Incentives to Play Starters?

[SteelerFan448]

On Countdown, Mort just reported that the NFL and Goodell is speaking with the competition committee about incentives for playing your starters the last week and that one discussion is extra draft picks. Opinions on this?

[the other bill]

I like it but would it work ? these dudes make quite a bit of cash is 10 20 even 30 K enough to risk injury when the playoffs are assured, Who knows.
another angle to look at is if they rest the starters, more then just a few of the 2nd and 3rd string players that play today are showcasing themselfs for next year.
I expect competitive games out of the cats and pats today

[Supersteeler]

Goodell is a douchebag. Whether you play your starters or not is up to the coach.

Indy pissed a mark in the history books to the wind. But thats their choice. If you play your ass off into a situation where you have to make this decision, thats on the coach.

Goodell can die in a fire.

I agree, it's none of his business what teams decide to do. He'$ worried about the $anctity of the game$ I'm $ure.

Afraid the games with no starters will draw lousy attendance is what it's all about.

[BermudaSteel]

Goodell is a douchebag. Whether you play your starters or not is up to the coach.

Indy pissed a mark in the history books to the wind. But thats their choice. If you play your ass off into a situation where you have to make this decision, thats on the coach.

Goodell can die in a fire.
Your sentiments are shared.

[SteelerBob]

I don;t think would work but they might want to look at adding 2 extra playoff teams and doing away with the bye week. Lets face it if you have the best record you already have home field advantage do you really need a bye week also?

[SteelerFan448]

I don;t think would work but they might want to look at adding 2 extra playoff teams and doing away with the bye week. Lets face it if you have the best record you already have home field advantage do you really need a bye week also?

No way do you water down the playoff field. The NFL playoff system is very good and makes all 16 games meaningful for a lot of teams.

[pittbull]

Goodell must be a Democrat. He wants to regulate everything. :D

[cutty]

I hope they do something about it, it is such a joke now to see the Jets have a chance at the playoffs by winning the last 2 games of the year versus scrubs.

[sotexsteel]

I hope they do something about it, it is such a joke now to see the Jets have a chance at the playoffs by winning the last 2 games of the year versus scrubs.

I wonder how true this is now. Anyone think Cinci will play to win tonight given that the Pats lost?

[Vader]

The NFL should leave it alone. If a team wants to make the playoffs then win enough games. I was tired of people crying last year about the 11-5 pats* not making the playoffs and I'm tired of people crying about other teams resting their players when we've done it for YEARS. Keep your hands off Goodall.

[ronburgundy]

Got no problem resting your starters if the game doesn't mean anything. Thing is, like it or not, the Dolts game DID mean something and they shit the bed. If karma really exists, they should lose their first playoff game.

[Super Dave]

They misunderstand the outrage, It is quite normal for teams to rest players in week 17, what the Colts did in week 16 was so shocking and stupid, it fostered quite a bit of outrage.

Just because you have won 14 games, doesn't mean you're automatically going to the Super Bowl, hell, The Saints haven't won a game since they won 13 straight.

Indy basically secured the #1 playoff spot and then gave up on the season. They let down their own fans and fans of the NFL. One of the dumbest coaching decisions I have ever witnessed.

[pittbull]

They misunderstand the outrage, It is quite normal for teams to rest players in week 17, what the Colts did in week 16 was so shocking and stupid, it fostered quite a bit of outrage.

Just because you have won 14 games, doesn't mean you're automatically going to the Super Bowl, hell, The Saints haven't won a game since they won 13 straight.

Indy basically secured the #1 playoff spot and then gave up on the season. They let down their own fans and fans of the NFL. One of the dumbest coaching decisions I have ever witnessed.

Agreed 100%

[Stlrs4Life]

Goodell is a douchebag. Whether you play your starters or not is up to the coach.

Indy pissed a mark in the history books to the wind. But thats their choice. If you play your ass off into a situation where you have to make this decision, thats on the coach.

Goodell can die in a fire.
I agree, that cocksmoker needs to STFU.

[ronburgundy]

Indy basically secured the #1 playoff spot and then gave up on the season. They let down their own fans and fans of the NFL. One of the dumbest coaching decisions I have ever witnessed.
Indy got crushed by Buffalo today. This is not a good trend for them. Last week started bad juju.

[BigNastyD]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-goodell-colts&prov=ap&type=lgns

MIAMI (AP)—Commissioner Roger Goodell says the NFL will consider offering incentives to teams playing late-season games to discourage them from resting their starters for the playoffs.
Goodell said the league was sensitive to criticism of the Indianapolis Colts (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/teams/ind/;_ylt=Aj1JgtFFkAKqM8YxrqwjK94dsLYF)’ decision to use backups a week ago in a game they lost, ending their bid for a perfect season.

