Of course it was. Any time the NFL is dabbling in doing something short-sighted, stupid, and harmful to the game itself, you know Roger Goodell is probably behind it.
So why did the league office ask the Lions to propose playoff seeding based on record, regardless of division championship? Because the Commissioner wants it.
Per multiple sources, it became clear during last week’s league meetings that Commissioner Roger Goodell wants to eliminate the guaranteed home game for teams that win their divisions.
Goodell’s preference became clear during the meeting regarding the proposal that was made by the Lions (at the prompting of executive V.P. of football operations Troy Vincent). One source in the room for the session said Goodell became visibly irritated at the resistance to the measure.
Goodell really needs to stick to the business of the league, which he’s very good at, and stop attempting to fix things about the game itself that are not broken. Taking home field advantage away from division winners is the first step toward eliminating both divisions and conferences and will eventually lead to a ridiculous NCAA-style tournament in which two teams from the same division will meet in the Super Bowl.