season, with the intent of a full campaign tank. Not once
we're out of it, let's go ahead and win by losing. Let's go
ahead and enhance our draft status by mailing. It in, we're
already done and I've
been a proponent for years and Peter, the NFL's created
the system that incentivizes it once, you know, you're not
making it to the playoffs, who cares? What your record is? Go
ahead and get the best possible draft position. Round 1, 2 3 4
5 6 7
that Can the system is set up to incentivize that
but I think Ross entered the year and I remember how they
could be fifty nine to ten Week 1, by the Ravens. There was
acrimony, there was dysfunction, make
a Fitzpatrick, got trade, and I think it's some point fairly
early in the season. Brian Flores
said, I'm not playing along
with this. I have to try to build something here. I am not
going to have an entirely wasted season just because
Stephen Ross wants to otago Viola
and pivoted. Joe Barbaro after
to a broke his hip and burrow.
I became Jill Borough before he was. Jobber. We didn't know who
the hell he was. And Peter. I'm trying to spend this forward.
You know, there's a great comment that's been
made it by him. Bruised Esquire on Twitter side issue, but
potentially huge. How does the new NFL was Sport Book
relationships? How does that look after allegations? Coaches
being asked to throw games. He Integrity the games are
Paramount for a functional sports betting industry.
I think the NFL has to eliminate
all potential Temptation. What it does now is
It just ignores it.
You have to eliminate any temptation
to deliberately lose games.
Once you are eliminated or as a practical matter done.
And the only way to eliminate the Temptation
and bear with me here. I'm going somewhere with this. It
sounds kooky on the surface.
The only way to do it is to have a straight lottery for all
the teams that don't make it to the playoffs,
the Teams that don't make it with no extra balls for being
the worst.
This is a point where they just have to say.
We're going to have a line.
The 14-team. We assume that no one is going to not try to make
the playoffs in an effort to get, you know, a crack at
a high draft pick,
but anyone who doesn't make the playoffs
all 18 teams, go into the same hopper,
one ball each, and that's how we're going to determine
the draft order from 1 to 18. That is the only way to minimize.
Mais, the Temptation that has been there for years to lose
games.
Once, you know, you're out of it or to enter a season
as Steven Ross did in 2019. I believe intending to lose as
much as he could. Because in the scenario, I'm suggesting
even if you intentionally lose all your games,
you still are in the hopper with the other 17 non-playoff teams
to determine how those first 18 picks go. That's the only way
to fix this. That's it. Any other system is going to have
a temptation to enhance your position by
In games.
I mean, I don't like it Mike. I I don't I don't hate
the concept of trying to eliminate any chance for tanking.
I think that's admirable but I think it's also pretty.
I mean, I don't want to say silly. That's the wrong word.
I think it's wrong to think that you'd be fixing a problem.
By let's say for this, just the sake of argument in a year.
In which a team wins one game.
Team goes one and sixteen.
They would be in the same boat
and have the same chance of getting the top draft choice
as a team that goes nine and eight,
you know, that goes against the NFL stated goal of trying to
give everybody a chance every year,
what would have happened in the year for instance, that, you
know, the Bangles, got the top draft pick and and took Joe
burrow. If let's say,
somehow some way
the, the 17th team normally
in the draft lottery,
was awarded the first pick in the draft and the Bengals were
awarded the 15th.
It just, there's something about that and I understand
wanting to eliminate tanking, but I think you're going so far
the other way on that one.
Well, but Peter, but Peter, the problem is, the NFL is married
to this concept that it's good for the game.
To let the dysfunctional teams have dibs on the best players
coming out of college and potentially ruin those players,
right? The idea is it's all going to work out and we're
going to balance it out and we're going to have, you know,
Pete Rozelle is dream of everybody being eight and nine
or nine and eight and all
playoff spots undecided until the final weekend of the Seas
and then look that's fine. But
my point is this
if the NFL finds itself with a major problem over this Steven
Rae. Ross accusation, they're going to have to take a long,
look at whether it's worth it to them
to have
hiding in plain sight incentives to lose games. Once
you know, you're not making it to the playoffs or if you have
a team that you don't think it's
going to be very good
entering the season. With the idea.
We're just going to go ahead and take our lumps
and try to get the first pick in next year's draft
and the system that currently is in place encourages that.
