There was an interesting item in cnnsi.com's "Truth & Rumors" section today where Bill Parcells offered his take on parity in the NFL. The former Superbowl-winning head coach was quoted as saying "There is quite a bit of bad football being played. Some teams are just so noncompetitive...It doesn't look like much parity to me."
That little quote tells me two things:
1) Parcells is still paying attention to the NFL, even though he's not coaching anymore. Another comeback perhaps?
2) Parcells is another of the many sports fans who reads Bread and Circuses on Foxsports.com.
Two days ago, Dudski posted a piece on his blog entitled "Worst NFL Season Ever" where, among other things, he laments (you guessed it) the lack of parity in the league and blames it on the salary cap. Today Bill Parcells says virtually the same thing in an interview in the Boston Globe. Coincidence?
But that made me wonder - Is parity really dead in the NFL?
There is no question that there are some dreadful teams this season. You need look no further than the articles all over the place on the subject of whether the Miami Dolphins can complete the perfect 0-16 season that has never been done before to see that.
And there are certainly plenty of two and three-win teams littering the landscape as well. But does it necessarily follow that parity is dead in the NFL? After all, there is a 10-0 team (as this is written) as well as two 10-1 teams. Doesn't sound much like parity to me either.
But here's the thing. Is the concept of parity meant to imply that every team goes 8-8 every year and not only ties for first place in their division but last place as well?
Or is parity supposed to mean, as Dudski says, "fans in nearly every city could expect their team to make it to the playoffs every couple of years"?
By my way of thinking, parity doesn't necessarily mean either of those things, although in a frighteningly boring scenario the first could conceivably happen. Parity, to me, means that no matter how awful a team is this year, and there are certainly a few of those, within a year or two things could turn around, and there have been very recent examples of that very thing happening.
The Saints from last year are the perfect example of that. Even the Packers of this season, currently 10-1 and one of the teams that is now beating up on the weak sisters of the NFL, was a part of that group as recently as last year. Sounds like parity to me.
The thing is, for every team that rises from the ashes there will most likely be a team that takes a tumble as well, hence the Bears and, yes, there they are again, the Saints, two of the NFC's best last season, are languishing with five wins apiece as we approach December. Parity? Could be.
Dudski laments the salary cap, saying that because of it, teams are unable to develop any continuity, especially on the offensive and defensive lines. But every valuable member of a team who is cut to make cap space can instantly be a valuable addition somewhere else, helping a team that may be missing one or two pieces to get over the top.
Sure, it looks like the teams who will be playing in the AFC and NFC Conference Championship Games are a lock right now, but I would almost be willing to bet right now that at least one of the teams Dudski mentions, the Patriots and Colts in the AFC and the Cowboys and Packers or Giants in the NFC will not be there. As Bill Parcells himself used to say (and probably still does): The goal of the regular season is to get to the tournament. After that anything can happen.
Hey everyone, I know it must seem like I've dropped off the face of the earth, but it's nothing like that.
I've been busy writing - two full-length novels so far, plus over a dozen short stories - and working hard to try to get an agent. If you are curious and have a few minutes, check out my website, www.allanleve rone.com.
If you're a literary agent or if you know one, by all means contact me! In the meantime, I'll be here when I can - love this forum - and as always, thank you for checking out my blog, especially considering how many great ones you could be reading instead....
