Simmons: Realign to get rid of NFC West

[NoelPHX]

Wants to make 4 eight team divisions. Of course he is moaning and complaining about 2008 and how the NFC West only had 22 Wins between the four teams but if I recall correctly that is the year it put a team in the freaking SUPER BOWL as well.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmonsnfl2010/100924

 

[Duckjake]

Wants to make 4 eight team divisions. Of course he is moaning and complaining about 2008 and how the NFC West only had 22 Wins between the four teams but if I recall correctly that is the year it put a team in the freaking SUPER BOWL as well.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmonsnfl2010/100924

Does he mention 2007 when the Patriots went 16-0 and the rest of the division was 12-36?

 

[NoelPHX]

Does he mention 2007 when the Patriots went 16-0 and the rest of the division was 12-36?

Nope. However 2008 NFC West has the record for the least amount of wins for a four team division and says that this year the NFC West will more than likely break their own record.

 

[Dayman]

I don't think the NFC West should be eliminated. However, it's tough to argue the shocking weakness of the division. A 7-9 champion wouldn't surprise me, which is admittedly pretty lame.

 

[Duckjake]

Nope. However 2008 NFC West has the record for the least amount of wins for a four team division and says that this year the NFC West will more than likely break their own record.

But the NFC West's 3 non-winners still didn't lose as many games as the AFC East's non-winners in 2007. That is what you need to look at imo.

Sadly the NFC West has had 3 weak teams almost every year since it was formed. But other divisions have had problems as well. The NFC East had three 6-10 teams one year for instance.

Of course they've never had a season where no team had a winning record like the AFC West did.

The problem with his take is that last year's NFC West was an anomaly. If you go back and look at the standings over the last 10 years you will see that parity has been alive and well across the board in the NFL. A lot of 11-5,9-7,7-9,6-10's.

 

[NoelPHX]

But the NFC West's 3 non-winners still didn't lose as many games as the AFC East's non-winners in 2007. That is what you need to look at imo.

Sadly the NFC West has had 3 weak teams almost every year since it was formed. But other divisions have had problems as well. The NFC East had three 6-10 teams one year for instance.

Of course they've never had a season where no team had a winning record like the AFC West did.

The problem with his take is that last year's NFC West was an anomaly. If you go back and look at the standings over the last 10 years you will see that parity has been alive and well across the board in the NFL. A lot of 11-5,9-7,7-9,6-10's.

Oh trust me I agree with you. I disagree with his article all together. Somehow the NFC West has had 4 Superbowl Appearances in 11 years I believe (something like that). Not bad for a "awful" division.

 

[NoelPHX]

Hell Simmons goes on to make this division. I could already hear the people complaining that no one deserved to come out of the division to the playoffs..


AFC West: Oakland, San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, Denver, Arizona, Kansas City, St. Louis.

 

[Doug]

NFC WEST has second most playoff wins in last 5 years.Only one division has more.What does it mean to almost win 16 games then lose your 1st playoff game at home?

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcwest/post/_/id/24109/mailbag-firing-back-at-bill-simmons

Sando shuts Simmons up with the stats I mentioned in this article plus we have the Hapless Lambs who scue every stat against us for 3 more years at least.

 

[Duckjake]

Hell Simmons goes on to make this division. I could already hear the people complaining that no one deserved to come out of the division to the playoffs..


AFC West: Oakland, San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, Denver, Arizona, Kansas City, St. Louis.

Well at least he doesn't have Atlanta playing in the NFC West and the Cards in the NFC East. That had to be the dumbest thing I've ever seen in division alignments. But that's what Bill Sr. wanted. Couldn't go without seeing his favorite team in Arizona once a year.

 

[WarnerHOF]

Simmons has a point. The division is putrid this year, their isn't a strong team to carry the division like the Seahawks and Kurt Warner led Cards.

 

[Bobcat]

It is the people from Connecticut just being homers. All of the divisions have 4 teams.What the heck is the problem.

Oh Yes Dallas and NYG are having problems. So we become the Eastern Sports Writers whipping boy.

learn to LIVE WITH IT ESPN​

BOBCAT

 

[Duckjake]

Simmons has a point. The division is putrid this year, their isn't a strong team to carry the division like the Seahawks and Kurt Warner led Cards.

Sure but one or two down years isn't a reason to change the entire system.

