Well then you just have them fake an injury.

It's never been a problem before. This has been going on for decades and nobody gave a shit about it. Let's move on to the next manufactured problem.

Who cares? There is no problem.

I can't help but think that a big part of the outrage this time is rooted in fantasy football, it probably affected a lot of people's seasons. Not that I give a shit, I don't play it, but a lot of people do and many take it very seriously.

So what rules can we put in to make sure teams stop taking knees with the game in hand?

The only rule that makes sense to "solve" this "problem" is to reimburse ticket holders a certain pecentage of what they paid depending on if a team doesn't play a predetermined number of starters for a predetermined amount of time. Then again, I think this problem is overblown to bgin with.

I don't think it has anything to do with FF.

I think the Commish is concerned about the integrity of the game.

Are teams resting starters because they genuinely want to reduce the risk of injury, or are they doing so knowing that a loss will keep a team they don't want to face out of the playoffs?

FTR, I don't give a shit, because it's been forever since we've been in that position.

I'm just posting a possible solution - and for all of those saying it's a non-issue, the NFL disagrees.

Yep. The Colts are probably now in a more pressure situation than if they were 16-0 right now. But they only have themselves to blame. (the players aren't to blame)

With 8 teams, you're taking away the byes, which is one of the incentives to keep playing.


I think it's overblown, and like Bugeater said, a lot of it has to do with FF as well as gambling. Teams earn the right to do whatever they want/need to do in order to prepare for the playoffs by clinching early. If the season ticket holders don't like it, sell your tickets that week.... and boo-f***ing-hoo, it means you get to watch one of the best teams in the league in the playoffs.

That said, dropping the first round playoff ticket prices in half or having free concessions during the playoffs or something like that would be a good way for teams to keep their fans happy in a situation like that.... but since when is the NFL about the fans?

My concern lies with why the NFL feels it's an issue, if it's really because of the integrity of the game, then that's fine. As far as the scenario you mentioned, I don't see anything wrong with a team doing something like that if they're in the position to do so. Shit like that happens to teams when they leave their destinies in the hands of other teams.

On Sully's point, I would make the clock stop on a kneeldown. Make it like a spike. I hate kneeldowns.

On the sitting issue, you can never define a rule for it just because you can't always be sure why a player is sitting. Some players are legitimately questionable, and if they aren't, the coach will tell them to have back spasms during warmups. The only way you can address it is via either the schedule or via the playoff seeding system.

Options might include:

- the backweighting of division games, which I like. There's no need to put all of the games at the back.

- possibly having a couple of float games where in weeks 13 through 16 you switch games and have the playoff teams play tougher teams in the last two weeks. That would be difficult or impossible to pull off logistically.

I'm not even sure seeding differently would have an impact, because it's the teams at the very top that are sitting people, and they're sitting people because they've got the seeding under control. You'd have to make a radical change to have an impact. Maybe a BCS-type formula for seeding that dramatically impacts a team if they lose to a weaker team. Instead of wins, maybe you get 1 point for each win your opponent has at the end of the season. That'd be radically cool.

Perhaps the league should simply embrace it as a way to make games competitive against those top teams and groom younger players. Or as JD mentioned, teams should try to get good so their playoff hopes aren't impacted by other teams sitting players.

I would think the players union would be working hardest to fix this. I wonder if guys lose bonus money by not meeting yardage incentives.

This could do it.

Oh, or you could follow the NBA route. Playoff seedings are by lottery, and you get one ball per win. Maybe with a bonus ball for each win about 11 and two bonus balls for each win above 13.

I actually kind of like the lotto approach. That way, it'd make the fight for the last wild card spot more competitive because if you're in there's a chance you could draw home field.

Maybe you'd expand to eight teams so a wildcard wouldn't get a bye. But that's good marketing too.

I say if they are eligible to play in the final 2 weeks and the coach sits them. Then they should be ineligible for the playoffs. Of course injury is a whole nother story.

Some of these ideas are pretty ridiculous..... we all complain when the government wants to interfere with how we choose to live, yet letting the NFL tell teams who to start is okay? It would just cause more problems.