NFL Week 15: Mike Phipps' late delivery

The 16th team won the Stanley Cup last year

 

I agree with that, but I just don't want to see the idea of being a "playoff team" become meaningless, sort of like "bowl team" has become. Even at 12 teams, it's an accomplishment to have made the playoffs. At half the league, not so much -- at least IMHO.

 

I think the difference between the NFL and the NBA and NHL is that I don't think expanding the playoffs would make the regular season as meaningless as it is in the NBA and NHL.

 

That doesn't make Brent any less of a jackass who deserves whatever punishment he gets and probably a lot more.

 

I agree.

 

Then why shouldn't he be ostracized? All due respect to the family of the man he killed with his irresponsibility, he did something incredibly stupid and reckless and it ended up costing another man his life.

 

The halftime discussion last night about whether Brady was the "best ever" qb was interesting, but also pointless unless we could see Montana in his prime playing today's game and putting Brady or whomever playing in Montana's time (or before they clamped down on dbs in the late 70s).

 

That is probably true, but I can't think of anyone else in the discussion that you could say there wasn't anything he couldn't do.

I don't know who from pre-1980 exactly belongs in the discussion -- assuming Unitas and Otto Graham and I don't know who else -- but at least of the more recent ones:

Montana didn't throw a great deep ball and was quite fragile.

Elway had trouble with the touch pass.

Marino (and Favre) made dumb -- no, insane -- decisions.

Peyton Manning had more downs than ups in the playoffs.

The only thing you can say about Brady is that maybe he's not tremendously mobile, although they noted last night that he is uncanny on the QB sneak, something like 97 percent for his career on third or fourth down with a yard to go.

 

That this site wrote the article contained therein is amazing.

http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/content/tom-brady-not-so-terrific/13378/

The main difference with Brady and Montana is that Montana's signature moments aren't comprised of Ray Wersching hitting 40+yard field goals.

 

And they'll probably still be the defending champion next fall.

 

I've been advocating 14 teams in the playoffs since the 2002 expansion. It wouldn't necessitate any schedule changes, you would simply have three games (1, 4:30 and 8 pm) both Saturday and Sunday, while the No. 1 seed gets a bye.

16 is a bit too many as we are seeing this year with some very mediocre teams flirting with playoff spots. If 16 teams make it, my guess is you would have an 8-8 or 7-9 team about every other year.

But, I know, extra games mean extra revenue, to it will probably happen.

 

John Gruden has me wondering how The Titans could be 4 and 7.