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ProspectI am not sure I can speak to the general public on this subject. I simply know that I am sick and tired of hearing of the so-called Reggie Bush Bowl. Now that San Francisco has beaten St. Louis, their meeting with Houston will take on less of a "loser takes the #1" feel to it. What it has not done is draw any attention away from the question of whether or not teams are throwing games in order to improve their draft position.
THE GRASSY NOLL
Conspiracy theorists are calling for an investigation into the field goal kicking procedures of the Houston Texans after their suspicious 13-10 loss to Tenness
ee. For those who did not see the game, Kris Brown missed a field goal from 31 yards at the final gun. It was not like he just missed it though. If an onlooker did not know better one would think his goal was to hit the corner pylon. This was after an earlier attempt from 37 yards out with 3:48 remaining was blocked. The heat was really on them after blowing a late 10 point lead and losing by a single point the previous two weeks, respectively. Amazingly they won the very next game after this kicking incident. I will be quick to point out that this 30-19 victory over Arizona in no way put them out of position to draft in the #1 slot because simply losing their next two games would have at that point ensured them the NFL's single worst record at 2-14.
WHAT IS MY MOTIVATION?
There is really no way for the NFL to force a team to put forth maximum effort in a meaningless game. However, this would certainly help the league's integrity as it pertains to getting the top teams in the playoffs. Fantasy football leagues reject week 17 from their playoff structure for a reason. Certain teams have lost interest and many players sit out. I understand this from the perspective of a team that has already clinched their spot and seed, such as the Indianapolis Colts. I also follow the logic of a down and out team trying to start and use backup players in order to see what they have got going into 2006. This is seen in baseball when the September call ups litter rosters across the majors. If I can offer defenses for teams overtly not giving their best effort what is my point exactly?
NEXT QUESTION PLEASE
For starters, I never want to hear an interviewer ask 49er head coach Mike Nolan if his team is trying to lose so they can secure Reggie Bush. By implementing some sort of random lottery that question would at the very least be clumsier. I imagine Roger Reporter is not as apt to inquire something similar to the following: "So Mike, do you think that 31 lottery balls versus 27 lottery balls is a good reason to lose this game?" That sounds ridiculous to me and a bonehead question like this would only apply in the final week of the season anyway. During the past month radio talk show has been abuzz over this subject.
I WON! I WON!
Now I suppose you want to know how it would work, and there is no easy answer. In the NBA every team that fails to qualify for the playoffs is eligible to earn the #1 draft position. Without getting into the boring history of how much or little a team has moved up since this lottery started, suffice it to say that I would not recommend an exact duplicate of this system. I cannot advocate a team finishing 10-6 and even having one ping pong ball's chance in a million to earn the top pick. That is simply unfair.
WHAT EXACTLY IS A POD?
I would like to see pods of three or four that are subject to a weighted draw for positioning. No, not ipods you are confused from too much holiday shopping. The nuts and bolts of this would favor five pods (groups) of four because the number of teams not qualifying for the playoffs (20) is not divisible evenly by 3. Teams can be fitted into these pods using the current logic of placing them in order by worst record and breaking ties based on strength of opponents. Bear with me while I provide the boring 2004 data, ignoring trades that were consummated to reflect where teams might have been grouped in this system.
IF I COULD TURN BACK TIME
San Francisco (2-14) Miami (4-12) Cleveland (4-12) and Chicago (5-11) would have formed Pod 1. I recommend not weighting the ping pong balls whatsoever. Weighting somewhat diminishes the point of the system because the purpose is to remove incentive for a team to lose. Pod 2 would have been Tampa Bay (5-11) Tennessee (5-11) Oakland (5-11) and Arizona (6-10). Pod 3 is Washington (6-10) Detroit (6-10) Dallas (6-10) and N.Y. Giants (6-10). Pod 4 is Houston (7-9) Carolina (7-9) Kansas City (7-9) and New Orleans (8-8). Pod 5 is Cincinnati (8-8) Minnesota (8-8) St. Louis (8-8) and Buffalo (9-7). These pods mostly have one thing in common, very similar final records.
BOTTOM LINE
The advantage of a lottery such as this would be that a team perhaps at 7-8 entering the final week and locked into their pod might be more apt to put up a better effort against that 9-6 club fighting for a playoff berth. Better competition is simply better for everyone. The fans enjoy the game they are paying money for. The networks have a game that is not 31-0 at halftime. The players and coaches do not feel hamstrung by pressure (real or imagined) to lose.
CHIME IN ANY TIME
This is where you make your opinion known. I am convinced this is not a perfect concept and one can argue that a team would simply lose in order to drop into the next pod. Make it your goal to find a more well thought out argument.