2010 NFL Season

[GriffinM6]

Yes the freaking saints lost!

[infrared41]

It's over! The Seahawks bandwagon lives to ride another day!

REMEMBER THE CARDINALS.

Today we are all guys who remember the Cardinals.

[tBBP]

It's over! The Seahawks bandwagon lives to ride another day!

REMEMBER THE CARDINALS.

Today we are all guys who remember the Cardinals.

The (spin on the) classics never get old.

[nash61]

They're still not even .500! With that win, the Seahawks are still only 8-9!

[NJTank]

They're still not even .500! With that win, the Seahawks are still only 8-9!

If they lose next week they will be 8-10.

In fact the only way they can finish .500 is to make the Super Bowl

[BlueSky]

If this score holds and Seattle wins, I'll be curious to see the argument that ends up blaming this on the NFL and the fact that a 7-9 team is in the playoffs.

I blame the loss on a defense that apparently thought just showing up and putting on their uniforms was enough.

But...as stated in the playoffs thread, this is Boise State-OU all over again. There's no doubt the Saints (or whoever) would have had a better shot vs. a real playoff team (Giants or Bucs) because the Saints, at least the D, had already chalked up this game as a win when they deplaned at Sea-Tac. You want proof? I watched the proof a few weeks ago from section 323 in the Georgia Dome when the very same defense that just laid down for the Seahawks held Atlanta to 7 points in just as hostile an environment.

One game doesn't change anything - a 7-9 team has no business in the playoffs and this will be illustrated next week when the not-as-jacked Seahawks are away from Qwest playing a team that isn't looking past them.

[Lights Out]

Seattle is a real playoff team, they won their division and earned their spot just like everybody else.

[BlueSky]

Seattle is a real playoff team, they won their "division" and earned their spot just like everybody else.

FYP. They're a real playoff team in an "everybody gets a trophy" world. Anywhere else, they're on outside looking in where they belong. And that's not disappointment in the Saints talking; if divisions are so essential, why weren't the Raiders - 6-0 in their division - not AFC West champs?

[DEAD!]

Seattle is a real playoff team, they won their division and earned their spot just like everybody else.

Damn right. I don't care if Seattle loses 49-10 to Atlanta or Chicago, they showed up last night...

They're still not even .500! With that win, the Seahawks are still only 8-9!

So, the only way for the Seahawks to get a winning the record is... winning the Super Bowl

[IceCap]

Seattle is a real playoff team, they won their "division" and earned their spot just like everybody else.

FYP. They're a real playoff team in an "everybody gets a trophy" world. Anywhere else, they're on outside looking in where they belong. And that's not disappointment in the Saints talking; if divisions are so essential, why weren't the Raiders - 6-0 in their division - not AFC West champs?

Sorry. No. Every single team had the same set of rules to follow at the start of the season. The Seahawks only did what they had to do to win their division and get a playoff spot. All of this whining reeks of "overzealous fan overreaction" and "my team lost!"

I'm not even a 'Hawks fan. I just love the way people seem personally affected by the "travesty" that is a 7-9 team in the playoffs. I'm sorry you won't see the Saints repeat, but this game proved that 1) the Seahawks belong in the playoffs and 2) by extension the playoff system is fine as is. Given the fluke nature of the season that allowed a 7-9 team to make the playoffs, them upsetting the defending champs is par for the course.

They'll likely get blown out against Atlanta or Chicago. That means exactly nothing though when they both won their division and defeated a legitimate contender in their first round game. The 'Hawks belong and the system is fine.

Also, for the record, it should be noted that the 11-5 New York Jets had to travel to the 10-6 Indianapolis Colts yesterday. Why aren't people up in arms over that?

[BlueSky]

Seattle is a real playoff team, they won their "division" and earned their spot just like everybody else.

FYP. They're a real playoff team in an "everybody gets a trophy" world. Anywhere else, they're on outside looking in where they belong. And that's not disappointment in the Saints talking; if divisions are so essential, why weren't the Raiders - 6-0 in their division - not AFC West champs?

Sorry. No. Every single team had the same set of rules to follow at the start of the season. The Seahawks only did what they had to do to win their division and get a playoff spot. All of this whining reeks of "overzealous fan overreaction" and "my team lost!"I'm not even a 'Hawks fan. I just love the way people seem personally affected by the "travesty" that is a 7-9 team in the playoffs. I'm sorry you won't see the Saints repeat, but this game proved that 1) the Seahawks belong in the playoffs and 2) by extension the playoff system is fine as is. Given the fluke nature of the season that allowed a 7-9 team to make the playoffs, them upsetting the defending champs is par for the course.

