Is it unfair that the 11-win Pats are staying home?

[Clay Dreslough]

The Pats are 11-5. But they are staying home and the 8-8 Chargers are playing a home game in the first round.

Is this fair?

Sure, I've been a Pats fan my whole life. But I'd be asking the same question for any team. 11 wins. A .688 winning percentage. That's the baseball equivalent of 111 wins.

I can't find the last time an NFL team won 11 games and didn't make the playoffs. It hasn't happened since the NFL went to 8 divisions. And it's probably never happened since the advent of the Wild Card.

Does this system make sense?

[RickD]

To me the top 6 teams regardless should make it....

[bigpapi]

It has happened once Clay. The 1985 Broncos finished 11-5 and didn't make the playoffs.

[filihok]

I disagree.

If we make it the top 6 in each conference then

1) there is no reason to have divisions
2) it'll be soon enough that the 7th place team in one conference complains that they had a better record than 5 playoff teams in the other conference THEN we'll ask if it's necessary to pick the same number of teams from each conference...

[justanewguy]

I like the 8 division format. I think it's good for the game, and I think it keeps things open for more teams (and therefore, more fans).

The only way I'd be in favor of a "more fair" system is if a team with a losing record made the playoffs. However, I'd probably be in favor of changing the home field structure so that a team like San Diego isn't hosting a team like Indy.

A lot of things in the NFL aren't "fair." For example, scheduling isn't "fair." Some tiebreakers aren't "fair."

The Patriots couldn't win their division, so they had two other slots to get into. They couldn't accomplish that either, so they're simply not playoff-worthy.

[Clay Dreslough]

To me the top 6 teams regardless should make it....

Exactly what I'd expect from a Yankee fan. You could have won the AL Central last year -- maybe you should have built that new stadium in Oklahoma.

[StreetMedic]

(from a Pats fan)

Lame? Yeah, probably.

"Unfair?" Not so much, methinks.

Everyone (from the owners, to the league officials, to the players, to the fans) know the "ground rules" going in. Sometimes you catch a break, other times you get "jammed".

[Clay Dreslough]

Everyone (from the owners, to the league officials, to the players, to the fans) know the "ground rules" going in. Sometimes you catch a break, other times you get "jammed".

I agree with the "ground rules" standard. It's fair if everyone knows the parameters and tie-breakers ahead of time. It's the reason I don't like the BCS. It's not that I want to see a bunch of college playoff games. I'd just like to see a system where the teams know ahead of time what they need to do to win, and not rely on the whims of a bunch of voters.

[Red Sox Fan 734]

Go Chargers!

[KowboyKoop]

If this happening is so rare, than why do we need to overhaul the current format just to accomodate one team...even though the overhaul won't change a thing for that team and thus will probably be completely useless? If it's so rare..then I'd say just don't worry about a fluke. If this happens every other year..that's when you make a change.

[beerchaser]

10/12/08

Chargers 30, Patriots 10

[Clay Dreslough]

Go Chargers!

The only 4-8 team to ever make the playoffs...

That said, I'm rooting for them. IMHO, they are a more likeable team than the Colts or Ravens (or Jets or Broncos for that matter).

[Pavelb1]

Exactly what I'd expect from a Yankee fan. You could have won the AL Central last year -- maybe you should have built that new stadium in Oklahoma.

We wouldn't have them.

[StreetMedic]

"Splunge"?

Monty Python

Nice pull, Clay!

[200tang]

The only 4-8 team to ever make the playoffs...

That said, I'm rooting for them. IMHO, they are a more likeable team than the Colts or Ravens (or Jets or Broncos for that matter).

you really like San Diego more than the colts and ravens? Personally I just don't like Philip Rivers and I think that does it for me haha. He's not a bad player or anything I just dont like him a lot or anything :-\

Personally I'm rooting for Indy and the Ravens.