NFL commissioner Roger Goodell spoke with the media on Wednesday to discuss the results of the Tagliabue bounty ruling, but he also had a chance to talk about a few other topics. The most notable was the postseason, as Goodell indicated the league was looking at options for expanding the playoffs. Goodell said the league is considering having a 14- or 16-team playoff structure.
For those of you that are curious, here is how an altered playoff structure would look with 16 teams. Drop the bottom team in each conference for 14.
NFC
1. Atlanta Falcons (11-2)
2. San Francisco 49ers (9-3-1)
3. Green Bay Packers (9-4)
4. New York Giants (8-5)
5. Seattle Seahawks (8-5)
6. Chicago Bears (8-5)
7. Washington Redskins (7-6)
8. Dallas Cowboys (7-6)
AFC
1. Houston Texans (11-2)
2. New England Patriots (10-3)
3. Denver Broncos (10-3)
4. Baltimore Ravens (9-4)
5. Indianapolis Colts (9-4)
6. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6)
7. Cincinnati Bengals (7-6)
8. New York Jets (6-7)
Any playoff that could include the New York Jets can't be a friend of ours, right? I think the NFL's playoff system is perfectly fine, but I'd imagine the NFL figures why not wring a little more money out of the system, right?
Even though adding two teams does not create a huge number of additional games, it seems like the league should continue focusing on player safety before adding more games to the schedule. Add in the watered-down nature this creates, and it seems like a waste of time. I suppose some might like it, but I just can't wrap my head around it. Is there anybody who would be down for playoff expansion by two or four teams? If so, what is your reasoning?