They'll likely get blown out against Atlanta or Chicago. That means exactly nothing though when they both won their division and defeated a legitimate contender in their first round game. The 'Hawks belong and the system is fine.

Also, for the record, it should be noted that the 11-5 New York Jets had to travel to the 10-6 Indianapolis Colts yesterday. Why aren't people up in arms over that?

I guess we'll just have to disagree. You obviously don't know me well enough to know I'm objective enough to call it as I see it, whether or not it benefits the Saints. For example, the PI call against Minnesota in OT in the NFC title game last year? Ridiculously bad. Horrible. Said so at the time. And um, I wouldn't exactly call myself 'overzealous' and neither would any other reasonable person who has read any of my posts.

Back on point, if the system is so great as is, why...

1. ...is the current seeding system specifically designed to give the lowest seeds the most difficult path? The #1 seed gets the lowest seeded survivor of Wild Card weekend and so on. Wouldn't making the teams with the worst records go on the road fit in perfectly with that philosophy?

2. ...has the NFL already announced they plan to consider using teams' records, not division titles, to determine home playoff games?

You've offered nothing but opinions. Can you back them up with some logic?

[Lights Out]

1. Seattle earned a home game by the virtue of winning their division. New Orleans lost that privilege by not winning their division. Don't like it? Tough titties. Win your division next year.

2. Planning and doing are two different things. I wouldn't be surprised if they scrap that plan because of the Seahawks.

[BlueSky]

1. Seattle earned a home game by the virtue of winning their division. New Orleans lost that privilege by not winning their division. Don't like it? Tough titties. Win your division next year.

2. Planning and doing are two different things. I wouldn't be surprised if they scrap that plan because of the Seahawks.

In your humble (??) opinion. In the view of many other people, they did not, including it would seem many in the NFL hierarchy who also decided OT needed to be tweaked. So don't count on the plan being scrapped.

At the same time, I want to be clear that the format had nothing to do with yesterday's game. Seattle wanted it more and they got it so congrats to them.

[IceCap]

I guess we'll just have to disagree. You obviously don't know me well enough to know I'm objective enough to call it as I see it, whether or not it benefits the Saints.

No, I don't know you. You're someone on the other end of a computer screen.

And um, I wouldn't exactly call myself 'overzealous' and neither would any other reasonable person who has read any of my posts.

I'm sorry, your reaction to a sub .500 team making the playoffs once in 45 years (not counting the strike season) does qualify as an overzealous overreaction.

Back on point, if the system is so great as is, why...

It's not great. It's serviceable. No system is really great, no system is really perfect. What is currently in place is just as good as anything else they'll adopt.

1. ...is the current seeding system specifically designed to give the lowest seeds the most difficult path? The #1 seed gets the lowest seeded survivor of Wild Card weekend and so on. Wouldn't making the teams with the worst records go on the road fit in perfectly with that philosophy?

No, it wouldn't. The notion is that the divisional winners get at least one home playoff game. It makes sense. The wildcard team's lone rewarded is simply making it to the playoffs. The reward for divisional winners is that they get in and get at least one home game. If the wild card teams wanted a home playoff game they should have won their division.

At the end of the day a true championship team should be able to win anywhere. So I don't see the issue.

2. ...has the NFL already announced they plan to consider using teams' records, not division titles, to determine home playoff games?

Because the NFL overreacts to EVERYTHING? The overtime system in the NFL had been recognized as broken for a long time, but they didn't even lift a finger to consider changing it until St. Brett pissed away his team's shot at a spot in the Super Bowl last season.

You've offered nothing but opinions. Can you back them up with some logic?

I have. All you've offered is chicken little-style hysteria over a single fluke season.

[Lights Out]

I strongly doubt the NFL is taking their marching orders from "many other people" (read: Saints fans, Rams fans, and ESPN message board trolls).

[IceCap]

I strongly doubt the NFL is taking their marching orders from "many other people" (read: Saints fans, Rams fans, and ESPN message board trolls).

The sad thing is that they are, to some extent. Overreaction to one sub .500 team making the playoffs in 45 years (save the strike year ) is exactly the type of thing the NFL would do. Hopefully Seattle proving they belong with the rest of the playoff teams will quell the hysteria among the NFL's policy makers.

