Has divisional re-alignment hurt the Bills?

[DaBills]

Throwing this out there: was the re-alignment a good thing or bad?

On one hand, Indy is gone, sparing us two losses a year, lol, but looking at Greenbay tonight, they clinch their division with a 9-6 record! We can go 9-6 this weekend and still be fighting for a wildcard. Most of the NFC can apparently get in with a 3-13 record.

I thought re-alignment was supposed to bring parity to more teams. It would seem that with one less team in a 5-team division like the AFC East, there's less room for losses because the best you can achieve is 6-0, so every division game is critical.

But then looking at us, 3-3 still allows us to make the playoffs, so who knows?

[Asimov]

Without re-alignment, NE, NY and Indy would still be in, and we'd still be fighting for the last play-off spot.

[BlackJohn]

I guess the jury is still out on this one.

But last year Miami was the first 10-6 team to ever miss the playoffs.
This year, although unlikely, Baltimore, Denver, and Buffalo could still all finish 10 and 6 and miss the playoffs. What a crock of %^*# that would be.

Many people in the past have made the point that how many 6 seeds are able to go on the road and win one game, and then even if they do that, they have to face the best team in the conference who have been waiting for them for a week.

I'd generally agree with them , although if any of Baltimore, Jax and buffalo make the playoffs I think they'll be able to give any team a good run for their money and could very easily advance deep into the post season

I think ultimately down the road the playoffs will expand just because of money, right now I think a better fit would be making the wild card spots open to the entire NFL. I know the traditionalists will have a harry (could possibly have 2 teams from same conf. in super bowl),aAnd I think that 12/32 teams in the playoffs is enough as long as they are the 12 best teams. I think you could make the case that any of the 3 afformentioned teams would easily be the 3rd best team in the NFC.

If 3 ten win teams miss the playoffs I do think you'll see something change, maybe even with 2 ten win teams something might change........ but Really I'm hoping there are only 2 10 win teams in total .......Buffalo and the Jets!

[Asimov]

But last year Miami was the first 10-6 team to ever miss the playoffs.
This year, although unlikely, Baltimore, Denver, and Buffalo could still all finish 10 and 6 and miss the playoffs. What a crock of %^*# that would be.

That has absolutely nothing to do with re-alignment, but rather the division of talent between the AFC and the NFC. The AFC has been kicking the crap out of the NFC all-season, leading to inflated won-loss records for us and deflated ones for them.

Arizona is one of several teams that could make the play-offs with a 7-9 record in the NFC - did "re-alignment" hurt/help them?

[dannyek71]

I think it has....Look at all the crummy teams that make the playoffs now because of it.


3 divisions were perfect, now in many cases, you ahve to win out your division to make the playoffs. Secondly, in a wild card game, a team with a 14-2 record could concievibly have to play on the road against a team that had a sub-.500 record.

Going to the 8 division format is the worst decision football has made since letting Rian Lindel wear a helmet.

Merry Christmas to you all.......

[jamze132]

what about getting high and throwing all the teams into a hat and pick 1 at a time for your new conference and division? I bet Ricky would anounce who's playing

[Asimov]

Secondly, in a wild card game, a team with a 14-2 record could concievibly have to play on the road against a team that had a sub-.500 record........

That could "conceivably" happen in a three-division alignment, also.

Thus the long time argument for seeding teams for the play-offs versus the current system.

[Dozerdog]

What the NFL should do is have a stipulation that you need a WINNING record to compete in the playoffs.

Let's say Seattle, Arizona, or the Rams win their division at 7-9 or even 8-8. If I were all lord, king, and emporer of football I would allow them to call themselves division champs, but not have them compete in the playoffs. Also, no 8-8 team can qualify for a WC unless all winning teams in the NFL have qualified.

In their place should be the highest ranked NFC team with a winning record that did not qualify for a wild card (9-7 or better). Now if the NFC can't produce such a team (like this year) then the highest ranking AFC team with a winning record would go.

No more 10-6 teams staying home while 7-9 or 8-8 teams get in. In college sports, with 54 teams going to post season bowl games, you need to have a minimal 6-5 record to qualify. The NFL shouldn't allow losers in................. period

[Dozerdog]

BTW- if the Bills ever won a division with an 8-8 record- I'd still feel the same way.

[Asimov]

In their place should be the highest ranked NFC team with a winning record that did not qualify for a wild card (9-7 or better). Now if the NFC can't produce such a team (like this year) then the highest ranking AFC team with a winning record would go.

Then how would you balance the conference play-offs?

You could have two teams from the same conference playing for the Lombardi Trophy under that scenario...are you willing to scrap the traditional AFC vs NFC match-up?

[Dozerdog]

Sure.

Let's say Seattle wins the division at 7-9.

Call em division Champs and send them to the Golf course. If the Bills (or Baltimore or Jax) wind up 10-6 and the 7th seed, I'd have Buffalo fill their spot in the NFC playoffs.

In my scenario- I would exhaust all NFC winning record possibilities first

[Asimov]

You'll never see a situation where the the possibility exists that two teams from the same conference end up playing in the final game of the season, IMO.

This isn't NCAA March Madness...

[Dozerdog]

Well- then let's send 7-9 teams to the playoffs and leave 10-6 teams home.

[Asimov]

Why don't we just make it like the NHL, and make the regular season meaningless, send everybody except for the extremely crappy teams, seed everybody from top to bottom and play it off that way?

It did wonders for their national television exposure :)

[Dozerdog]

Why don't we just make it like the NHL, and make the regular season meaningless, send everybody except for the extremely crappy teams, seed everybody from top to bottom and play it off that way?

It did wonders for their national television exposure :)

Think of this-

Seattle& the Rams lose out, and Bills, Ravens, Jets, Broncos, and Jax win out-


Then you have 3 10-6 teams out of the playoffs and a 7-9 team in the playoffs....along with an 8-8 Wild Card team

That would almost tell me the regular season is already meaningless.

The NFL takes 12 of 32 teams to the playoffs. It looks like one or two of the NFC's teams will from the bottom half of the league as it is.


I want the best 12 teams...or close to it