“It is something we’ll look at,” Goodell said Sunday. “We heard the fans loud and clear. It’s something our competition committee has looked at in the past, but we’re going to ask our competition committee to look at it again in the future. We want every game to be competitive.”



The league’s position has been that playoff-bound teams enjoy the right to rest their starters to prepare for the postseason. Goodell said he didn’t blame the Colts for their decision.

The commissioner spoke before the game between the Dolphins and Steelers. Later, in an interview with CBS, Goodell said various incentives to prevent teams from benching starters will be considered.
Such incentives could include awarding draft choices.

“We are considering a lot of different things,” Goodell said on CBS. “I don’t think you can punish them for not playing. The other thing that has to happen is you have to make it clear to the public that you are not going to be playing someone, like we do with our injury reports.”

The Colts already had clinched home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs when coach Jim Caldwell sat Peyton Manning (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/4256/;_ylt=Aiz2eWioPRx8g7E2LZEtv0UdsLYF)(notes) (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/4256/news;_ylt=Ap529f3OifG3mzAvSGvOlfQdsLYF) and other starters in the second half, and the Jets rallied to win. NFL purists were upset the Colts didn’t go all-out with a shot at a perfect season.

“We want to make sure the integrity of the NFL is first and foremost in everyone’s mind, and try to find ways to make sure our games are competitive at all points in the season, including the preseason,” Goodell said.

Goodell was in Miami to take part in an 80th birthday celebration for Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Don Shula. The Colts’ loss to the Jets preserved Shula’s status as the only coach to lead a team to a perfect season. His 1972 Dolphins went 17-0.

Shula said he didn’t recall ever facing the kind of decision Caldwell had to make regarding Manning and other starters a week ago.

“What you’ve got to do is do what’s best for your team and be willing to take the flak that goes with it,” Shula said. “If you think it’s right to rest the guy so you’re sure he’s ready and rested for the Super Bowl, then you’ve got to do it.”

[aSteelersDieHard]

I heard the interview ... I've got mixed feelings based on the year's record. If you're going for an undefeated season, do you really want to sit everyone? Would we want to sit Ben if we were one game from a 16-0 season? Really? If you've got a well running, warmed up finely oiled machine humming along ... do you really want to shut down the engines and let it go cold hoping it'll start up and run the same way? It didn't work for Indy on their run to super bowl XL ... they got back into gear too late in that game. I know we've done it before ... but for a perfect season? Or how about our 15-1 season? Would we have wanted to end that one instead with a 14-2? Nah ... I liked the best regular season's record in Steelers history that year!

[black & gold soul]

I heard the interview ... I've got mixed feelings based on the year's record. If you're going for an undefeated season, do you really want to sit everyone? Would we want to sit Ben if we were one game from a 16-0 season? Really? If you've got a well running, warmed up finely oiled machine humming along ... do you really want to shut down the engines and let it go cold hoping it'll start up and run the same way? It didn't work for Indy on their run to super bowl XL ... they got back into gear too late in that game. I know we've done it before ... but for a perfect season? Or how about our 15-1 season? Would we have wanted to end that one instead with a 14-2? Nah ... I liked the best regular season's record in Steelers history that year!


in 04 when we went 15-1 we did rest alot of our regulars but were still able to beat the bills in the last game.

[oneforthebus]

I don't like what the Colts did, on the other hand I don't really want the NFL telling coaches who they have to play in a game. What if the team goes up by 14? Or 21? Or 35? Do they still have to keep in who they said was going to play? Who decides what the threshold should be? I think it should remain purely a coaching decision and let the chips fall where they may. After all, it's not a team's fault that other teams are in a position of not controlling their own destiny, it's based on wins and losses.

[Johnnylaw]

I think draft choices is a ridiculous idea. I was thinkning more along the lines of maybe your record for the last 4 games is part of a tie-breaker scenario or something. You really cant force teams to play there players, but I really do think that there is integrity issues.

There is no way the Jets deserve to be in the playoffs (nor do we). The fact that the Jets reaped the benefit of having two teams lay down for them in the last two weeks of the season is where the integrity comes into play. Lucky for the Jets...but this is bad for the league. You have teams fighting and scratching to make it to the playoffs, playing competitive games, then other teams that get in this way. It just feels dirty.....not sure what the league can do but there has to be something.

[Johnnylaw]

BTW one thing I never quite grasped with the Colts. There whole focus was the Superbowl. In order to win the superbowl you need to go 3-0 (because of their #1 seed). You are already 14-0 and half way through the 3rd qtr of a game being 15-0. If you know the focus and goal is the superbowl then winning those 3 games in the playoffs is part of your plan anyways. Now you are up 15-10 and a qtr away from being 15-0. After that all you have left is Buffalo..that makes 16-0.

