Resting Starters

In the Week 16 games, several NFL teams rested their key starters in anticipation of the playoffs. In particular, the Eagles and Falcons did, costing themselves games. In general, I think it is a mistake to bench the starters this early. The common argument is that the team does not want to risk injury to key players in a meaningless game. The Eagles and Falcons had already secured their playoff berth and seed, so nothing was to be gained from the Week 16 games. But both teams have first round byes, so neither will play a meaningful game until the middle of January. Resting the starters for Week 16 means three weeks of relative inactivity for the key players, a lengthy layoff which risks rest turning to rust.

Furthermore, both the Eagles and the Falcons face challenges. The Eagles lost star wide receiver Terrell Owens in Week 15 to a broken leg. This forces Philadelphia to work with a radically changed offense. Each receiver now moves up one position in the pecking order, with Todd Pinkston becoming the #1 receiver. Pinkston has roughly half the yardage Owens put up, and only one touchdown catch (compared to 14 for Owens) all season. The Eagle offense needs a few weeks to get the receivers comfortable in their new roles, and to get McNabb comfortable with those receivers in their new roles. The chemistry of the passing game has been totally disrupted by the loss of Owens. By resting the starters against the Rams, and presumably next week against the Bengals, the new-look Eagle offense will get its first real run-through in the divisional round of the playoffs, possibly against the Panthers, one of the hottest teams in the NFC. The middle round of the playoffs is not the time to be feeling out the receiving corps to identify a new top target, to be experimenting with a new offense.

For the Falcons, it's not like Vick has mastered the West Coast offense. In fact, he needs all the practice and experience he can get executing that offense.

If either team struggles in the playoffs and sees an early exit, look at the decision to bench the starters with two games left as a primary culprit. Certainly, one does not want to risk injuring key players in meaningless games. But at the same time, one has to position the team for their best opportunities in the playoffs, and that means more than just seeding.