Putting Together the Pieces of the Rescheduled NFL Playoffs

By wpengine | September 20, 2001

The tragic attacks of Sept. 11 caused America to grind to a near halt in daily life for nearly a week. The sports world, like countless other professions, was affected. Cancellations and postponements both here in Ithaca and around the world led to silent fields. It was the first time ever that the National Football League called off its scheduled games for a non-labor-related reason.

This created a problem for the decision-makers of the NFL. How should the league go about restructuring the regular season and the playoffs? There were at least seven options that were floated around between commissioner Paul Tagliabue and the owners. Some have already been rejected, some should have been, but here they are, from worst to best.

7. “Superbowl Tournament.” This plan was actually used back in 1982, when a strike shortened the regular season. Reminiscent of a video game, the Tournament actually increases the number of teams in the postseason from 12 to 16. The teams would then play a single elimination tournament, with the finals being the Superbowl. This likely won’t happen, because the NFL would need an extra week of playoff time to get all the necessary games in.

6. “Stuff yourself with turkey and football.” This plan would move all Week 12 games up from Nov. 25-26 to Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 22. The postponed Week 2 games would then be played on Tuesday, Nov. 27. Week 13 would continue as planned the following weekend. New Orleans brought up this option. The Saints, like a lot of teams this year, will probably be relying on a wild-card entry into the postseason. This plan was essentially shot down when the makeup games were scheduled during what originally was wild-card weekend, Jan. 5-6.

5. “Flutie gets an extra game.” The 15-game regular season was very seriously considered, but there were a few problems with the idea which ultimately led to its being nixed. First, the Chargers would have ended up playing one more game than the rest of the league thanks to their scheduled bye in Week 2. Second, some teams would lose a home game, and therefore, precious gate revenue. And third, a full season allows players and teams to chase records, a point that was illustrated by Major League Baseball when it decided to keep a full 162-game schedule.

4. “Keep the playoff teams busy.” OK, so this one is actually being called the “Shanahan Plan,” after its proponent, Denver head coach Mike Shanahan. This one is still being considered, and it’s not so bad. It would have the Week 2 games made up on Jan. 5-6, with the playoff contenders playing their games on Saturday. The wild-card round would be played on Wednesday, Jan. 9, and then the divisional round would take place as previously scheduled, on Jan. 12-13.

3. “MLB-style playoffs.” If #2 on the list won’t happen, this is the best option. Eliminate the wild-card round of the playoffs and only allow the division champs and one wild-card team from each conference into the postseason. The detractors of this plan say that good teams will be cheated out of a playoff spot. Then again, no team entering the playoffs as a No. 5 or No. 6 wild-card ever won the Super Bowl.

2. “Big Easy two-fer.” This one still could happen, but don’t bet on it. The usual 12-team playoffs would happen, with each round pushed back a week. The conference championships would be played in New Orleans as a doubleheader on Jan. 27, what is currently scheduled as Superbowl Sunday. The Superbowl then gets played on Sunday, Feb. 3 in a different city, with the promise that New Orleans gets another Superbowl soon to make up for losing this one.

1. “Stubborn car dealers.” The reason the Superbowl can’t be played in New Orleans a week later than planned is because the National Automobile Dealers Association has its convention in the Superdome that weekend. The NFL asked the NADA to swap weekends, but because travel plans have been made by many convention attendees, this option isn’t going to happen.

The owners have been batting this issue back and forth since last week’s games were called off. The problem is, you can’t have your 16-game schedule and your 12-team playoffs, too, unless you overwork the athletes or give New Orleans the cold shoulder. The main sticking point here is the loss of the two wild-card slots in each conference. And so, in an effort to make the suits of the NFL happy, here is my solution to the problem:

Forget about the divisions. They’re going to get shuffled around next year anyway. Take the top four teams from each conference and stick them in the playoffs. This will ease griping about divisional runner-ups not making the playoffs and will ensure that the top teams from each conference in the regular season reach the “second season.” Yes, some teams have easier schedules, but that is largely based on their finish last season anyway. The bad teams have easier schedules, but they’re still bad and probably won’t crack the top four in the conference.

