NFL – INSPIRED BY THE FA CUP: ADD ANOTHER “BOWL”

Under the current NFL setup, all 32 teams in the league compete for one singular goal during the course of the regular season: to win The Super Bowl.

There are no other opportunities for teams to achieve accolades beyond this, except for individual coach and player performance awards given out at the end of each season.

And, while the current system in the NFL works and is hugely successful, wouldn’t it be even more fun if the league offered an additional competition and created one more “Bowl” during the season beyond The Super Bowl?

This idea occurred to me while I was watching English football matches over the weekend.  While English football clubs compete with teams in their own division to win during the course of their season, they each also simultaneously participate in a competition called the FA Cup. 

Essentially, it is a “knockout tournament” in which teams compete with others in different divisions.  The pairings are drawn at random, there are no seeds, and the draw for each round is not made until after the scheduled dates for the previous round.  The draw also determines which teams will play at home (first team drawn – home team).

Once teams are determined, FA Cup matches are played in a series of “rounds” whereby teams eliminate their opposing team with a win.  This eventually leads to semi-finals and then finals.

Championship matches are played at London’s Wembley Stadium and winning teams are presented with a trophy, known as the “FA Cup”, which they hold until the following year’s final.

The alternative Cup creates a way for lesser-ranked clubs to have a chance to beat higher ranked clubs – an impossible achievement for some if this Cup was not established.  It also spawns new rivalries within other divisions, and ultimately, more tension-filled matches.

I think this would be brilliant idea for the NFL to adopt.  It could be challenging for players to play additional games, but it could be worth it.

HOW IT WOULD WORK:

  • Instead of naming this tournament a “Cup”, the NFL version would be a “Bowl” eligible to the 20 teams that did not make the post season (10 – NFC; 10 – AFC);
  • 6 teams in each Conference will be drawn at random;
  • Like the typical NFL Playoff System, that will make 12 teams total competing in this additional Bowl;
  • These 6 randomly chosen teams in each conference will be seeded according to their regular season record.
  • Round 1 – In each Conf, Seeds 4 & 5 compete; Seeds 3 & 6 compete.  Losers are eliminated
  • Round 2 – Winner of 4/5 game plays Seed 1;  Winner of 3/6 game plays Seed 2.  Losers eliminated.
  • Round 3 – Winners of Round 2 play each other for the Conf Champ.  Losers eliminated.
  • Finals – AFC/NFC Conf Champs play each other (Home/Away drawn at random).

WHY IT WOULD WORK

  1. THE REDEMPTION FACTOR.  For teams like the Cleveland Browns who finished 0-16 last season, this additional Bowl would give the team a chance to redeem themselves and win some kind of trophy after a bad season.  And, their fans would be thrilled since they endured so much defeat as well.
  2. FAN INTEREST.  Let’s face it, we love us some NFL and the more we fans get, the happier we are.  Why not add another layer to the intrigue, especially if it helps create new rivalries?
  3. MONEY.  The NFL owners probably wouldn’t be heartbroken to see more games happen during the season which means more money in their pockets and ultimately, more in the player’s pockets.  But, would the players go for more games?  Not all teams would see more action.  This is the ultimate question of adding another Bowl.
  4. ELIMINATE PRESEASON.  The 16-game regular season is grueling, but if we eliminated the preseason games altogether, or truncate it to only 2 games, having a team conceivably compete in 4 more games for another Bowl might seem more appealing to the players.
  5. LINK IT TO THE PRO BOWL.  It’s no secret the NFL Pro Bowl has a problem being taken seriously by fans.  But, what if we could somehow link our additional Bowl to it for more appeal?  For instance, after the additional Bowl has been won, each Conference will name an MVP.  Both of those players are automatically into the Pro Bowl.  Again, this would give players who may have otherwise had a bad season the chance to redeem themselves.

The only question now, is what to call this additional “Bowl”?  Any suggestions?

 

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