Every Game Counts in Playoff Format
Kevin Sheller
Tuesday July 4, 2000
Then, there’s the NFL approach: Play a reasonable number of regular season games (16) and advance around 40% of the league’s teams to the playoffs. It seemed like the perfect formula. Each regular season game mattered and only the proven teams made the playoffs.
Then the Arena Football League came around and solved the last remaining problem with the NFL’s system. Divisions and conferences mean nothing. The teams are seeded based on their records, period. (With the addition of a bye to division winners for 2000.) As NFL fans, we have been witness to too many lopsided Super Bowls. The AFL made the right decision, and the two best teams have almost always squared off for the title.
But this year, the AFL changed their playoff format. Of the 17-team league, 12 teams will make the single-elimination tournament. Only 5 miss out. Some have felt the AFL had “sold out” and devalued the regular season.
"The new system is in place looking ahead to expansion over the next few years,” explained Head Coach Steve Thonn of the Houston Thunderbears.
OK. I can buy that excuse. Just wait until next year. Patience is a virtue, particularly for AFL fans who have watched the league’s very gradual climb to this year’s 17 franchises.
Then, as the season began to wind down, there was a transformation. The dominant teams in the first half of the season lost some of their momentum, and the losers started to win.
Any other year, when only a few teams could enter the playoffs, the losers would be playing for pride alone. Teams like Buffalo, Los Angeles, Houston, New Jersey, and Milwaukee have had poor records, but are surprisingly talented. For once, the teams coming on late in the year have a chance to prove themselves by sneaking into the playoffs and knocking off some of those who have faltered. Giving us what we always want – the best teams battling it out for the championship.
A new hope can be felt all over the league, “We have lost some close games over the past few weeks,” said Thonn, “But if we put a run of wins together down the stretch, we still have a shot at the playoffs.”
| Current playoff seedings: 1. y-San Jose – 10-2* 2. y-Orlando – 9-2* 3. y-Albany – 8-3* 4. y-Iowa – 7-4* 5. y-Arizona – 9-2 6. y-Nashville – 8-4 7. y-New England 7-5 8. Tampa Bay – 6-5 9. Oklahoma – 5-6 10. Grand Rapids – 5-6 11. Milwaukee – 4-7 12. Buffalo – 4-8 13. New Jersey – 3-8 14. Houston – 3-8 15. Florida – 3-8 16. Los Angeles – 3-9 17. Carolina – 2-9 y-Clinched playoff berth * Denotes current division leader |
And the situation even appeals to teams in the middle of the pack, like the Grand Rapids Rampage, who could earn a home playoff game even if they don’t win the division outright, “It allows more teams to host playoff games,” said Michael Trigg, Grand Rapids Rampage Head Coach, “I like it because it gives merit to winning the division and getting a first round bye and right now, 16-of-17 teams have a realistic chance of making the playoffs. With that tight battle going on now, it means more aggressive play towards the end of the season and each team taking the approach that every game counts down the stretch.”
But what about the five who still won’t get in? How can pride and ego compensate for failing to make the playoffs when only 30% of the teams miss out? The Carolina Cobras find themselves at 2-9 with just three games left to play. They need lots of help to advance to the postseason.
“We felt at the beginning of the year that the playoffs were an attainable goal even though most people deemed it an impossibility for an expansion team,” said Doug Kay, Head Coach of the Carolina Cobras, “Things don`t look very bright right now playoff wise, but we`re not going to quit. We have some outstanding athletes on this team and we`re going to get better. We just didn`t get a few breaks here and there or we`d be right in the mix too. “
Nonetheless, even a team like the 2-9 Cobras have the chance to get lucky and prove themselves. For Cobra fans, it gives them good reason to attend the last few games on the season in Raleigh, North Carolina. Otherwise, they may have lost interest.
"I think it is a good thing for the league,” said Danny White, Head Coach of the Arizona Rattlers, “It exposes our game to fans all over the country and keeps the intensity of the football at a high level for the entire season. Every team still has a legitimate shot at making the playoffs. That is great for the fans, players and the communities."
He’s right. The most important aspect of the large crowd of teams earning playoff berths is simply this: Every game counts. It’s hard enough to watch a meaningless NFL game at season’s end. With the AFL needing to increase its popularity to survive this potentially difficult offseason with more football leagues to compete with, player unrest, and continued expansion, it couldn’t hurt for every game to count -- even during the season’s final weekend.
Kevin Sheller ia founder of Arenafan Online and was the principal owner until 2004. Kevin graduated from the University of Akron with a degree in technical writing, and has been a member of the Arena Football Internet community since 1993. He has worked as a professional web programmer and is also the executive producer for a computer/video game company. The most recent Xbox title to his credit is called Hunter: The Reckoning.
