Those in favor of expanding the NFL playoffs won't get their wish for at least another season.
Two people close to the situation told Mark Maske of The Washington Post on Tuesday that the NFL's competition committee is not expected to recommend an expanded playoff field when owners gather for the annual league meeting in Phoenix from March 17 to 20.
The committee is expected to present a report on the "considerations and ramifications" of allowing more teams into the playoffs, but not endorse expansion for 2013.
"I know there's supposed to be a report," one source told The Post. "There's no specific proposal."
The NFL didn't comment on the matter, but the competition committee plans to address it Thursday on a conference call.
Maske noted that an expanded playoff field would increase the number of entrants per conference from six teams to seven or eight. It also likely would trigger a reduced slate of preseason games. Owners aren't about to bite without a strong endorsement from the committee's members.
Expanding the playoffs remains a subject of hot debate. It would mean hiked revenues for the NFL, but what about the fans?
Re-seeding the playoffs has merit, but watering down the field only opens the door for a handful of 8-8 or 7-9 squads to leak into January play. This isn't the NBA. Watching half-baked squads fight for the game's ultimate prize comes with a cost.
Don't change a thing.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
