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View Full Version : Kacsmar: What Parity? Familiar Faces DOT Playoff Chase


RoanokeFan
11-29-2012, 03:05 PM
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/50010375/ns/sports-nfl/

Excerpt: "The NFL loves to sell parity. Teams can turn things around quickly, and anyone can go on a Super Bowl run. Fans are so used to picking five or six new playoff teams each season, because that is what history says will happen.

But not this year.

Even though the 2012 season has had an odd script, it's building toward a familiar final act. Expect this year’s postseason to look like a recycled version of last year’s with at least 75 percent of the same teams.

Based on standings through Week 12 (http://scores.nbcsports.msnbc.com/fb/totalstandings.asp), there will be just three new playoff teams and two new division winners. That is the most realistic scenario. The numbers could be even smaller should a team like New Orleans make a run down the stretch.

There was already chatter after the two dominating wins in MetLife Stadium this week of a third Super Bowl in six years between New England and the New York Giants.

We may see some playoff rematches from last season. It is not far-fetched for the Giants to go through the GreenBay Packers, Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers on their way to the Super Bowl. In case you forgot, those are the three teams they beat last season to get to Super Bowl XLVI.

An unusual season indeed, but the same cream from last year is starting to rise to the top once again.

Long forgotten are the Arizona Cardinals starting 4-0 or the Philadelphia Eagles at 3-1. They have each lost seven straight, though history pointed us in that direction (http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/49105756/ns/sports-nfl/?ns=sports-nfl). Minnesota was 5-2, but now sits at 6-5 with games against Green Bay (twice), Chicago and Houston remaining on the schedule. Good luck getting to 8-8." Read more...
RoanokeFan
11-29-2012, 03:06 PM
This is a relatively long article with a lot of stats.
Kruunch
11-29-2012, 03:17 PM
The lack of parity in the NFL today has more to do with the front office / ownership vs. the mechanics of picking / paying players. And sometimes it not for lack of effort ... just failed attempt after failed attempt (Browns with Holmgren is a good example).
nhpgiantsfan
11-29-2012, 04:09 PM
Just look at the names of the QB's that will probably make up the playoff teams. It's no surprise the teams with the best QB's generally make the playoffs.
RoanokeFan
11-29-2012, 04:12 PM
The lack of parity in the NFL today has more to do with the front office / ownership vs. the mechanics of picking / paying players. And sometimes it not for lack of effort ... just failed attempt after failed attempt (Browns with Holmgren is a good example).

I think you're right. Reese & Co. live by the draft while a team like the Eagles throws money at individual players without trying to create a team.
Jahh
11-29-2012, 04:27 PM
I think you're right. Reese & Co. live by the draft while a team like the Eagles throws money at individual players without trying to create a team.

Maybe that seems like a recent occurence but weren't the eagles way under the cap last several years. I never really saw them as a team trying to buy a championship.
SweetZombieJesus
11-30-2012, 10:45 AM
The lack of parity in the NFL today has more to do with the front office / ownership vs. the mechanics of picking / paying players. And sometimes it not for lack of effort ... just failed attempt after failed attempt (Browns with Holmgren is a good example).

I actually love this point... In an era of parity, the things you *can* do differently become more important -- and that includes quality of the front office, organizational stability, et al. So glad to see the well-run organizations still rise to the top in this new era.

What's more is, what can the NFL do to flatten this aspect out to make all 32 teams equal? Force league-appointed GMs on the teams? Take player selection completely out of the teams' hands? Robo coaches?