So if they ever become Convinced.
That they have to remove that incentive.
This example is the kind of thing
that they need to consider. And frankly. Here's another one
and if you thought the last one was silly.
Where do you get a load of this one?
Why not? Well, why do we even reward?
I almost said a word, I shouldn't crappy play. Why do
we do that? Why do we incentivize it? Why do we say?
Hey, you were the worst team in the NFL. Congratulations.
You have secured dibs
on the best player, coming out of college this year.
Now, go screw up his career to
Why isn't why isn't it? One of The Spoils of Victory?
I just won the Super Bowl. You know what? I win, the Super
Bowl. I get the first pick in the draft and it goes in that
order instead of the other way. That would eliminate all
incentive to tank. If that was the rule,
you can't say, there'd be any incentive to tank.
I mean.
I guess I would just respond by
asking if you were trying to make up a perfect scenario for
forming
a new league and for trying to make this leave. I know what
I do. It's how I know what I do.
Would you do?
I'd get rid of the draft. I'd get rid of the draft. Yeah,
the draft is a sham. The draft is a farce. These guys should be
free agents. They should get to pick their NFL programs. The
That they pick their colleges. It wasn't,
it would encourage excellence
and eliminate or at least create an incentive to
eliminate dysfunction because you no longer have to sit back
and be a crap team. And you have the first pick fall into
your lap. You got to go work for people. Like whoa,
the Cowboys would assign everyone know that. It's still
be a salary cap. And there'd be a hard rookie salary cap and
you have to pick and choose who you actually signed and how
much you pay him. And what quarterback is going to go to
the Chiefs.
If he's good. They got Patrick Mahomes. It's all going to work
out. You're going to go to places where you think you can
play. But if you want to make it, if you want, if you want to
make it non dysfunctional,
just get rid of the draft altogether. They never will,
and never will, that's the bet. But that's a much better idea
than either of the previous two, then get rid of the drive,
not necessarily get rid of the draft. I'm not necessarily
opposed to that.
But I mean the draft has become right now. Anyway, in
the reason why the NFL to die fight that tooth and nail obviously
is that the the draft has become like the fourth largest
sport in America.
The NFL draft probably in the United States, is more popular
than the NHL.
I mean, think about that the draft last for three days, but
in essence last the whole year,
you know, it really does. It's insane
how much the draft is covered.
And so to me I just I look at this and and the NFL would
fight that not because
they're trying to make everybody
equal. The NFL would fight that because it's been it's become
a gigantic
part of the NFL calendar.
A gigantic money maker with City's falling
all over themselves,
to host the draft
and and you know, who knows how much money changes hands.
But this is, this is something that
for, for reasons, having nothing to do with competitive
balance
for reasons, only because it has become
as much a part of the NFL calendar as opening day is
That the NFL would fight that
to the death.
It's even bigger than opening day. It is the ultimate off
season tent pole, and I agree with you. They're not getting
rid of the draft. I don't like the draft. I think it's
anti-American. We can have that conversation another day and
there are plenty of people disagree with me and I don't
care.
I have managed to bring a lot of people around
to, my way of thinking that
players should be able to pick where they start their career,
not the other way around, but you're right. It's not going
anywhere, but if they're going to take this, seriously, if
they're forced to take it seriously because Peter,
they're not going to take it. Seriously. They're
not going to investigate Stephen Ross.
They're not going
to Throw him out of Club oligarch the way that Jerry
Richardson was summarily. So sure ushered out.
Well,
then if they do, if they do acknowledge this, they have to
prevent it from happening again in the future.
And you have to,
you have to find a middle ground.
At a minimum. You have to reduce the incentive to tank or
you have to eliminate it.
And the easiest way to eliminate would be to get rid
of the draft. We agree on that, but they have to look for
a Arid, where when you enter the season, you know, there's no
extra benefit to being as bad as you can be or when you
are eliminated from playoff consideration. You know that
there's no reason to try to lose games. The Buccaneers did
it. The last game of 2014 we've talked about this before, they
pulled half their starters down or up up double digits against
the Saints, lost that game and
secured the rights Jameis Winston. Now there they got
their punishment, but But but still, they also got the first
pick in the draft when they wanted the first pick in
the draft. So it's happened. It's out there.
And this is an extreme example of what an owner will try to do
to get it.