OT: Who Else Is Tired Of The NFC West Bashing?

[NJCardFan]

Yes the division sucks this season and yes there is a very good chance our division winner will be 7-9 but more than likely either Seattle or St. Louis will go 8-8 depending on what happens next week. And even if we have an 8-8 division winner, so what? I don't recall anyone complaining like this 2 years ago when San Diego won the AFC West at 8-8, hosted a playoff game, and beat the Colts. Now all of a sudden these commentators want to change the rules because a team with double digit wins won't make the playoffs because a division winner happens to play in a crappy division. So what. Stuff happens. Denver missed the playoffs in 1985 at 11-5 but the 8-8 Browns made it and nobody cried. These people need to get over themselves and their east coast bias.

 

[Pariah]

People bitched about it then, too. It's warranted, IMO.

 

[cgolden]

The big difference in my mind is/was that San Diego was thought of as a vastly underachieving team with tons of talent. Seattle or St Louis are very average 8-8 or 7-9 teams and some might even argue they've overacheived to reach that record. Maybe that's just revisionist history on my part but that San Diego's 8-8 team was a much better team than either Seattle or STL.

 

[NJCardFan]

People bitched about it then, too. It's warranted, IMO.

However, since they increased the playoff teams in 1978 to 2 wild cards and increased the schedule to 16 games, only 3 seasons(1985, 2008, 2010) has a team without a winning record made the playoffs. It isn't like this is a yearly thing that might warrant changing the format. Mike Golic said it best this morning when he said "talk to me when it happens 5 years in a row" and he's right. Instead of looking at this in a negative light, how about looking at it from this perspective: if the Rams make it, they would have gone from 1-15 to the playoffs in 1 year. How many times has that happened? IMO, this is a great story. And, if the Rams do win the division, Bradford is the league MVP hands down. Never before has a rookie so turned a franchise around like this. Never.

 

[Mulli]

Just something else for talk radio/ESPN/NFL Network to fill time with, bleh, so boring.

Let the playoffs hurry up and get over with, so we can focus on the draft!

 

[splitsecond]

If the NFC east was the benefactor and was getting an 8-8 or 7-9 Giants or Eagles team into the playoffs, there would not be this kind of a whinefest going on. Bottom line is the team that is likely effected is going to the Giants, so its almost preemptive whining.

 

[Derm]

Yes, I get tired of it but it needed to be said. But more than once per analyst is just a pain. Ok; we do help stink up the conference...

 

[CaptTurbo]

I think there is a huge difference between an 8-8 division winner in a division where everyone is at or near 8-8 and a div winner at 7-9 and everyone else is 4-12, 5-11.

Im so glad we arent the 7-9 playoff team. With our history typically it would be us to set such a grand standard.

 

[Vermont Maverick]

Maybe it's tiresome to constantly hear the bashing, but our division is awful. We get what we deserve. There's no west coast bias here. You say it's more than likely that someone ends up 8-8? I doubt it. That means someone has to win 2 in a row. Seattle stinks, they WILL lose this week. Is St. Louis going to beat SF? That's a maybe. I can see 3 teams at 6-9 heading into the last week, and the only thing that's going to get one of them to 7-9 is playing each other. This is pathetic. We are 4 of the worst 6 teams in the league, and might be the 4 WORST. 3-11 Detroit and 4-10 Buffalo are WAY better than our 4 teams. Detriot beat the Rams by what? 40!Cincinatti is better, Cleveland is better. Those teams have shown up every week, more than anyone can say about our putrid division. The only teams our "caliber" are Carolina and Denver. That's it. Period.

 

[NJCardFan]

Maybe it's tiresome to constantly hear the bashing, but our division is awful. We get what we deserve. There's no west coast bias here. You say it's more than likely that someone ends up 8-8? I doubt it. That means someone has to win 2 in a row. Seattle stinks, they WILL lose this week. Is St. Louis going to beat SF? That's a maybe. I can see 3 teams at 6-9 heading into the last week, and the only thing that's going to get one of them to 7-9 is playing each other. This is pathetic. We are 4 of the worst 6 teams in the league, and might be the 4 WORST. 3-11 Detroit and 4-10 Buffalo are WAY better than our 4 teams. Detriot beat the Rams by what? 40!Cincinatti is better, Cleveland is better. Those teams have shown up every week, more than anyone can say about our putrid division. The only teams our "caliber" are Carolina and Denver. That's it. Period.

Seattle plays Tampa next week and the Rams play the 49ers. Then they play each other. I can see both teams winning this week.

 

[Vermont Maverick]

Seattle plays Tampa next week and the Rams play the 49ers. Then they play each other. I can see both teams winning this week.

AT TAMPA. Seattle will lose by 20. Rams play 9ers, yes, a division game. As I said, those are the only ones that are winnable. I'm usually a koolaider, but realism sets in. Our division stinks.

