I don't really have a problem with the coin flip for the Ravens. If we melt down to the point that we can't beat them in their current state we need that wake-up call or we're going nowhere in the playoffs.

I have a problem with the fact that we were robbed of the opportunity to control the #2 seed with no similar consideration. This is what we get for being humane and showing concern for an opponent instead of screaming bloody murder that the NFL was sitting on their thumbs and not rescheduling the game for Wednesday like they should have.

(01-06-2023, 03:35 AM)Roland Wrote: Once again the Bengals will advocate to the owners that they should go by the rules and do what's right and the owners will smile and pat them on the head.  "Poor, backward, small town team needs to get with the times," they'll say.  Then somewhere down the road events will prove them right and everyone will have a short memory.

This is what really upsets me. I don't like when the NFL shafts small market teams because they can. I'm shocked they won't call it a Bengals W. ZT was being classy when he said "whatever you wanna do" and now he's being punished because of it. NFL looks like angels to most people now, meanwhile they shafted a team and don't care because they don't have the letters NY or LA in front of the name. 

Give em hell in the SB. Yall will be back. But it's sad the journey will be harder because of this. 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/proposed-afc-seeding-plan-raises-important-issues-about-rule-changes-precedent/ar-AA1626NY?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=049ec3d2e7fa403497a25c63fa670c91

It is pretty clear how it should have been handled and some insight on why we are getting screwed.

(01-06-2023, 04:17 AM)Roland Wrote: I don't really have a problem with the coin flip for the Ravens.  If we melt down to the point that we can't beat them in their current state we need that wake-up call or we're going nowhere in the playoffs.

I have a problem with the fact that we were robbed of the opportunity to control the #2 seed with no similar consideration.  This is what we get for being humane and showing concern for an opponent instead of screaming bloody murder that the NFL was sitting on their thumbs and not rescheduling the game for Wednesday like they should have.

Agree with this. I do have an issue with the coin flip as a practical method, though I'm also not sure what the alternatives are. But I don't have issue with the fact that this scenario doesn't lock us in as divisional winners (yes we get the crown, but it's the home game that counts). We never had the division won.

I do have issue with the fact that no consideration has been taken over the #2 seed. People talk about the #1, but I'll personally say I had minimal faith that was in play. KC are a great team and they get it done against Vegas in my opinion. The #2 was completely in our hands though. In the same way we'd never locked up the division, the Bills at no time had locked up the #2 either.

It wasn't too difficult to account for that in my opinion. 

https://youtu.be/d-hDl6OALv4

Good for Katie. We shouldn't change the rules during the season. They have to go by winning % or they need to make up the game. Simple as that. They should go by the 2020 covid makeup game rules, which are already in place. We shouldn't have to have 9 road games and only 7 home games. That's a huge disadvantage for us. Two of the three Bills losses were on the road. Two of the three Chiefs losses were on the road. So why is it fair for the Bengals to have to go on the road 9 times and home only 7? If one of the three away game losses were at home we could have won, and that could have really switched up seeding.

You’ve got Baltimore voting for a potential chance at a home playoff game. You’ve got Buffalo voting whether they get to play Cincinnati at home vs a road trip. KC voting on potentially not having to go to Buffalo in January.

How can this be fair to anyone

The mid season rule changes are unprecedented and potentially damning to the league in the future.

At this point, screw fairness and go by the rule book, which is what Katie wants. Base everything on win percentage and move on.

Likely outcome:
KC 1
Buff 2
Cincy 3

We can rest our starters knowing buff won’t likely lose to patriots.

No coin flips, no neutral sites, no Bias.

This is crazy.

Can they still veto today? Or is this set in stone

The mid season rule changes are unprecedented and potentially damning to the league in the future.

At this point, screw fairness and go by the rule book, which is what Katie wants. Base everything on win percentage and move on.

Likely outcome:
KC 1
Buff 2
Cincy 3

We can rest our starters knowing buff won’t likely lose to patriots.

No coin flips, no neutral sites, no Bias.

This is crazy.

Since they are changing the rules I would love to see them attempt to codify this when it’s not team and situation specific. Of course they couldn’t, which makes it a joke.

(01-06-2023, 09:05 AM)QueenCity Wrote: Can they still veto today? Or is this set in stone

They can, but they need 24 votes and honestly they will likely all vote for it except Cincy because most other teams benefit.

1) If the Bengals lose on Sunday, flip a coin to decide the division winner. The winner gets homefield advantage, a harder 2023 schedule and a lower draft pick (as typical of division winner).

2) Any playoff game between teams with differing numbers of played games should be neutral site.

I think those two revisions are perfectly fair. Do that and I'm at peace. But as things are, the Bengals need to speak up loudly in today's meeting. This can't stand as is.

There are two different set of rules involving the Bengals.

If the Bengals finish one-half game ahead of the Ravens, then they are subject to a coin flip to determine home field.

If the Chiefs finish one-half game ahead of the Bengals, in the case of a 2-seed (Chiefs) against a 3-seed (Bengals), then the Chiefs are not subject to a coin toss for the 2 vs 3 game. That game would be at Arrowhead.

No one makes up two different rules unwittingly. That was a conscious decision.

Furthermore, no one considers that the 1/2 game difference is because the Bengals lost a home game. The Ravens and Chiefs had an extra home game.

What is interesting, is that I would bet that if this entire situation DIDN'T involve Cincinnati, Katie Blackburn would still take the same position

(01-06-2023, 03:01 AM)Bengalstripes9 Wrote: I'm most upset with the fact that if the Bengals and Bills win this week and meet in round 2, it will be played in Buffalo.

If they finished the game Monday we would have earned a second home playoff game by winning.

We lost out on the Bills game at home. Regardless of seeding, we should be the home team if they play again this year. Fans/vendors/etc all lost out and that’s the best way to try to make it up to at least some of them. Any Extra playoff tickets should be reserved for those who went to the Monday night game.

(01-06-2023, 09:09 AM)Rubekahn29 Wrote: They can, but they need 24 votes and honestly they will likely all vote for it except Cincy because most other teams benefit.

And also because the NFL screwed around and did nothing for 3 days so now it’s Friday with games tomorrow. Not a lot of time to sort it out if you vote no.

(01-06-2023, 01:23 AM)Science Friction Wrote: Katie needs to issue a statement that the Bengals will not play this Sunday if those changes are passed.

That's ridiculous, so make it worse on the team!

The thing to do is to show the NFL it doesn't matter what you do cause we are the best team and are going to show everyone, regardless of site.

I mean for ****'s sake does this need to be spelled out on paper for all of the other owners to read?

If the Ravens beat the Bengals
-Lose the division
-50/50 chance at hosting a playoff game between the two teams
-Easier 2023 schedule
-Higher draft pick

And the Ravens will finish the year having benefited from more home games (8) than the Bengals (7).

HOW does this reduce, in Goodell's own words, "competitive inequity?"

I hate the Ravens but there getting screwed the most. They can beat us twice and play all there starters Sunday then lose a coin flip and have played them for nothing ? You can’t lose 4 division games and lose to a backup QB an expect to be division champs. I want the Bengals to win it all and not have an asterisk next to it. Beat the Ravens for the North and if some say we beat a backup QB we might get a chance to beat Lamar if he’s back for the playoffs. My biggest issue is Bills vs. Bengals not at a neutral site. Again if we beat them at a neutral site some will say it’s not fair to Buffalo. Bengals vs the world again ! Burrow beats the Ravens X 2 , Buffalo at Buffalo and KC at KC and beats the Eagles whoever in the Super Bowl no one could question that.