NFL Week 15: Mike Phipps' late delivery

Great questions. It did not look good. But everything they've said from the beginning is that they consider Brent a part of the team, which apparently means he's on the sidelines for games. It didn't surprise me in the least. As I said, I think he'd have been at the Cincinnati game if they could have gotten him there.

 

Well, 16 does fit nicely into a playoff format. It's too easy to add four games not to do it... I don't see any way they would ever go beyond 16.

 

If they wanted to show him with the victim's family in a box, that would sent an interesting message. Having him on the sideline was just beyond idiotic.

 

The added TV value of four more playoff games will prove too much for the NFL and the players too pass up, especially as overall season ratings are going flat or downward this year. Figure a Thursday night game, a Friday night game, and then three Saturday and three Sunday including a Sunday prime-time game, which doesn't exist in the schedule right now.

 

Does that kill the talk from awhile back about an 18-game regular season?

 

As the year has unfolded, I don't believe that was ever a realistic consideration -- I believe it was a negotiating tactic by the owners. "Well, we have a way to make sure all the money you want is available and then some." "Hell no, we can't do that." "Well then, maybe you'll take less money and save your bodies?"

 

I think the concussion issue killed the 18-game season. I can't imagine it comes up again anytime soon...

 

Yeah, 16 teams fit nicely into two brackets without byes. But there's never been a league in which half the teams can claim to really be good enough to be of championship caliber and there never will be. The NFL is no exception.

 

I think you might be going a little too far there. Not that I am excusing, but Brown got in that car, too. I doubt Brent made him ... I'm not saying Brent doesn't have a helluva lot to answer for, but Brown's not entirely blameless in this tragedy.

 

If there's one league in which you could go that deep to find a championship team every once in a while, it's the NFL.

 

The last two Super Bowl champions were no more than 50-50 to make the 12 team playoff at this point in their regular seasons.

 

Yep. The Packers had to win their final two games in 2010 to get in as the sixth seed.