When word emerged on Friday that the league will ask the Competition Committee to revisit the question of teams with playoff berths secured should be permitted to rest starters late in the regular season, we thought that the NFL was merely paying lip service to fan outrage regarding the Colts’ decision to pull starters in a winnable Week 16 game against the Jets.
But a stream of Sunday reports regarding draft-pick incentives and quotes from the Commissioner have made it abundantly clear that Roger Goodell is serious about doing something to minimize the postseason preseason mentality.
Capping these developments comes a report from Peter King of NBC, who said during Football Night in America that Goodell is “angry” about teams tanking it.
But there’s no easy solution to the problem. As Tony Dungy of Football Night in America said after King’s report, coaches with a shot at a Super Bowl care more about getting to the Super Bowl than getting an extra draft pick for putting a key player at risk in a meaningless game.
We’ve actually got a suggested solution to the problem, one that requires some outside-the-box thinking. And we’ll pull the sheet off the idea as part of the Week 17 Morning Aftermath.
That’s what they call a tease. For those of you who don’t understand the concept, I’ll explain it after tonight’s game.
