Bobby Brown Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 I believe all upcoming Sunday games had a TBD kickoff time coming into today. I assumed this was to strategically and simultaneously schedule kickoffs for teams that have postseason skin in week 18 games (dependent on each other). Detroit, Green Bay, and Seattle are all alive for the final NFC wildcard spot. Green Bay and Detroit play each other with Green Bay controlling their own destiny. Detroit needs to Seattle to lose and Seattle needs GB to lose. But instead of having all 3 teams kickoff at the same time the NFL puts Seattle at 125 PST and Green Bay vs Detroit gets flexed to Sunday night. Assuming Seattle wins (at home against the Rams) the Lions post season hopes end before their kickoff giving a considerable competitive advantage to the Packers. MLB and soccer have figured out to end the regular season with a competitive balance for teams still alive. It's annoying, but unsurprising, the NFL places ratings and revenue over greater fan enjoyment and doing the right thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Dick Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 13 hours ago, Bobby Brown said: I believe all upcoming Sunday games had a TBD kickoff time coming into today. I assumed this was to strategically and simultaneously schedule kickoffs for teams that have postseason skin in week 18 games (dependent on each other). Detroit, Green Bay, and Seattle are all alive for the final NFC wildcard spot. Green Bay and Detroit play each other with Green Bay controlling their own destiny. Detroit needs to Seattle to lose and Seattle needs GB to lose. But instead of having all 3 teams kickoff at the same time the NFL puts Seattle at 125 PST and Green Bay vs Detroit gets flexed to Sunday night. Assuming Seattle wins (at home against the Rams) the Lions post season hopes end before their kickoff giving a considerable competitive advantage to the Packers. MLB and soccer have figured out to end the regular season with a competitive balance for teams still alive. It's annoying, but unsurprising, the NFL places ratings and revenue over greater fan enjoyment and doing the right thing. Agree 100%. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevegrab Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 I haven't spent a lot of time analyzing the schedule for the final week, but the goal for the SNF game has long been a game with meaning for both teams, a win and in playoff scenario is best. I was telling somebody last week there was a chance if DET-GB was for playoff spot it could be SNF. Sure if Seattle wins before SNF the Lions are eliminated. If you think that's going to mean they won't play their hardest to stop the Packers from getting into the playoffs you're mistaken. The Browns were already eliminated when the were in DC on Sunday and they still played hard and beat the Commanders, knocking them out. TEN-JAX game will decide the NFL south, and is independent of other games. That might have been a better fit (win and in, other games don't impact it). I believe the #1 seed is still up for grabs in both conferences (pending BUF-CIN result) so the games with teams involved in that could be meaningful too. Heck the NFC East is still up for grabs so both those games matter but should to be played at the same time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilthorp Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 The NFL has ensured Green Bay makes it to the playoffs. Something fishy about everything falling perfectly into place. Strange. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevegrab Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 (edited) On 1/3/2023 at 10:16 AM, gilthorp said: The NFL has ensured Green Bay makes it to the playoffs. Something fishy about everything falling perfectly into place. Strange. Why spend so much time on a sport you believe is fixed? Sure SEA is probably going to beat the Lambs, but at best the Packers would have played at the same time (late afternoon slot) and would still have to play hard since they need to win even if SEA wins. I think the SNF game simply boiled down to TEN-JAX just being a ratings dud compared to a pretty similar DET-GB. Edited January 13, 2023 by stevegrab Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevegrab Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 This article was interesting, it also mentions the potential for BAL-CIN game to have been selected for the final game since it could decide the AFC North (if CIN loses MNF). But since the NFL made the announcement before that, apparently they decided against those options. https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/seahawks/game-time-set-for-seahawks-week-18-game-vs-rams/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Brown Posted January 3, 2023 Author Share Posted January 3, 2023 1 hour ago, stevegrab said: https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/seahawks/game-time-set-for-seahawks-week-18-game-vs-rams/ From the article: Quote In fact, in 2017, the league announced that it would play no game on Sunday night on the final weekend to avoid the type of scenario facing the Lions. “We felt that both from a competitive standpoint and from a fan perspective, the most fair thing to do is to schedule all Week 17 games in either the 1 p.m. or 4:25 p.m. ET windows,” NFL senior vice president of broadcasting Howard Katz said at the time in a league news release. “This ensures that we do not have a matchup on “Sunday Night Football” … that because of earlier results has no playoff implications for one or both of the competing teams.” So no SNF was the right thing to do in 2017 but not this year. Why in the world is the NFL delaying announcement of start times on last week from a competitive perspective if they don't really care about it anymore? To your earlier comment, I think it's pretty clear that being alive for post-season play is going to affect how players approach a game. That's human nature. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevegrab Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 53 minutes ago, Bobby Brown said: From the article: So no SNF was the right thing to do in 2017 but not this year. Why in the world is the NFL delaying announcement of start times on last week from a competitive perspective if they don't really care about it anymore? To your earlier comment, I think it's pretty clear that being alive for post-season play is going to affect how players approach a game. That's human nature. I did not say the NFL made the right decision this year, only trying to explain the process and decision. Yes I read the article I linked and saw that. No game was the decision in 2017 because no game fit the criteria. This year TEN-JAX actually does, winner wins the division and no other game can impact that. (Jaguars win or tie and they win the division.) They no doubt chose the DET-GB game because it is a bigger ratings draw and could still be a win and in game if SEA loses. We'll see what happens if SEA wins Sunday, some people (fans and media) think the Lions will lay down and be an easy win for the Packers (hence the Packers were handed the playoff spot by league scheduling view) I disagree. So does coach Campbell, even Seahawks coach Pete Carrol says it is no big deal and isn't a disadvantage for his team. Are they just towing the NFL line? Neither guy seems to be somebody who does that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Brown Posted January 6, 2023 Author Share Posted January 6, 2023 On 1/3/2023 at 11:41 AM, stevegrab said: We'll see what happens if SEA wins Sunday, some people (fans and media) think the Lions will lay down and be an easy win for the Packers (hence the Packers were handed the playoff spot by league scheduling view) I disagree. Seattle may not even win against the Rams....but if they do.... I don't think anyone is saying the Lions will "lay down". However, former Seattle LB KJ Wright was quoted today as saying there is no doubt that players letup if the season is over. He referred to a 2017? season when he played in Seattle, and the one time in his career season was over before playoffs. I'm paraphrasing, but he said something to the affect of crawling through barbed wire and smothering hand grenades when season is on the line. Versus season is over and needing to finish one more game healthy becoming the priority. Now to sound like an insufferable whining homer, the NFL also recently decided to reschedule a Sunday morning game early that will allow the Chargers to rest starters against Denver. Chargers coach has reportedly stated, with the reschedule, if the game doesn't matter, best players won't be playing at all or full game. This may have a huge influence in Seattle having Denver's pick at 1.5 instead of 1.3. I take more issue with the post season stuff vs draft pick stuff...but Again....every other sport has figured out how to make the last week of regular season a competitive free for all. NFL acted like they did and went back to ratings and revenue over fan, franchise, and player enjoyment. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevegrab Posted January 6, 2023 Share Posted January 6, 2023 7 hours ago, Bobby Brown said: Seattle may not even win against the Rams....but if they do.... I don't think anyone is saying the Lions will "lay down". However, former Seattle LB KJ Wright was quoted today as saying there is no doubt that players letup if the season is over. He referred to a 2017? season when he played in Seattle, and the one time in his career season was over before playoffs. I'm paraphrasing, but he said something to the affect of crawling through barbed wire and smothering hand grenades when season is on the line. Versus season is over and needing to finish one more game healthy becoming the priority. Now to sound like an insufferable whining homer, the NFL also recently decided to reschedule a Sunday morning game early that will allow the Chargers to rest starters against Denver. Chargers coach has reportedly stated, with the reschedule, if the game doesn't matter, best players won't be playing at all or full game. This may have a huge influence in Seattle having Denver's pick at 1.5 instead of 1.3. I take more issue with the post season stuff vs draft pick stuff...but Again....every other sport has figured out how to make the last week of regular season a competitive free for all. NFL acted like they did and went back to ratings and revenue over fan, franchise, and player enjoyment. Interesting view from Wright, but I suspect the view of a player on a team that's in the playoffs virtually every year (once they're eliminated) is a bit different than young players on struggling teams that haven't made the playoffs often in recent past (like the Lions or Browns). I understand your point and something like TEN-JAX would have been the right SNF game based on criteria. Or just don't have a game. Would that have been better for "fan enjoyment"? Of course now the playoff structure for the season may get altered, so who knows what's going on with playoffs and what the seeding values is. Not sure what you're talking about with the LAC-DEN game time, and the "reschedule". Games in DEN are always in the late slot, they don't kickoff NFL games before noon local time as far as I know. If he was referring to BAL-CIN not being played at the same time, yes that would force Chargers to play to win in case they need it. But that would also weaken the line-up of games in that slot. No sport is perfect, I think the NFL has done a lot to improve the final weeks of the season over the last couple of decades. All division games the final week, double headers on both networks for more game action, and trying to pick a meaningful game for the last game of the season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Dick Posted January 6, 2023 Share Posted January 6, 2023 7 hours ago, Bobby Brown said: ..every other sport has figured out how to make the last week of regular season a competitive free for all. NFL acted like they did and went back to ratings and revenue over fan, franchise, and player enjoyment. Couldn't have said it better myself. The NFL is such a joke anymore. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevegrab Posted January 6, 2023 Share Posted January 6, 2023 https://nypost.com/2023/01/06/joe-mixon-unhappy-with-nfl-playoff-proposal-after-damar-hamlin-collapse-cancels-game/ I kind of agree with Mixon, they have rules in place to handle this, so just follow them. No reason to have a coin flip, extra playoff teams or a neutral site AFC title game. I see this is a combination of NFL grabbing money and trying to placate a few people who think that not finishing the BUF-CIN game is unfair to others who could have benefited if one team or the other lost or even tied. