Reseeding to Get a Closer Look

by: Michael Steffes

Well, it looks like this playoff reseeding issues is going to be a little harder to get rid of than initially expected. While many of the executives were expecting this measure to fail this morning, instead, the issue has been tabled until the next meetings, which I believe take place in August.

While many of the executives from different teams are not supporting this measure, including Tim Ruskell, it does have a big supporter in Roger Goodell. What Goodell is concerned about is what happened with Tampa & Indy last year. Tampa- making many of its starting players inactive for several weeks after clinching, and Indy playing back ups against Tennessee during the final Sunday night game, when Tennessee and Cleveland's playoff lives were at stake. To see my opinion on this....

Don't get me wrong. I am all in favor of teams not devaluing the product late in the season, but it is just the nature of the beast. It is a rough and violent game. If you earn the ability to rest before the playoffs, it is the teams duty to rest players. Things will work themselves out. Maybe after the Giants, teams will be less likely to do this.

As a fan, it doesn't bother me. I am willing to sacrifice the final two games to make sure that I see the teams best performance in the playoffs. Whether this is because the team goes every year, or hasn't been in a decade, it shouldn't matter. If the fans who are taking their families to one game a year want to avoid this, they should get tickets earlier in the year. It is all about planning. I feel for them if they pay a lot of money to watch a back up quarterback, but the team forces me to buy preseason games every year, which I rarely make, which showcase backups too. It is part of the game. Pick a first half divisional game.

Resting players is just part of the game. I mean, it is not like this issue is what is holding the league back from being a success, the moment the playoffs start, people forget. The league even advertises, that it is a whole new season. Hopefully in the end, this will be defeated, and the league can look to remedy this another way.