Ultimately, there’s no way to please everybody. But the NFL first did the right thing in not playing last weekend. It then made another good move by ensuring a full regular season. Now the ball is in the league’s court again with regard to postseason structure. Since the playoffs are grueling enough as it is, squeezing an extra round of games into the allotted time will dilute the playoff teams with backups when the stars get hurt. An eight-team playoff system is the way to go, and if the NFL disregards the divisions, then the most deserving teams will be the ones you will be watching come late January.

Archived article by Alex Fineman

Bush Promises Nation He Will Not Yield in Face of Terrorism

By wpengine September 21, 2001

“To our military: be ready. The hour will come for you to act and you will make us proud.” These are the words President George W. Bush told the Congress last night. He called the U.S. and other nations to service, he cited NATO’s charter to emphasis that “an attack on one is an attack on all,” and he urged Americans to avoid “singling out on the basis of religious background.” But yesterday, Cornell joined over 140 colleges and universities across the country that had organized in solidarity for a “peaceful justice” removed from military action. The pro-peace events, which included various combinations of rallies, vigils, marches and teach-ins, all took place around noon and received national media attention. Students at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn. began organizing the peace effort just after the attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center last week. They enlisted the cooperation of other campuses nationwide to get the attention of the President to express opposition to “retaliatory violence.” “We should work on a peaceful solution as opposed to continuing the global cycle of violence … we shouldn’t answer the deaths of thousands of innocent people with more deaths of innocent people,” Harvard University student Jessica Gould told ABC News. Gould, a sophomore, participated in Harvard’s rally, which involved a peace march in Boston, Mass. Ho Plaza was the site of Cornell’s rally, which also involved a peace march of approximately 125 students throughout campus, according to Dana Brown ’02, one of the event organizers. Community members spoke to an estimated one hundred people who participated in the activities — some on their way to class, some skipping class to be part of the rally despite the rain. “A substantial amount of students were present and it seemed like each person stayed for the entire time. We had a variety of powerful speakers and each one presented crucial insights and an emotive reaction to the present circumstances,” said Lindsay Kaplan ’02, who had addressed the crowd earlier. Students also tabled on Ho Plaza to post contact information for their local political leaders. Brown also noted that the group provided stamped postcards for students to write messages to their representatives. During the course of the day, about 125 postcards were handwritten and the group plans to provide additional cards today in the lobby of Willard Straight Hall, according to Brown. “People have responded so positively. I just hope Bush is listening,” Brown said of Cornell’s efforts. Brown also noted that members of both the activist and non-activist communities were present, sitting in Ho Plaza, as another group sold flowers to benefit the relief effort. “It was good because there were people that you don’t typically see — not everyone was necessarily part of the activist community. It was nice to see people coming out of the woodwork,” Brown said. “I think it’s good to see a lot of people out here. It’s good to see all the different faces … it seems to be a pretty diverse crowd. I like the different creative approaches people are taking [with displays of peace],” said Kimberly Webster ’03, who attended the demonstration. Members of the faculty as well as students presented their opinions at the rally. “Most of the faculty has been really supportive of a peaceful solution,” said Lindsey Saunders ’03, one of the event planners. Saunders said she felt that faculty members at the University teach-in, which occurred at the beginning of the week, seemed to be “advocating justice rather than anger and revenge.” “Non-violence must be the answer,” said Prof. Shawkat M. Toorawa, Near Eastern studies. “We have to resist the urge for military violence.” Toorawa also presented a speech at the teach-in on Monday. “As a nation we are more hurt and confused than we have ever been in our history. It is not a time for blind retaliation, this is far too dangerous a situation. It is a time for thought and evaluation, a time to contemplate what justice is … we simply cannot achieve justice while angry … if you want justice, work for peace,” Kaplan said in her speech yesterday. Brown said she felt that the rally was a “fantastic success” and that response was positive. “I didn’t really see anyone outwardly opposed to us … it was really inspiring to see people flood out,” she said. “I understand that there is a time and a place for non-violence but I also understand that in certain instances you need to defend yourself and if you don’t make those who are responsible pay in some way, you are encouraging further violence because you are going to be seen as weak. If you commit something wrong you better be willing to accept responsibility for it,” said Amber Massa ’02. However most students said they felt that the dialogue on campus was imperative in the wake of the national tragedy. “I think that to have this rally is necessary because the [media] is really for war. A lot of people don’t understand the foreign policy behind this, a lot of speakers have touched on that, and it’s really important that people understand why this happened. Overall, I think it’s great,” Tomer Malchi ’03 said. Carlos Perkins contributed to this article.Archived article by Alison Thomas
West Campus, Collegetown Rep. Resigns

