The Playoffs

The NFL playoff system is flawed. The NCAA is even worse, but that's not what this about. I love Jay Cutler and the Denver Broncos as much as the next guy...in fact I'm a way better fan than people that live in Denver (i could write an entire blog on how much those guys suck) but this is ridiculous. The game isn't over so I have no idea who's actually going to the playoffs, but this Denver vs. San Diego game shouldn't matter. If Denver wins they're 9-7. If San Diego wins they're 8-8. Whoever wins goes to the playoffs. And why? Because they win the AFC West. A pathetic division in football. Meanwhile the New England Patriots are 11-5 and will miss the playoffs. Heck, if the Chargers win, the Jets will have a better record than them at 9-7 and will miss the playoffs. The point being, there shouldn't be an 8-8 team (I'm pretty confident that the Broncos will blow this game...though I wish they wouldn't. Philip Rivers is a douche) in the playoffs when there's an 11-5 team and 9-7 team sitting at home watching. Now you can make the argument that because they win their division, they deserve to be in the playoffs. And this has been the fatal flaw with the NFL. For years the NFC West has, by far, been the worst division in football. Every year it seems that an 8-8 or 9-7 team wins the division and makes it to the playoffs while much better teams are forced to stay home. I would recommend eliminating divisions all together. I mean, they don't make sense anyway. Why is St. Louis in the NFC WEST? St. Louis isn't exactly west. Even when there were only 3 divisions they should have been central. And I guess you could make the case that because they used to be in LA they should be west, but guess what...they're not in LA anymore. Oh, and news flash...Kansas City isn't west either. And they've always been an AFC West team. The point being, the divisions don't make sense and all they do is screw up the playoffs. So you just have the conferences...and sure that makes scheduling harder, but deal with it. I was going to do all sorts of research to find out who should actually be in the playoffs based on the best records in each division, but I'm lazy. The one thing I can tell you is that no one from the AFC West should be in the playoffs. The Patriots should be in. And I'm pretty sure the Cardinals would lose some tie-breaker along the way and some other NFC team should be in the playoffs. I used to think the playoff system was fine the way it was, but after this season (and, as previously mentioned, the consistent failure of the NFC West) I think it needs some work. So, you know, all you higher ups in the NFL that are reading this (I know you're searching the web for posts on Ryan Leaf) make the change. It needs to be done. Too many teams are being screwed out of playoff spots. It's lame. Just like you. In conclusion, if the Broncos don't win tonight, I will punch a baby.