Incentivizing games for teams with locked playoff seeding

[feltdizz]

Last year the OT rule with Manning was the big debate... This year it's his perfect season ruined.. I'm tired of all this whining over this guy... lol. Now the fans are doing the Manning face.

I think the Colts tried to put up enough in the first half to win but Peyton is so selfish the backup looked like it was his first snap of training camp. Fans will complain regardless but Caldwell would catch hell if they went 16-0 and still fell short. I don't think any of our SB's are just any old SB. 19-0 is nice but 18-1 is the butt of many jokes.

[BradshawsHairdresser]

The only thing that bothered me about this year's "resting of starters" was that the Colts started the game as if they wanted to win it and then decided to call it quits. The reward for securing the #1 seed is having the option to rest your starters if you choose to do so. Change nothing, earn the privilege and move into the playoffs, these teams do not owe anything to any other team in the league.

Win your games and get into the playoffs, lose your games and you have to count on the good teams' backups to win a game, too bad. The Steelers have no one to blame but themselves for this year's disappointing finish.

Season ticket holders understand that week 17 may been a pre-season game. The Colts fans were upset, because, they had a chance at history. I'd be upset as well if the Steelers bailed on an undefeated season in week 16. Even if they (the Colts) win the SB this year, they'll be just another SB winner, nothing special.

Pappy

$$$$$ Dead on.

[SteelAbility]

The problem is, none of these incentives would have a bearing on a team that has locked up the #1 or #2 seed. They could win the prize (extra draft picks, pick an opponent, whatever) and still rest their starters. The benefits would have to be attched to 'meaningless games', and they would have to remain in the current year because we dont want to overbalance the league with any dominant teams except the Steelers

For instance, each 'meaningless game' a team wins gives them another roster spot for the duration of their run through the playoffs.

Or even more crude, each meaningless game won splits a $1,000,000 bonus from the league between all players and coaches.

Give them a palatable incentive that doesnt affect the balance of the league.

The idea is that it is only rewarded for a win. So, yes, you could rest your starters and still win. It does happen. But you have to get the win to get the reward, which means that if you want the reward you play to win.

I like the roster spot ideas both giving the extra through the playoffs or taking one away for the next year (or a portion of the next year).

I also like the money idea. Somehow I think $1M won't cut it though. It comes out to about an $18K bonus that you might not get but risk key injury. I'm thinking about 3 to four times that wouldn't be a bad idea. Plus the league would more than make its money back in the fact that a meaningful game was played.