USA TODAY - NFL rethinking playoff seeding

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PALM BEACH, Fla.
By Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY

Part of the New York Giants' mojo in streaking to an unexpected Super Bowl XLII title in February was wrapped in their identity as road warriors.

DARK DAYS AHEAD? Analyzing the NFL owners meetings

First stop, Tampa. Then Dallas. Then Green Bay.

The Giants never had a home playoff game, but it didn't stop them from getting an opportunity to upset the undefeated New England Patriots.

At the NFL meetings beginning Monday, owners will consider a proposed rule change that could have allowed the Giants to open the postseason at home. The proposal to re-seed the playoffs could have afforded the Jacksonville Jaguars, who also won a road playoff opener against a division champion (Pittsburgh) with a worse record, the same opportunity.

DISCUSS: Would you re-seed the playoffs?

The league's competition committee seeks to shuffle the third through sixth seeds in each conference, basing the order on regular-season record rather than reserving the third and fourth seeds and a home game the first week of the playoffs for division champions.

"This is something we've talked about for five or six years," said Rich McKay, the Atlanta Falcons' president and co-chair of the competition committee. "It goes back to when we went to eight divisions (in 2002) we were extremely nervous about the fact that you could have a situation where there's a division or two that's extremely weak one year or another, and create an imbalance as to who should qualify for the playoffs."

The proposal on the table wouldn't include preventing a division champ from making the playoffs. And the division winners from each conference with the best two records would still earn a bye. Yet as illustrated with the Giants (10-6 during the last regular season) and Jaguars (11-5) both finishing a game better than their first-round opponents, wild-card teams would compete for home playoff games.

Since the league realigned in 2002, four playoff settings might have been re-bracketed with a new formula.

With first-round home games at stake, the final weekend of the regular season that is typically distinguished by random cases of non-competitiveness could become a lot more interesting.

The Buccaneers, for example, lost their final two regular-season games in 2007 after wrapping up the NFC South title in Week 15. Quarterback Jeff Garcia was rested, with little incentive to win.

A re-seeding could reduce the number of cases where a team's competitiveness is questioned because players are held out.

Opponents of the proposal, however, might argue that the value of winning a division title will be diminished; that it is their right to rest players for the playoffs.

Said McKay: "I think to make as many games as competitive as we can late in the year would be a good step for the league."

Owners will also consider several other proposals, including one that would allow a defensive player to wear a helmet equipped with a radio transmitter that would receive instructions from a coach on the sideline. There are also measures that would prevent players from covering their names and numbers on their jerseys by long hair; eliminate the "force-out" rule; and allow for instant replay to be used for field goals.

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