 

[NJCardFan]

AT TAMPA. Seattle will lose by 20. Rams play 9ers, yes, a division game. As I said, those are the only ones that are winnable. I'm usually a koolaider, but realism sets in. Our division stinks.

Yes it does stink but football is cyclical. There will come a time when another division stinks like in 2004 when the NFC East had the 13-3 Eagles and everyone else was 6-10.

 

[conraddobler]

Our division is horrible, putrid, asstastic.

I don't know how many different ways you have to say that but it truly is awful, the Rams though are on the way back up, everyone else is in neutral or reverse.

 

[Vermont Maverick]

Yes it does stink but football is cyclical. There will come a time when another division stinks like in 2004 when the NFC East had the 13-3 Eagles and everyone else was 6-10.

I completely agree with you. But right now is right now. And everyone in this division is getting the pub that we deserve. Thinking about it though, when was the last time the NFC West had 2 good teams in it?

 

[CaptTurbo]

Yes it does stink but football is cyclical. There will come a time when another division stinks like in 2004 when the NFC East had the 13-3 Eagles and everyone else was 6-10.

Do you ever watch NFC East football? Those teams kill each other on the field.

How you can compare the NFC East and West is beyond me. In the west one team usually has given up 10 minutes into the game and play with no pride.

 

[ajcardfan]

Here are some facts that would surprise almost any NFL fan:

NFC PLAYOFF RECORDS BY DIVISION SINCE 2000:
(Note, does not include Super Bowl)

NFC East 18-18

NFC North 7-14

NFC south 14-13

NFC West 14-8



While most would be surprised by how well the West has done, I was more surprised to see how poorly the NFC North has done.

 

[chickenhead]

There was a time when the AFC East was the AFC Least, and other divisions have had similar spells. I get a little tired of the bashing because it becomes the only thing you hear, since even good western teams get less exposure. And because I follow the NFC West, I end up hearing it over and over as I look for other news.

But the playoff records is a totally valid point. You can't claim inferior competition in the playoffs.

 

[82CardsGrad]

Stop giving the divisional winners an automatic home game. Seed the playoffs based up team record, period. If the NFL would just get this done, the moaning about a sub-500 divisional winner would go away completely...

 

[Southpaw]

Here are some facts that would surprise almost any NFL fan:

NFC PLAYOFF RECORDS BY DIVISION SINCE 2000:
(Note, does not include Super Bowl)

NFC East 18-18

NFC North 7-14

NFC south 14-13

NFC West 14-8



While most would be surprised by how well the West has done, I was more surprised to see how poorly the NFC North has done.

I would say the only disappointment in the NFC North would be Minnesota.

1. Chicago is kicking butt and taking names
2. Green Bay was rolling until the injuries started piling up
3. Detroit is much improved
4. Minnesota sucks

 

[Sandan]

Stop giving the divisional winners an automatic home game. Seed the playoffs based up team record, period. If the NFL would just get this done, the moaning about a sub-500 divisional winner would go away completely...

I utterly disagree, this way winning the division means something, do that and it becomes closer to meaningless and the next step once you start is the division winner doesn't get into the playoff automaticly

 

[82CardsGrad]

I utterly disagree, this way winning the division means something, do that and it becomes closer to meaningless and the next step once you start is the division winner doesn't get into the playoff automaticly

Winning the division will always mean "something". It means you make the playoffs. Period.
There is no way a 7 & 9 team should be hosting a playoff game versus a 10 or 11 win team. That's just stupid.

 

[jmt]

I utterly disagree, this way winning the division means something, do that and it becomes closer to meaningless and the next step once you start is the division winner doesn't get into the playoff automaticly

I agree - why have Divisions if winning the Division is not important? Why not one big conference where everyones play every other team once? That would suck. What sucks more than the NFC West is the AFC West where the Raiders may go 6-0 and not win the Division.

 

[earthsci]

I agree - why have Divisions if winning the Division is not important? Why not one big conference where everyones play every other team once? That would suck. What sucks more than the NFC West is the AFC West where the Raiders may go 6-0 and not win the Division.

If you got rid of divisions you would pretty much eliminate the rivalries. They would never break up the NFC East or NFC North.

 

[82CardsGrad]

I agree - why have Divisions if winning the Division is not important? Why not one big conference where everyones play every other team once? That would suck. What sucks more than the NFC West is the AFC West where the Raiders may go 6-0 and not win the Division.

If you got rid of divisions you would pretty much eliminate the rivalries. They would never break up the NFC East or NFC North.

There will never be a break-up of the divisions... nor should there be. Winning the division means you are automatically into the post season! If that's not enough incentive for doing all you can to win the division, I don't know what would be...

 

[az1965]

I don't have any issues NFC West bashing... they fully deserve it.