NFL: NFL proposes 14-team playoffs, 17-game season, 3-game preseason (CBA approved)

[GKJ]

Still would like to know how this all came to votes. Sure doesn't seem like there was any kind of agreement. Usually you do that first before you vote, and make it much less of a question.

 

[Shockmaster]

The media really loves to stooge for the owners whenever CBA negotiations come up. When is the last time anyone in the media questioned why NFL players don't get guaranteed contracts?

 

[Babe Ruth]

When is the last time anyone in the media questioned why NFL players don't get guaranteed contracts?

My opinion, another media shortcoming in this story.. there seems to be little (media) critique of player safety' hypocrisy here. Supposedly player safety has become the league's first priority.. but now owners are asking players to endure another hour of pounding for no other reason than profit.. I guess if that team has to play an added playoff game it would be 2 extra games for that season (?)
Personally I'm kinda indifferent about the player safety narrative, but it just seems really fraudulent/exposed now.. when u see the owners pushing for more, pointless hitting..

 

[bleedblue1223]

The media really loves to stooge for the owners whenever CBA negotiations come up. When is the last time anyone in the media questioned why NFL players don't get guaranteed contracts?

This is why the players need to be public and feed info to the media too for what they want and why a deal is good or bad.

 

[StreetHawk]

This is why the players need to be public and feed info to the media too for what they want and why a deal is good or bad.

There's a major divide in players in terms of compensation.

Around half of the players on a team's 53 man roster make under $1 million in salary. Most of this group will be closer to the minimum salary. And these are the guys who get cycled through after the draft each year and free agency. These guys care about getting their money now. That's why the NFL focused on bumping their wages up over 20% or around $100K per year. Big deal for guys who won't get another deal after their rookie contract. Trying to win this group over thus they can get to the 2/3 player vote that is needed to ok the CBA.

 

[SupremeNachos]

The media really loves to stooge for the owners whenever CBA negotiations come up. When is the last time anyone in the media questioned why NFL players don't get guaranteed contracts?

If the players really wanted guaranteed contracts the amount of things they would have to give up would not make it worthwhile for non star players. The one thing that I will never have sympathy for is when players cry about not having any money if a lockout happens. Yes I understand that not everyone doesn't make 10m+ a year, but even a depth guy makes several hundred thousand dollars a year. The players need to pay more attention to the business side of the NFL and if they don't it's no ones fault but their own when things go south.

 

[bleedblue1223]

There's a major divide in players in terms of compensation.

Around half of the players on a team's 53 man roster make under $1 million in salary. Most of this group will be closer to the minimum salary. And these are the guys who get cycled through after the draft each year and free agency. These guys care about getting their money now. That's why the NFL focused on bumping their wages up over 20% or around $100K per year. Big deal for guys who won't get another deal after their rookie contract. Trying to win this group over thus they can get to the 2/3 player vote that is needed to ok the CBA.

Yeah, raising the minimum was a great move by the owners.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

If the players really wanted guaranteed contracts the amount of things they would have to give up would not make it worthwhile for non star players. The one thing that I will never have sympathy for is when players cry about not having any money if a lockout happens. Yes I understand that not everyone doesn't make 10m+ a year, but even a depth guy makes several hundred thousand dollars a year. The players need to pay more attention to the business side of the NFL and if they don't it's no ones fault but their own when things go south.

Stop judging players when you do not understand his personal circumstances.

 

[John Price]

 

[John Price]

 

[John Price]

 

[GKJ]

passed by 60 votes

 

[No Fun Shogun]

And that means half the league will have 9 home games while the other half will have 8 home games each year. That'll surely have zero playoff implications.

 

[Hockeyholic]

Are we going to have three division winners hosting three WC teams per conference? Meaning only one team per conference gets a bye? That's a crock of B.S.

The players in the NBA have way more pull than the NFL.

 

[StreetHawk]

passed by 60 votes

A few hundred players didn’t vote apparently.

but the nfl played it well by increasing minimum salaries which half the players make and those are the guys who don’t get second contracts so they have to get what they can.

 

[Terry Yake]

new CBA is a load of shit that does nothing but benefits the owners

only plus is that there won't be anymore suspensions for THC use. josh gordon and ricky williams where you guys at?

 

[GKJ]

And that means half the league will have 9 home games while the other half will have 8 home games each year. That'll surely have zero playoff implications.

The odd game is supposed to be neutral site.