Like I pointed out NE was 16-0 and the rest of their division lost 36 games. Three teams! Was anyone writing columns about how the NFL needed to restructure the AFC East to make it more competitive?

How about after Indy, NE or Pittsburgh have taken 10 of 14 spots in the AFC Championship game since 2003 and 8 of the last 9 AFC slots in the SB? Or that the 4and9ers played the Cowboys in the NFC Championship game three years in a row.

And people complain about the Yankees and Braves in baseball!

In 2006 the division with the worst record among the also rans was the NFC North with 31 losses. It's cyclical.

 

[BW52]

Simmons has a point. The division is putrid this year, their isn't a strong team to carry the division like the Seahawks and Kurt Warner led Cards.

You don`t miss a chance to slobber over Warner do you?

 

[WarnerHOF]

You don`t miss a chance to slobber over Warner do you?

I think this is the first time in months that I've talked about Warner since his retirement.

The NFC West will be a very good competitive division in the future. All the teams in the division are all moving in the right direction. It's just going to take awhile for the large amount of young talent to blossom.

 

[Duckjake]

I think this is the first time in months that I've talked about Warner since his retirement.

The NFC West will be a very good competitive division in the future. All the teams in the division are all moving in the right direction. It's just going to take awhile for the large amount of young talent to blossom.

Yeah I don't get what Warner has to do with any of this.

The NFC West has been weak for a while.

The Division winners have been 10-6 or 9-7. But we also had a 13-3 Seahawk team and two playoff teams in 2004 and a 1,2,3, finish of 12-4, 10-6, and 7-9 in 2003. Like I said it is cyclical.

 

[DoTheDew]

Let's combine the NFC West and AFC West. Now that'd be a putrid division.

 

[English on tour]

I don't think the NFC West should be eliminated. However, it's tough to argue the shocking weakness of the division. A 7-9 champion wouldn't surprise me, which is admittedly pretty lame.

It is but its swings and round abouts isnt it. The same division has produced the Rams, Hawks and us who have all produced decent teams and had a run at and won SB's.

Its like saying th NFC has been weekd against the AFC for a few years so lets get rid. They people just need something to write about and at the moment its the West. the nature of the NFL says it will get better it just takes a few years to turnaround is all.

 

[Pariah]

I haven't heard this clip, but do you think he was maybe being somewhat facetious? I don't think he's seriously suggesting this.

 

[RugbyMuffin]

Does he mention 2007 when the Patriots went 16-0 and the rest of the division was 12-36?

Never.

I completely agree that this NFC West crap is overblown.

 

[NoelPHX]

I haven't heard this clip, but do you think he was maybe being somewhat facetious? I don't think he's seriously suggesting this.

It is not a clip. It is a full fledged article pointing out his opinion that a sub .500 team will probably make it from the NFC West. The article did not appear to be tongue in cheek.

 

[kerouac9]

Never.

I completely agree that this NFC West crap is overblown.

Only if you just look at the standings. NFC West teams have been dominated by the league's even average teams for years now in the regular season. Not just defeating; DOMINATING.

49ers were 8-8 last year, but 5 of those wins came in division.

 

[NoelPHX]

Only if you just look at the standings. NFC West teams have been dominated by the league's even average teams for years now in the regular season. Not just defeating; DOMINATING.

49ers were 8-8 last year, but 5 of those wins came in division.

And the Cards only had 4 of their 10 wins in the division. Were 4-4 vs the rest of the NFC and 2-0 vs the AFC with wins against Houston and Jacksonville.

The only difference between this year and last is the NFC West doesn't have a dominate team. Doesn't mean it should be disbanded.

 

[NoelPHX]

Oh and since the AFC and NFC West are playing each other you can already hear people screaming inflated record no matter who wins either West.

 

[Metcalf Rules]

ESPN should be re-aligned to get rid of Simmons.

 

[Duckjake]

Only if you just look at the standings. NFC West teams have been dominated by the league's even average teams for years now in the regular season. Not just defeating; DOMINATING.

49ers were 8-8 last year, but 5 of those wins came in division.

Couldn't you say that about the also rans in most of the divisions every year? Be interesting to check.

Speaking of dominating. Last season the Cards scored 153 points in 4 games against the NFC North! They had halftime leads of 31-7, 17-0, 21-10 and 24-10.