Week 18 GC: Atlanta @ Arizona

[A Fleshner Fantasy]

Good start for ARI.

I want the Cardinals to win by the way. I would like for people to stop calling the NFC West the worst division in the league, especially when the AFC East was so clearly worse last year.

2007 AFC East and NFC West won the same number of games out of division (16). The AFC East was matched up with the very good NFC East, whilst the NFC West played the other 'weak' division, the NFC South. Not buying.

How many games out of division did each division win if you take out the top team from each division? The only reason you can use full division stats is because of the 2007 Patriots. Otherwise, those other teams in the AFC East stunk. Bought.

But the Pats WERE in that division. You can't ignore that. You can judge a division based on how good it is as a whole, not how good the bad teams in it are.

[biju]

2007 AFC East and NFC West won the same number of games out of division (16). The AFC East was matched up with the very good NFC East, whilst the NFC West played the other 'weak' division, the NFC South. Not buying.

How many games out of division did each division win if you take out the top team from each division? The only reason you can use full division stats is because of the 2007 Patriots. Otherwise, those other teams in the AFC East stunk. Bought.

But the Pats WERE in that division. You can't ignore that. You can judge a division based on how good it is as a whole, not how good the bad teams in it are.

It could be that we view "better or worse" differently. I think it's about the competitiveness of the division compared to another.

Using your logic and without looking at the standings, who do you think was the best division in 2008? 2007?

My guess is you're wrong on both accounts as was I. The point is that being in a competitive division counts for something. Maybe it doesn't make up for it in your mind, but it does in mine. But I'm fine with simply agreeing to disagree here.