would make the last two weeks of the regular season less important, meaning we'd see many more games with star players sitting out to avoid injuries. Besides, the playoffs don't need to see more 8-8 (or even 7-9) teams.

Comments

Josh said…
The point of expanding the playoffs is to make the regular season more relevant for fans of more teams so that they'll keep watching in Week 16 and 17. I can't imagine what a further expanse would accomplish.
March 23, 2006
dl004d said…
Already, teams are locking in playoff spots with four weeks to go in the season. If it becomes easier to make the playoffs, teams could clinch spots even earlier. So we'd be making the regular season more relevant for fans of suckier teams and less relevant for fans of good teams.
March 23, 2006
dl004d said…
Of course, but if a new rule contributes to lower TV ratings, attendence and attention on the league, it's not likely to make too much money.
March 23, 2006
Josh said…
First of all, I don't think the owners do anything "for the fans" unless that means that the fans are so happy that they'll spend more money (or, by watching more TV, contribute to the owners making more money).

But I do believe that the last expansion of the playoffs was an effort to make the regular season more meaningful for more teams.

The ideal scenario for ratings, I theorize, would be for every game for every team to be meaningful. At one extreme, you don't accomplish that by having two conference champions and a Super Bowl, because too many teams are eliminated too early. At the other extreme, you couldn't open up the playoffs to ALL teams because the NFL would look more like the NBA or NHL, which suffer from having a relatively meaningless regular season. So the goal is to find something in the middle.

I think the NFL has that now. Expanding the playoffs would be a mistake because it would water down the meaning of the regular season.
March 23, 2006
Josh said…
And, to respond to The Ham, trading in meaningful games involving the 6th, 7th and 8th best teams in Week 17 for meaningful games involving the 7th, 8th, and 9th best teams is surely a decline in quality that would surely have lower ratings, all other things being equal (i.e., as long as the 9th best team isn't the Giants or Patriots or some other team from a large market).

Longest sentence ever.
March 23, 2006
dl004d said…
An NCAA Selection Committee look at the Kansas City Chiefs 2005 resume finds that they were 2-2 in their last four games. And they lost to three non-playoff teams (Bills, Chargers, Eagles). I put them on the bubble, despite their 10-6 record.
March 24, 2006
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