|
|
|
A little bit of tennis History any tennis beginners should know.
For any future athlete that intends to start a new activity, knowing a little bit of history about the sport is always a good idea.
Ball games can be traced back for hundreds and thousands of years. Usually played for entertainment or during...
Help! My Kids are Overweight!
Identify the Problem and Find a Solution to your Child’s Weight Gain. If you have recently found yourself fretting over your child’s waistline, you are not alone. The youth of today are fatter than ever before, and parents are starting to panic....
Keep Pounding--In Honor of Sam Mills
On Thursday, April 21, 2005, we buried a true NFL warrior who was an inspiration off the field and on the field. The man? Sam Mills, #51. The Monday before, Sam lost a 2 year battle with intestinal cancer. Not only did he leave behind his wife...
Road Bikes Reviews: The Giro D'italia Is The Italy's Answer To The Tour De France
The Giro d'Italia has a fine history behind it, like the Tour de
France it was started to publicise a newspaper, just like the
Tour de France the organisers made the leaders jersey the same
colour as the paper, yellow in France from the L'Auto...
WATER SPORTS FOR PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH
Sailing or boating may seem a little overwhelming, what with the high level of technical elements involved in the sport. For example, there are things like "charts", "mainsails" and "tillers" to learn about. Whether you choose a small boat or a...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
The NFL Needs a New Tiebreaker
After enduring that disgusting final weekend of the NFL regular season, I have come to the conclusion that a new tiebreaker is needed. How a team performs during the final weekend should be the first tiebreaker, with all the current tiebreakers falling in line after that. A team that won its final game would hold the first tiebreaker advantage against a team they're tied with that lost its final game. If they both lost, both won, or both tied their final game, then the current tiebreakers would take effect in the order that they currently exist. That would accomplish at least three of positive things.
First, a team with a one game lead for a playoff spot, headed into the final weekend, would have more difficulty "backing in" to the playoffs the way Minnesota did this year. By all rights, New Orleans should have made the playoffs instead of the Vikings. They finished with identical records. However, the Saints won their final game, while the Vikings lost theirs. In fact, under the NFL's current crazy tiebreaker system, the Vikings' loss, while ultimately not damaging their own playoff hopes, ironically was one of the major factors that kept the Saints out of the playoffs! Under my proposed rule, the Saints would have been in and the Vikings would have been out.
Second, it would keep more playoff berths/positions open going into the final weekend and maintain more excitement and suspense all the way to the end. Currently, a team with a one game lead for a playoff berth, bye, home field advantage, and/or seeding can have that position clinched before the final weekend if they own the tiebreaker over the
team(s) they lead. Under my proposal, that would not be possible. That position would still be open through the final weekend of the season. For example, the Pittsburgh Steelers would not have clinched the home field advantage in the AFC until they beat Buffalo in the final weekend, instead of having it already clinched going into that game.
Third, it would also keep teams with one game leads from having de-facto "byes" during the final weekend. Take Indianapolis for example. The Colts' game against Denver this weekend was meaningless to them, even though it meant everything to the Broncos. Although the Colts had only a one game lead over San Diego for the number three seed in the AFC, they owned the tiebreaker over the Chargers. I don't care what anyone says, the Colts, with their lack of effort, effectively rolled over and allowed the Broncos to win, which wasn't fair to Jacksonville and Baltimore, the teams competing with the Broncos for the final AFC playoff spot. Under my proposal, the Colts would have had to win to maintain their third seed in the playoffs.
About The Author
Terry Mitchell is a software engineer, freelance writer, and trivia buff from Virginia, USA. He operates a website - http://www.commenterry.com - on which he posts commentaries on various subjects such as politics, technology, religion, health and well-being, personal finance, and sports. His commentaries offer a unique point of view that is not often found in mainstream media.
terrymitchell@verizon.net
|
|
|
|
|
|