RealGM

I was just wondering this because in the nba, even if you have the worst record, there is a lottery system that is supposed to deter tanking because it doesnt guarantee the top pick, but you see many teams tanking. But in the nfl, where the worst record absolutely guarantees the top pick, there is not much concern for tanking.

Granted I do not know much about the league, but if this assessment is true, what are the reasons for this? Is it because nfl players are more competitive and have more pride not to lose for the draft like nba players? (Huge generalization but that's all i can think of)

Non-guaranteed contracts could be one reason. The players are playing for their jobs.

The fact that there's only 16 games is a big reason. By the time you're out of it you can't really tank in catch anyone.

Also, the top couple of picks in the draft are normally much, much more valuable in basketball than football.

football is more of a team sport, unlike in the NBA where if you can get a Duncan, Shaq, Lebron, etc you can make a push at the playoffs, reguardless of the other 11 guys.

but just because you get a Reggie Bush, or Vick, or LT, or Manning, you still need 4 or 5 quality players for a team to make a push into the playoffs.

pride

the draft is such a crapshoot. Look at the last few first overall picks.

Russell
Mario Williams
Alex Smith
Eli Manning
Carson Palmer
David Carr
Vick
Courtney Brown
Tim Couch

How many of those do you think actually turned their franchises around?

The guaranteed $$ you have to be the top picks in the NFL are just mind-boggling, could be one of the reasons.

As someone else said, in basketball there are only 5 starters and one dominant player can turn a franchise into a title contender. In football there are 22 starters so the value of one player is much less.

Fatty wrote:pride

QFT


Also, in the NFL draft, good players can be found in the early rounds, so unless you have a dominant 1-10 draft class, tanking most of the time will not make a significant difference, unlike the NBA.

You can find a DB in the 4th round whose just as good as a DB in the 1st round, and look how much cheaper he will be.

Because the #1 pick could be a guy like Alex Smith, who is a complete bust, and no one is surprised.

The draft is a complete crap shoot, so positioning doesn't really matter. It's more about how many picks you have rather than where you are picking.

like i said eariler.... football is more of a team sport, but also, basketball scouts are just alot better.

nobody is surpised to see a 3rd rounder get the MVP, but in the NBA, it is shocking to see a 2nd rounder become an all-star.

Harry10 wrote:like i said eariler.... football is more of a team sport, but also, basketball scouts are just alot better.

nobody is surpised to see a 3rd rounder get the MVP, but in the NBA, it is shocking to see a 2nd rounder become an all-star.

And that

Also I would say that nfl owners don't support tanking. You lose a certain amount of games and you get fired. Simple as that. None of this Isiah Thomas ****.

More players on the field and non guaranteed contracts are the two biggest factors, imo.

Also something no one else has pointed out, it would be harder to intentionally lose a football game than a basketball game if you think about it. In basketball all you really have to do is fake a few injuries to your best players, everyone is happy in that situation. For football I don't really see how you can lose a game on purpose, although it looked like the Colts lost to the Titans on purpose the other night.

I think it's already been mentioned, but the main reason are that you don't have "LeBron" like players who are well about the ability of other players in the NFL. The top pick makes a ton of money with guaranteeds in the 10's of millions and the NFL draft is a huge crapshoot.