NFL Won’t Expand Playoffs in 2014
The NFL Playoffs as we know them will remain the same for 2014. According to reports, NFL owners are bypassing serious discussion of a potential playoff expansion until their fall meetings in October.
Dallas Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones cited other ongoing issues and recent adjustments as to why the owners are putting off talk of playoff expansion.
“When we look at the overall things that we’ve done with television this year, if we lay that on top of it, it’s too much,” said Jones. “We need to methodically work our way through all these things.”
Jones’ reference to television deals also combines with the league’s infatuation with pushing back the extra point after touchdowns. Doing so could make converting the extra point more difficult, which could prompt more coaches to simply go for a two-point conversion. Naturally, the logic is that the move would encourage more scoring and add more excitement to the game.
The rich might still get richer with eventual playoff expansion down the road, but the absolute earliest it could go down at this point would be 2015, if not later.
Talk of expanding the NFL Playoffs has been a hot topic for debate over the course of the offseason, as many NFL fans see it as another way the NFL can make money, but at the cost of altering the league. Some fans and current NFL employees (players and coaches) see the alteration as major and one that would dramatically change the feel of the game, as well as the overall product the NFL offers on a yearly basis.
Specifically, the NFLPA will reportedly fight playoff expansion if talks heat up, as extra teams should equate to extra games. This would extend the season longer that it is now, which could bring to light worker compensation issues that are not already addressed under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Leave a Reply