[Epiphanic]

Given the fluke nature of the season that allowed a 7-9 team to make the playoffs, them upsetting the defending champs is par for the course.

This season's Seahawks are not the first team with a losing record to make the playoffs, but they are arguably the worst playoff team in the history of the NFL. If anything, I'd say the fluke was yesterday's upset over the Saints and not the fact that they went 7-9.

The rest of your post was fine though. Given the rules of playoff qualification, if you win your division, you're in. The Seahawks had a good enough season to win their division and therefore deserved their playoff spot, regardless of the outcome of yesterday's game.

Seattle deserved their shot and they took full advantage of it. Congratulations, Seahawks.

[BBTV]

If this score holds and Seattle wins, I'll be curious to see the argument that ends up blaming this on the NFL and the fact that a 7-9 team is in the playoffs.

There's no doubt the Saints (or whoever) would have had a better shot vs. a real playoff team (Giants or Bucs) because the Saints, at least the D, had already chalked up this game as a win when they deplaned at Sea-Tac.

I do get what you're saying, but this is really an indictment of the Saints rather than the system. Nobody in their right mind would choose to play a good team instead of a bad team. Nobody. I hear this all the time when playing poker, that it's easier to play against good players than bad players. That's just silly. They're bad for a reason! Part of being a "good" team is having the mental discipline to not overlook your opponent. The Seahawks are certainly not good... but apparently neither are the Saints. So while having a "real" team on the other side would have "tricked" them into being good, if you need to be tricked, you aren't good.

[BlueSky]

If this score holds and Seattle wins, I'll be curious to see the argument that ends up blaming this on the NFL and the fact that a 7-9 team is in the playoffs.

There's no doubt the Saints (or whoever) would have had a better shot vs. a real playoff team (Giants or Bucs) because the Saints, at least the D, had already chalked up this game as a win when they deplaned at Sea-Tac.

I do get what you're saying, but this is really an indictment of the Saints rather than the system. Nobody in their right mind would choose to play a good team instead of a bad team. Nobody. I hear this all the time when playing poker, that it's easier to play against good players than bad players. That's just silly. They're bad for a reason! Part of being a "good" team is having the mental discipline to not overlook your opponent. The Seahawks are certainly not good... but apparently neither are the Saints. So while having a "real" team on the other side would have "tricked" them into being good, if you need to be tricked, you aren't good.

All true, and it's what I've said many times about the Saints - they tend to play up or down to the opponent. Steelers? Beat 'em in primetime. Falcons? Beat 'em in primetime. Cardinals, Browns, Seahawks, all embarrassing losses. Ridiculous.

And that's why I maintain that my position on the Seahawks has nothing to do with the Saints. The Giants and Bucs were more deserving IMO of playoff spots but okay, we'll go with "that's not the system" and say Seattle gets the spot. They shouldn't get a home game too, and I'd make that argument whether it was New Orleans or Green Bay or whoever that had to go out to Qwest Field.

[HedleyLamarr]

I strongly doubt the NFL is taking their marching orders from "many other people" (read: Saints fans, Rams fans, and ESPN message board trolls).

The sad thing is that they are, to some extent. Overreaction to one sub .500 team making the playoffs in 45 years (save the strike year ) is exactly the type of thing the NFL would do. Hopefully Seattle proving they belong with the rest of the playoff teams will quell the hysteria among the NFL's policy makers.

You're mistaken on this part.

Rich McKay is the President of the Falcons, and is also on the NFL's Competition Committee. On every Falcons radio broadcast, McKay has a 10-minute segment where the Falcons' PXP and color analyst have discussions about the Falcons, and also the hot-button issues with the NFL. (If any of you have XM or live in the Atlanta area, I highly recommend this segment as a must-listen. It usually comes on about 15-20 minutes prior to kickoff.)

When the Falcons played in Seattle a few weeks ago, the issue of a .500 (or sub-.500) team making the playoffs came up. According to McKay, talks on adjusting the playoff structure had already been in discussions the past couple years, due to the wild-card teams the past couple few seasons having better records than a division-winning team(s). As a whole, the NFL owners preferred that the division winners get the home games rather than the top-4 with the best records, mainly due to the scheduling format...where half of your conference games are division games. They want to keep big importance on winning your division.