One of the most rewarding parts of writing for a website is interacting with NFL fans. Some of the most intelligent comments come from people that don't write articles for a living, only they follow the game and have an intelligent perspective.

On the other hand, some of the silliest comments also come from fans that will do just about anything to blame anyone other than the players on his or her favorite team for missing the playoffs.

We have all heard the excuses for a team not securing a playoff berth with the most common three being:

a) If only the losses hadn't been so close - A few heart-wrenching plays happen differently, and it is the playoffs instead of a top 10 pick.  

b) The schedule was too tough - If only the schedule had been more favorable; the playoffs would have been a reality. 

c) The injuries were too much - Had our starting linebacker and defensive tackle stayed healthy, those close losses would have been wins instead; you can't expect to win with backups as starters.

If your team didn't make the playoffs it is because they weren't good enough to make the playoffs; it has nothing to do with the excuses listed above and here is why:

1) If only we had won close games in the fourth quarter we would have made the playoffs - This excuse shows a complete lack of understanding as to how NFL games are won and lost. In the NFL, most of the games are close games in the fourth quarter and good teams find ways to win those games.

This point can be illustrated by looking at the NFC in 2008. 

This table shows every team's regular season record, and how they did in games decided by 10 points or less. 

The teams in bold are the ones that qualified for the playoffs.

    Franchise                 Record               Record in Games Decided By 10 Points or Less 

Atlanta Falcons       11-5             (6-2)  

Arizona Cardinals     9-7             (4-3)  

Carolina Panthers   12-4             (6-2)

Chicago Bears            9-7             (5-5)

Dallas Cowboys          9-7             (4-4)

Detroit Lions               0-16            (0-8)

Green Bay Packers     6-10            (3-8)  

Minnesota Vikings     10-6            (7-5)

New Orleans Saints     8-8              (4-6)  

New York Giants        12-4             (6-2)  

Philadelphia Eagles   9-6-1           (2-5-1)

San Francisco 49ers      7-9             (5-4)

Seattle Seahawks          4-12           (2-8)

St. Louis Rams              2-14           (1-5)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-7              (6-7)

Washington Redskins 8-8                 (8-5)  

a) Note that 58 percent of the NFC team's games were decided by 10 points or less. The six teams that made the playoffs (in bold) combined to go 31-19-1 in those games compared to the 38-60 record of the teams that didn't make the playoffs. That's a winning percentage of .620 for the playoff teams versus .390 for the non-playoff teams. 

b) The Eagles were the only playoff team with a losing record in close games, whereas the 49ers and Redskins were the only non-playoff teams that had winning records in close games.

c) Suppose that all the non-playoff teams had turned half of those close losses into wins. In that case, the Lions, 49ers, Seahawks, and Rams are the only teams that would not have finished with 10 victories last season, and thus are the only teams that wouldn't have made the playoffs had they just turned just half of those close defeats into victories. Furthermore, the 49ers would have been a nine-win club and the Seahawks would have been an eight-win club.

Losing close games is not an accident or misfortune; take it from Hall of Famer John Elway and two-time Super Bowl winning Head Coach Bill Parcells, two experts who were absolutely right on this topic.

Elway once said that they don't pay you for what you do on first and second down. "They pay you for what you do on third down, inside the 20s, and in the fourth quarter".

Parcells is famous for saying, "You are what your record says you are."

Unless you cheer for the Lions or the Rams, every other NFC fan can say: "Had my team won close games, they would have made the playoffs."

The NFL is built on close games and the league designs the rules of the game so that games stay close, which means the excuse lacks credibility if it applies to every team.

 

To read the reason the other two excuses don't hold water visit http://fantasypros911.com/nfl-myths-injuries-tough-schedule-and-close-games.html.  You can also leave comments here as I will be answering comments on both sites.  Do you think losing close games is a good excuse or just an excuse for failure.  Let me know your thoughts.