Put Some Respect On Those Winners

While at a crawfish boil in Louisiana yesterday, I overheard a guy boasting about how he’s never ever been a Saints fan. Hmm. Cool. Easy thing to say in 2025, buddy.

But I reluctantly took the bait: "Well … Which team do you root for, then?" 

That's when he pulled down the collar of his shirt to reveal a huge, 6x6-inch royal blue horseshoe tattoo. Go … Colts?!

Look, this anecdote has absolutely nothing to do with today's newsletter. But just like his tattoo, I needed to get that off my chest. 

Let's talk about NFL rule changes!

NFL owners will meet this week to vote (again) on banning the tush push. But there’s another vote to keep your eye on, because the Lions have proposed a rule change that would alter the NFL's playoff seeding.

Rule Change: Winners Deserve Some Respect

Detroit's proposal looks to reseed teams (after the first round of the playoffs) by prioritizing their regular-season records. 

In other words (I'm pretty sure this is exactly how it's worded in Detroit's proposal): “Sh*tty teams with sh*tty records who played in sh*tty, non-competitive divisions should be reseeded to account for their aforementioned sh*tty records.”

And I have to say … It makes sense.

If a Wild Card team finishes the regular season with an exceptional record, that should count for something, right? And if a team only squeezed into the playoffs because its entire division was a dumpster fire, that should be accounted for, too, right?

Otherwise, weird stuff can happen when the NFL is lopsided with top-weighted heavy hitters in one division and low-scoring losers in another. It’s a tale as old as time: 

• 2020: Washington won the NFC East with a losing record (7-9).

• 2022: Tampa Bay won the NFC South with a losing record (8-9). 

• 2024: Minnesota, T-2nd best regular season record in the league (14-3), had to play on the road against the 10-7 Rams because the Vikings finished second in their division. 

Detroit originally received backlash to this proposal a few months ago from owners who wouldn’t support a divisional champion losing their hard-earned home-field advantage.

But in response, the Lions have amended their proposal to now postpone the reseeding of teams until the 2nd round of the playoffs, which has garnered enough support from the league to put it up for a vote this week.

Change can be scary. But you've got my vote, Detroit!