PITTSBURGH — I was sad when Buffalo lost to Cincinnati last week but not for the reasons you might think.
I am not a Bills fan — don't particularly care for the Bills, to be honest — and while the Damar Hamlin story was captivating and inspiring, no, that didn't have me rooting for the Bills, either.
My interest in the Bills winning had everything to do with my desire to see the Bills play the Chiefs — are you ready? — at a neutral field. Man, I wanted to see that so badly. That's because, I think, if it happened, the push to get the conference championship games to neutral fields would be great.
I know I am in the minority on this, but I think moving the conference championship games to neutral sites — like the Super Bowl — would be awesome. I think the semifinals and finals in college football are tremendous because they take place on neutral fields and not at home sites.
Had the Bills won, they would have played the Chiefs on a super-fast track in perfect conditions in Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. It would have allowed the best players on the biggest stage to be at their maximum level of performance.
Art Rooney II echoed the sentiments of many Thursday when he was asked about neutral site conference championship games.
"I hate it," Rooney said, then added he doesn't think there is enough support for them among owners to get the idea passed right now.
That's a shame. I think Rooney and others like him are being short-sighted on this, I really do. There is a lot of revenue that could be generated. The games would be like mini-Super Bowls and the hype would be even greater than it is already.
And, more importantly, the games could be played in the best conditions without weather and temperature and all the other elements playing a role in them.
I know. "It's football; weather should be a factor," but that's archaic to me. I want to see the best players be able to play at their best on a fast track.
Some random game in December, yeah, it is fun and entertaining to watch guys slop around in the mud or try to play in the snow. I think it is fun at times to watch teams try to throw the ball in the wind when it is howling so much that it is blowing the football sideways.
That's all fine for lesser games, but the conference championships are two of the three most important games of the year. I don't want to watch Patrick Mahomes slopping around in the mud; I want to watch him do his magic on the fast track in perfect conditions.
One of the biggest reasons people object to the plan is the fans and fan experience. The team that gets to play at home gets to treat its home fans to a huge game with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.
The complaint is loyal fans will be locked out of tickets to the conference championship game because so many of the tickets would go to corporate sponsors, the NFL and the split between the two teams. The expense of traveling and buying tickets would be prohibitive for some.
I get it, I do, but my answer to that is get over it. The fan experience and fans in general long ago went out the window in considerations by sports leagues, especially when it comes to making money.
These games exist for TV, TV ratings and TV audiences. The "fan experience" is not a factor in my mind.
I want to watch a great game between two great teams in perfect conditions. I don't need to see muddy fields, rain, wind, snow, freezing cold conditions be a factor in who gets to go to the Super Bowl. Those elements take away from the games and also take away from the talent that should be on display.
It is easy to understand why so many are so against the idea of neutral site conference championship games, but I don't think most are looking at the big picture.
These games would generate a ton of revenue, would give the games an even bigger and more important feel and would ensure the product is as good as it can be. The build-up in the cities would be great — and could include both teams having a practice or two in the town the game is taking place.
The media coverage of these games would be much greater and the spotlight, too. Games that are played in bad weather aren't showing the product as good as it can be.
Neutral sites for the conference championship games is an idea whose time has come and one of the best things the NFL has proposed in many years.
