The NFL is talking playoff expansion again. Bob Glauber of New York Newsday reported Thursday that he has spoken with commissioner Roger Goodell, who said that a vote to add additional AFC and NFC wild card games could come May 20 at a league meeting. If playoff expansion were approved, it could be implemented as soon as next season.
NFL playoff expansion could be ready for 2014-15 season
NFL playoff expansion is on the docket for a May 20 league meeting. Could we see a 14-team field this season?
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Though an expanded playoff may be seem like an inevitability, Glauber reported Tuesday that it likely wouldn’t occur until 2015 season at the earliest. Goodell has insisted that the playoffs could expand to 14 teams from 12 by the upcoming season, however, though to do so he would need speedy approvals from owners and players.
Per Glauber, New York Giants president John Mara was skeptical that change could be made so quickly.
“I don’t think it’s going to happen this year,” Mara said. “I think it’s kind of late. We have a May [20th owners] meeting [in Atlanta], but I sense that we’ll wait a year before we do that. It hasn’t been voted on yet.”
A vote might not even occur on May 20. Discussion will likely take place, but there’s no guarantee owners will be ready to take a stance in less than one month’s time. Mara told Glauber that if a vote does not take place on the 20th, the playoffs for the 2014 season will feature a 12-team field.
The push for NFL playoff expansion gained momentum in January and February while the Seattle Seahawks made their run to the Super Bowl. Because of the Seahawks' and San Francisco 49ers' success in the NFC West, the 10-6 Arizona Cardinals were left out of the playoffs, while the 8-7-1 Green Bay Packers made the postseason thanks to a division championship in the relatively weaker NFC North. In the AFC, the Pittsburgh Steelers would have made the playoffs at 8-8 had the field been expanded.
SB Nation’s Mark Sandritter pointed out in January that much might not have changed had the Cardinals and the Steelers been invited to the playoffs. Meanwhile, some aren’t enthused about the idea of meddling with a system that has worked reasonably well for years. Kenneth Arthur proposed several alternatives to playoff expansion, including adopting the BCS formula, which ... would probably not go over well.
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