Lions propose change in the way the playoffs are seeded

IceHot said
Unless they are going to take Lombardis name of the trophy and put Shulas on instead I am against this change.

Ive mentioned before Shula coached a team that had the best record in the NFL and was left out of the playoffs because they didnt win their division. Lombardi won the Superbowl that year giving him 2 Superbowls. Had Shula been given a chance he might easily have 3 or more.

How is that possible you might ask? In 1967 two teams in the Coastal Divisiion finished 11-1-2 while the Packers finished 9-4-1. The Rams won the tie breaker because they beat Shula's Colts in the final season of the game (having tied the other head-to-head matchup).

So if you cant win your own division dont cry!

Ah, yes. The pre-merger NFL. That loss, coupled with the Colts losing Super Bowl III, likely greased the skids out of town in Baltimore for Shula. Only division winners made the playoffs back then, as there were no wild card teams at all. That changed with richer TV contracts through the years, of course.

Any seeding system in 1967 would've worked out well for the Colts, as long as wild cards could've been part of it.