Ways Proposed Playoff Format Can Aid Bears GM
There are always consequences with any change.
Discussion about the proposed expanded NFL schedule and playoff pool naturally led to talk about how the rule would have impacted the NFL's competitive balance over the last decade if it had been in effect.
The Bears would have been affected only one time, yet the ramifications of that year could have changed the entire history of the franchise.
Lovie Smith might still be Bears coach if they had this playoff format in 2012.
The Bears would have made the playoffs instead of being a 10-6 team left out in the cold and quietly leaving Ford Field on a bus to the airport in Detroit after their season-ending win over the Lions.
Then general manager Phil Emery fired Smith after missing the playoffs, leading to the hiring of Marc Trestman as coach. As a result, two years later both Trestman and Emery had a ticket out of town.
It's possible Smith's Bears would have eventually decayed simply from age decimating the defense, but nothing is certain. It's all enough to cause imaginations to run wild.
The Bears just missed the playoffs in 2013, as well. However, that season they were only in the running for a playoff berth because the division was weak. They were battling the Green Bay Packers into the final game. The Packers finished 8-7-1 and the Bears 8-8, but neither had a record good enough to win a wild card to make the playoffs.
There is one major way the new rule could actually affect Chicago team management going forward.
If the Bears fail to make the playoffs next season, it will be only one playoff season in six years for general manager Ryan Pace and his contract expires after the 2021 season.
A firing wouldn't be out of the question if they failed to make the playoffs. But the expanded playoff rule gives the Bears a better chance at making it. So obviously it helps Pace.
Matt Nagy's contract runs longer than Pace's, so the rule would be less likely to impact him.
The underlying cause of the Bears' inability to win consistently has been lack of a playoff-caliber quarterback, and Nagy could be more likely to get a pass because he wasn't here when the move was made to trade up and draft Trubisky.
All is open for speculation.
The rule hasn't even been put into effect yet, although it sounds like there could be a good chance it does because the owners have already voted for it.
Now it just needs the collective bargaining agreement with the longer season just needs player approval.
Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven.com