By wpengine September 21, 2001

Josh Glasstetter ’01, the first undergraduate Cornell student to be elected to Ithaca’s Common Council, resigned from his position last week in an unexpected move, after only two years in office. Glasstetter cited a family member’s ill health as well as his desire to set a precedent for two-year de facto terms as reasons for his Sept. 12 resignation. A government major, Glasstetter ran for his seat in the fourth ward in November 1999. The fourth ward jurisdiction covers Collegetown and West Campus. “Setting the precedent of being a student on [Common] council is my biggest accomplishment,” he said. Aside from personal reasons, Glasstetter resigned in hopes of encouraging students to serve on the Common Council for two-year de facto terms. Common Council representatives currently serve four-year terms. “If students are going to be a regular feature, a regular presence in government, they should create two-year terms since it will be more practical with the schedules of students,” Glasstetter said. There are problems with this idea that Glasstetter acknowledged. “[People] probably won’t support it because the other wards like the idea of continuity. There won’t be exemptions for special cases,” he said. “I don’t think that would really work,” Susan Blumenthal ’78 (D-3rd) agreed. “It takes a while to get up to speed on things and once you get it, it’s time for a new election. There would be a lot of transition.” Before the November election where constituents will vote on a replacement for Glasstetter, some people believe that the interests of the fourth ward will still be represented. “We’ll still be represented well,” said Alexandra Sanchez ’03, president of the Cornell Democrats, referring to Glasstetter’s departure. “There [still] is a good mix of students and permanent residents [in the fourth ward].” Glasstetter said he felt that being a student on Common Council brought many challenges. “It puts pressure on a student because unlike being on an extra-curricular activity, you have to conduct yourself differently,” Glasstetter said. “Meetings at 10 or 11 [p.m.] are common, but difficult to make. I did have some problems with being with the [Common] council, … with my own personal conflicts and activities — balancing it all.” Other Common Council members noticed the problems Glasstetter had with meetings. “There is a tremendous lot of work we’re involved in and he was absent enough that it was noticeable,” Blumenthal said. “It is a very active body. There are expectations about commitment.” Even with managing a busy schedule, Glasstetter learned a lot through the Common Council. “By being around I could insert new thoughts, ideas they never thought of before. It was good to see things from other people’s perspectives and bringing that back to the students,” Glasstetter said. Blumenthal also commented on Glasstetter’s contribution to the council. “When Josh was able to be there, he made contributions to conversations. We all appreciated the fact that he was a student. We valued the opinions of a student,” she said. Glasstetter was highly involved with development in Collegetown. He focused on student concerns with parking, housing and bus shuttles. Glasstetter wanted to make the bus shuttle from downtown Ithaca to the Cornell campus more accessible to students. He also wanted to make housing in Collegetown more competitive. “The rent is exorbitant and the quality of the housing and everything else is extremely poor when you take into account how much money [the landlords] get,” Glasstetter said. “Making landlords compete by lowering their prices, people would be more concentrated in Collegetown and won’t need a car as much. They will be less inclined, less able to bring a car since they will be closer to campus.” The Cornell Democrats are now considering a candidate to endorse to succeed Glasstetter. Sanchez said the organization hasn’t divulged the candidate’s name yet. “It’s true; we’re looking at somebody right now,” Sanchez said. Archived article by Kelly Samuels