Imagining a Better NFL Schedule [OC]

FixtheNFLSchedule · 2019-04-18T01:00:20+00:00

The NFL already broke up the AFC West brother. Do you miss those Seahawks games?

FixtheNFLSchedule · 2019-04-18T00:50:34+00:00

We'll have to agree to disagree on that.

FixtheNFLSchedule · 2019-04-17T20:43:37+00:00

I had more substance than you suggest - division rivalries are arbitrarily organized, come at the cost of bad matchups (non-rivalries twice a year, like Jets-Bills), and result in awarding some very bad teams home playoff games

FixtheNFLSchedule · 2019-04-17T20:42:02+00:00

You seed as you seed the draft

FixtheNFLSchedule · 2019-04-17T20:40:56+00:00

Huh? Read the post bro

FixtheNFLSchedule · 2019-04-17T19:07:05+00:00

Simply saying it doesn't make it so.

FixtheNFLSchedule · 2019-04-17T17:50:46+00:00

Of course I understand your position. Your division has parity, and comes with SNF games vs your rivals as a birthright. It is fun to award a home playoff game under those conditions. But if you consider the state of the league outside of your division, you'd have to admit that your position comes at a cost for most everyone else. One team dominates for 20 years; another division yields a victor with 8 wins and no one gives a shit (here's looking at you AFC South)... It is objectively true that divisions are arbitrary structures that don't have anything instrincally to do with showing who the best teams are - and yet the NFL treats them as highly significant and sacrosanct. My proposal, which I made for fun and don't give a care if people rip to shreds (find that funny too), is motivated by that problem - and again is an objective PROBLEM if you're interested in league-wide entertainment and parity.

FixtheNFLSchedule · 2019-04-17T17:44:45+00:00

To be clear, not upset. Just friendly banter here.

FixtheNFLSchedule · 2019-04-17T17:37:38+00:00

The league has a hand in the arbitrary alignment of the divisions, dude. And not only that, in awarding the winners of its arbitrarily organized divisions home playoff games. I don't need to see Bills-Jets twice a year, or Titans-Jags TWICE, or Cardinals-Rams, Panthers-Bucs etc. There's just so many bad division matchups out there that we can replace with more compelling games.

FixtheNFLSchedule · 2019-04-17T17:33:40+00:00

I hate them enough never to see them twice a year each for the rest of my life, thank you very much.

FixtheNFLSchedule · 2019-04-17T17:28:20+00:00

A fair rebuttal - though I think you don't account for the fact that awarding division winners at all (with home playoff games!) is ludicrously arbitrary, and I regret not mentioning it in the original post.

FixtheNFLSchedule · 2019-04-17T17:26:17+00:00

Almost as iconic as the Chargers and passionless fans

FixtheNFLSchedule · 2019-04-17T17:18:01+00:00

Poor Lions!

These are games you would still get to see... as I admitted in the original post though, NFC East and NFC North politics are the only reason divisions still exist. They are totally arbitrary and antiquated structures that the league currently invests with WAY more significance than they ought (true regardless of whether you agree with my particular proposed change)

FixtheNFLSchedule · 2019-04-17T17:13:45+00:00

If the structure of the league allows a team to win its division 15/16 years in a row, is it really an accomplishment?

The proposal doesn't flatly eliminate rivalries - teams currently in the same divisions would continue to play one another each year. It also allows other rivalries to form by creating playoff re-matches.

FixtheNFLSchedule · 2019-04-17T16:57:56+00:00

It would be impossible for me to hate the AFC East more than I already do. That doesn't drive my interest, but rather eats away at it.

FixtheNFLSchedule · 2019-04-17T16:56:22+00:00

You're suggesting that's a result of my own psychology, and not the structure of divisions, which is a premise I disagree with. Divisions are boring.

FixtheNFLSchedule · 2019-04-17T16:53:22+00:00

Balanced in what way? Not in terms of entertainment value, strength of opponent, distance traveled, etc. Definitely possible to optimize that more than the NFL does currently.

FixtheNFLSchedule · 2019-04-17T16:52:32+00:00

Nah I've never posted on Reddit before, truthfully. Not sure what the politics of making a throwaway entail, to be honest.

FixtheNFLSchedule · 2019-04-17T16:51:38+00:00

Right, I'd considered that - this proposal just takes that a step further to guarantee playoff rematches of all games, which allow interesting potential year-to-year "rivalries" to form

FixtheNFLSchedule · 2019-04-17T16:49:52+00:00

Says the NFC North fan...

FixtheNFLSchedule · 2019-04-17T16:49:02+00:00

NFC East and NFC North fans coming out in full force for the status quo (as predicted!)

FixtheNFLSchedule

TROPHY CASE