In my opinion it boils down to the Colts being soft and the organization not having the guts (as Teddy Bruchi stated) to go for 18-0. The Colts threw in the towel instead of facing the challenge. To me that is heartless and the easy way out.

[BigNastyD]

I agree Johnny....Fucks sake, do they want to reward a playoff calibur team with more fucking players.

[aSteelersDieHard]

I think draft choices is a ridiculous idea. I was thinkning more along the lines of maybe your record for the last 4 games is part of a tie-breaker scenario or something. You really cant force teams to play there players, but I really do think that there is integrity issues.

There is no way the Jets deserve to be in the playoffs (nor do we). The fact that the Jets reaped the benefit of having two teams lay down for them in the last two weeks of the season is where the integrity comes into play. Lucky for the Jets...but this is bad for the league. You have teams fighting and scratching to make it to the playoffs, playing competitive games, then other teams that get in this way. It just feels dirty.....not sure what the league can do but there has to be something.
You said it better than I did ... its integrity and feels like dirty ball.


in 04 when we went 15-1 we did rest alot of our regulars but were still able to beat the bills in the last game.
I do see that in our '04 season (15-1), we in fact did not play Ben in that last game against Buffalo. I thought we did, but Maddox and St. Pierre played based on the stats below, but we did have other key starters in there. But in that instance that year sitting Ben out? With Ben being a rookie QB not used to a long season like that? That's a horse of a different color giving him a game off, a completely different ball of wax reasoning. As for the rest of our other starters? They did 'start'!

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS:

Rushing: PIT: W.Parker 19-102, V.Haynes 8-22, D.Staley 8-21, D.Kreider 3-13, T.Maddox 1-2, B.St.Pierre 4-(-3).

Passing: PIT: T.Maddox 12-24-2-120, B.St.Pierre 0-1-0-0.

Receiving: PIT: A.Randle El 7-81, H.Ward 2-11, W.Parker 2-4, L.Mays 1-24.http://www.jt-sw.com/icons/ecblank.gifhttp://www.jt-sw.com/icons/ecblank.gif

[FAB802]

alofasdfhi;asf

I understand jibberish.

[cutty]

I think draft choices is a ridiculous idea. I was thinkning more along the lines of maybe your record for the last 4 games is part of a tie-breaker scenario or something. You really cant force teams to play there players, but I really do think that there is integrity issues.

There is no way the Jets deserve to be in the playoffs (nor do we). The fact that the Jets reaped the benefit of having two teams lay down for them in the last two weeks of the season is where the integrity comes into play. Lucky for the Jets...but this is bad for the league. You have teams fighting and scratching to make it to the playoffs, playing competitive games, then other teams that get in this way. It just feels dirty.....not sure what the league can do but there has to be something.

I agree, I would rather see Houston in the playoffs than the Jets. As stated many times before, it just reeks how the Jets have gotten into the playoffs.

[VaSteelerFan]

IND is done. You can't come back to a playoff game after having not played a game you give a shit about for a month. One and done.

[warriors42]

I think it should be left up to the team and the coach, but that being said, if we were 14-0, and we pulled our starters, I would be livid. that was just unacceptable, as a fan I help pay the salaries of every damn body on that team, and as a fan I want to win every game. especially if we have a chance to make history...we screwed the pooch and didn't make the playoffs I can live with that, and indy pulling thier players doesn't piss me off for the fact that we didn't make it, but it does piss me off that I maybe could be alive to see something that may never ever happen again.

The fans got robbed, not the steelers, and it was a chicken shit decision to lay down at 14-0. But it was the teams decision, and sould be left that way..........

[baltimoron]

it's ridiculous to even consider forcing a team to play certain players... there are so many ways to make the rule unenforceable...

why don't they focus on the terrible officiating and the way balls are spotted

dumb shit goin on in the nfl

[sandman5519]

Look, I can UNDERSTAND sitting players, etc.

But since it was OBVIOUS last week in INDY and then OBVIOUS this week in many games (not so OBVIOUS, but still happened in a few as well) if the NFL is okay with the sub-entertainment value at the end of the year, then why not put Tickets to the Game on Sale for those games?

Why not FREE PARKING at the games?

1/2 Coccessions?

Etc..?

Really, if I want to see Pre-Season Football at the end of the year, I will save my damn money for next year.......It really does tarnish the NFL in my opinion and because of that, like Baseball, this is equivelant to making a "Mockery of the Game..." - Fine the damn Teams and Coaches. Fine them for not putting the best team, the best entertainment people expect. That is why they play right?- Nope. Thought it was about the fans? Nope. Ask Indy how happy they were last week, at home mind you, to watch the white flag raised early in the 3rd quarter.