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big John Posted January 12, 2023 Share Posted January 12, 2023 NFL chose Atlanta to be the neutral site if needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilthorp Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 Will Bobby weep, cry, or outright bawl when the Seahawks get destroyed this weekend? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevegrab Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 12 hours ago, gilthorp said: Will Bobby weep, cry, or outright bawl when the Seahawks get destroyed this weekend? All the people who say "players quit when eliminated from playoffs" just need to stop talking. Or at least realize it isn't every player or every team. Heck the Rams had nothing to play for, except a chance to knock their division rival Seahawks out of the playoffs, without three of their best players (Stafford, Kupp, Donald) and still took them to OT. I heard one Lions player say they didn't care or want to know what happened with LAR-SEA, they were coming to GB to beat the Packers PERIOD! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Brown Posted January 13, 2023 Author Share Posted January 13, 2023 (edited) 1 hour ago, stevegrab said: All the people who say "players quit when eliminated from playoffs" just need to stop talking. The outcome of a cherry-picked game or two last week doesn't change the fact the NFL should strive for competitive balance over rating$$$$$ in the last week of the season. Who here said the stuff in quotes anyway? Edited January 13, 2023 by Bobby Brown Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Brown Posted January 13, 2023 Author Share Posted January 13, 2023 14 hours ago, gilthorp said: Will Bobby weep, cry, or outright bawl when the Seahawks get destroyed this weekend? Probably. But I'm already openly crying that the late kickoff of Chargers/Broncos game last week played a roll in Seattle picking at 1.5 instead of 1.3 in April's draft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilthorp Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 I predict one single, isolated tear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevegrab Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 35 minutes ago, Bobby Brown said: Probably. But I'm already openly crying that the late kickoff of Chargers/Broncos game last week played a roll in Seattle picking at 1.5 instead of 1.3 in April's draft. Yes you are 😉 and the LAC-DEN game was always going to be a late kickoff, so you wanted BAL-CIN played in the late slot as well, so that LAC would have to play hard all game to get the better playoff spot. (Of course that ended up being a disaster for BAL without a viable QB and they were blown out before halftime, it was 17-0 3min into Q2 and 24-7 at half). You're acting like the Chargers just laid down and let the Broncos win, Herbert played almost 80% of the game (as did most of the OL), I suppose technically the coach was right in saying "they won't play at all or the full game" but I suspect that isn't what you expected when he said it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Brown Posted January 13, 2023 Author Share Posted January 13, 2023 1 hour ago, gilthorp said: I predict one single, isolated tear. Like the Indian crying because of pollution. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Brown Posted January 13, 2023 Author Share Posted January 13, 2023 (edited) 3 hours ago, stevegrab said: You're acting like the Chargers just laid down and let the Broncos win, The Chargers had post season reasons for winning their game come Sunday morning that became null and void before their kickoff. It undeniably affected their approach and the outcome. The Chargers used the opportunity to rest some starters in the 2nd half; the Ravens weren't allowed that potential opportunity. That's a competitive disadvantage based on start times. The NFL claims to choose start times on the last weekend of regular season for competitive balance purposes. Their actions speak otherwise. Why any "fan" would defend or deflect that is lost on me. Edited January 13, 2023 by Bobby Brown Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
League_Champion Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 3 hours ago, Bobby Brown said: Seattle picking at 1.5 instead of 1.3 in April's draft. I'd be pissed to. I imagine they'll try to trade up and jump Indy for Stroud or Young. Will Levis will be long gone by the time their second pick comes around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevegrab Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 2 hours ago, Bobby Brown said: The Chargers had post season reasons for winning their game come Sunday morning that became null and void before their kickoff. It undeniably affected their approach and the outcome. The Chargers used the opportunity to rest some starters in the 2nd half; the Ravens weren't allowed that potential opportunity. That's a competitive disadvantage based on start times. The NFL claims to choose start times on the last weekend of regular season for competitive balance purposes. Their actions speak otherwise. Why any "fan" would defend or deflect that is lost on me. Tell you what, show me your perfect schedule for that final week, with 2 games Saturday in different time slots, then 13 games Sunday afternoon split in 2 slots, for 2 networks. And an SNF game, or you can say no SNF game. Maybe all games should just be played at the same time, no Saturday games, no SNF, no 1PM NFL, just 16 games across 2 channels at 4PM. Until then enjoy your playoff game. But consider this, if you really think the NFL is so evil and unfair, maybe time to stop spending your time on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilthorp Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 stevegrab is going to stevegrab. Do you ever re-read what you post? Insufferable. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darin3 Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 50 minutes ago, gilthorp said: stevegrab is going to stevegrab. Do you ever re-read what you post? Insufferable. Basically this on repeat.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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