 

[CHfan1]

And that means half the league will have 9 home games while the other half will have 8 home games each year. That'll surely have zero playoff implications.

I wonder if they’ll do it by conference. One year the AFC gets 9 home games, next season the NFC does.

Also how is the 17th game selected.

Right now for the 16 game schedule:

Here’s a breakdown of how each team’s opponents are set:

• Six games against divisional opponents — two games per team, one at home and one on the road.
• Four games against teams from a division within its conference — two games at home and two on the road.
• Four games against teams from a division in the other conference— two games at home and two on the road.
• Two games against teams from the two remaining divisions in its own conference — one game at home and one on the road. Matchups are based on division ranking from the previous season.

I’m guessing they’ll play the 17th game against a team in the other conference based on division ranking from the other season and rotate that year to year.

Edit: I missed seeing that this was already discussed near the start of this thread.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

The odd game is supposed to be neutral site.

That's going to be a pretty massive mess of logistics, but at least makes it better than my concern.

 

[weastern bias]

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[GKJ]

That's going to be a pretty massive mess of logistics, but at least makes it better than my concern.

Shouldn't be a problem for the NFL, they've got money to burn to make that happen.

 

[MMC]

 

[canuckster19]

Seahawks game in Vancouver?!

 

[MMC]

 

[Big Z Man 1990]

A number of things I want to say:

Eventually I want an expansion to 16 playoff teams. As it is now, we've had seven straight seasons where both Super Bowl participants had a first-round bye. I think the bye right now creates too much of an advantage, and with only the #1 seeds getting byes, it's even worse. I think I speak for everyone when I say I don't want #1 VS. #1 in the Super Bowl every year.

In the next TV contract, I'd like the reverse mirror to be utilized for Sunday afternoon games, where additional CBS and Fox games would be distributed to TV markets using CBS Sports Network and Fox Sports 1, respectively. As it would still be likely that in most cases not a single game would air on broadcast or cable in every single market, NFL Sunday Ticket would still be available for those who want to watch a particular game that is not being aired locally on the CBS or Fox affiliates or CBSSN or FS1.

The reverse mirror would also be utilized in the first round of the playoffs after a potential expansion to 16 playoff seeds. CBS and Fox would each get one reverse mirror slot, always the 1 PM slot, alternating between Saturday and Sunday every year (they would also alternate the 4:30 PM slots in the first round, as well as the early and late slots on Divisional Sunday and Conference Championship Sunday, as they do now). Only games in the Eastern and Central time zones would be eligible for the reverse mirror slots.

With my desire to have ABC air the London games Sunday mornings and half the TNF package, ABC would also get exclusive rights to its postseason games - a first-round primetime game, a Divisional Saturday game, the Pro Bowl, and every four years the Super Bowl. ABC would air its first-round primetime game on Saturday, and NBC on Sunday. The Divisional Saturday slots would alternate between ABC and NBC. In years where ABC is airing AFC playoff games, NBC will air NFC games, and vice versa. With the expansion to a 19-week regular season, the first round would no longer fall on the same weekend as NBC's Golden Globes coverage, making it possible for NBC to air its first round game on Sunday Night.

Now, the next thing I wanted to tackle was seeding. Right now, division winners are guaranteed a top 4 seed and the ability to start the playoffs at home. But there have been cases where a division winner didn't deserve its seed because at least one wild card team finished with a better record. This happened just last year, where the Eagles won the NFC East at 9-7, but still got a #4 seed over two wild card teams with 10 wins or more.

With my proposal to expand the playoffs to 16 teams, I also want to strip division winners of their top 4 seed guarantee. This can even be done while the playoffs are 14 teams. A division winner thus would actually have to earn a top 4 seed by how they do in the regular season. Doing this would have more teams play for seeding in the later weeks of a season, and so with division leaders/winners knowing they aren't guaranteed a first-round home game right off the bat they will fight harder to earn this right.

Under my proposed 16-team format with the changes to seeding, Philadelphia would have gotten a #7 seed and have had to play at Green Bay in the first round. Not only did two wild card teams (Seattle and Minnesota) earn better records than the Eagles, the Rams also would have won a tie-breaker for the #6 seed and the right to play in New Orleans in round one. In fact, the games in Green Bay and New Orleans would have been the only round one NFC games eligible for the reverse mirror slot. The other two would-be NFC first-round hosts, San Francisco and Seattle, are in the Pacific Time Zone.