Its a joke, they should be fined for these actions, period. And if the Steelers do it next year, I will be just as PISSED.

[Madinsomniac]

Bah I heard a TON of scenerios about this. Personally I say if they earned it let em sit. However, There were a few odd ones out there that were intreaguing, such as teams start the first playoff game with a point advantage of the difference in win totals for the two teams

[steeleagle]

In no way should the better teams get draft choices or considerations for playing their starters. They should not receive an incentive to get more players. That would mess with the ability to balance the league competitively.

But I do not like the idea of allowing teams to be non competitive and allow other teams to win games they never would have won and get into the playoffs (NYJ against Colts and maybe the Bengals). If any team pulls their starting QB, their chance of winning goes done considerably Look at Colts vs Bills and Jets vs bengals. They got smoked using a backup QB.

Steelers made their bed as Tomlin said, but they gave themselves a chance at the end, but other quality teams were not competive against teams that were competing for those spots. But I guess if the shoe was on the other foot, we wouldnt be complaining.

[sandman5519]

Earned it? Earned what?

Earned the right to take your money?

[troymania]

Goodell is a douchebag. Whether you play your starters or not is up to the coach.

Indy pissed a mark in the history books to the wind. But thats their choice. If you play your ass off into a situation where you have to make this decision, thats on the coach.

Goodell can die in a fire.

I will gladly bring the marshmallows to roast over his flaming body.

[FAB802]

On Mike and Mike this morning someone suggested manipulating the schedule so that at least the last two games are division games. It may not matter, but that tiebreaker as well as it being a conference game may clean it up a little. It didn't exacxtly make the eagles show up yesterday and they were playing for the bye. Pathetic.

[steelinfl]

On Countdown, Mort just reported that the NFL and Goodell is speaking with the competition committee about incentives for playing your starters the last week and that one discussion is extra draft picks. Opinions on this?

what incentives do the fans get? we pay full price for preseason games just to watch a bunch of scrubs try and make the team then at the end of the year we get to watch backups tank the last 2 games at full price. Then GODell wants to expand the season by 2 games

[ronburgundy]

On Mike and Mike this morning someone suggested manipulating the schedule so that at least the last two games are division games. It may not matter, but that tiebreaker as well as it being a conference game may clean it up a little. It didn't exacxtly make the eagles show up yesterday and they were playing for the bye. Pathetic.
Best idea I've heard so far. Although the NFL is officially against gambling, the only other thing I can come up with for incentive is to have Rocco and Vito from Las Vegas pay a visit to some head coaches and firmly explain that players and coaches aren't the only people who make their living from football.

[Soulkitchen]

They did 'start'!

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS:

Rushing: PIT: W.Parker 19-102, V.Haynes 8-22, D.Staley 8-21, D.Kreider 3-13, T.Maddox 1-2, B.St.Pierre 4-(-3).

Passing: PIT: T.Maddox 12-24-2-120, B.St.Pierre 0-1-0-0.

Receiving: PIT: A.Randle El 7-81, H.Ward 2-11, W.Parker 2-4, L.Mays 1-24.http://www.jt-sw.com/icons/ecblank.gifhttp://www.jt-sw.com/icons/ecblank.gif

Ok. I was at this game, and we rested every starter we could and still beat the bills that were playing for a playoff birth. Any Steeler fan should know that W.Parker was not a starter in '04. He was called up from the practice squad to start for Bettis. Hines left early after catching two balls. Staley was working on getting out of his sweats he wore for most of '04. We also had backups playing everywhere on defense. One being a certain J.Harrison who had a defensive score.

As for indy resting their starters. I would expect the Steelers to do the same thing the colts did this year if everything was locked up. 16-0 doesn't matter to anyone except the pats*, the networks, misunderstood fans, and the dolphin wing of the sunnyvale rest home.

[Big Daddy Slim]

Truth be told, if the Steelers were fortunate enough to be in the same situation as the Colts, the majority of us would expect them to either rest their starters or pull them early in a meaningless regular season game.

[oneforthebus]

Earned it? Earned what?

Earned the right to take your money?

No, earned the right to not have to risk injury to their starters in meaningless games.

The loss of a perfect season, I can understand fan's disappointment over. But I guarantee if we were 14-1 or 13-2, had a guaranteed top seed in the playoffs and and Ben or Troy or Santonio got injured in a meaningless final game of the season, everyone would be screaming at the stupidity of the move. No one would be talking about Tomlin's integrity in going for the meaningless win.