Much NFL Ado About Nothing

So there's this raging debate about whether NFL teams should be compelled (or at least incented) to play all their starters once they've clinched playoff spots.

Commissioner Roger Goodell is looking into it. Among the ideas being tossed around: giving teams that keep playing their starters a little bonus for the effort--like maybe an extra draft choice.

And there are some truly daft ideas being proposed, like this one from blogger Mike Florio, who proposes setting up a committee to seed playoff teams based upon their performance down the stretch.

Please. What an idiotic debate. There's only one real goal in the NFL, and that's to win the Super Bowl. Anything a team can do to achieve that goal is going to get done. Ask a coach, owner, or player if they'd rather go 13-3 and lose a first-round playoff game or go 12-4 and win that game. As my kids used to say, "Duh!"

The NFL needs to save its energy for something that really matters, like the frightening severity and frequency of head injuries.

And if you think it's a good idea for teams to be forced to play their stars after clinching playoff spots, ask the Patriots how they're feeling about Wes Welker right now. He played in Game 16, but you won't see him and his torn ACL on the field for the playoffs.