NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has expressed his belief that expanding the playoffs will make the league more competitive.
A proposal has been put forward to increase the number of teams in the post-season from 12 to 14, and Goodell has previously hinted that team owners could vote to implement the change in time for next season.
Concerns have been raised regarding whether expanding the playoffs would dilute them, but Goodell does not believe that will be the case, claiming that there are usually 14 teams good enough to warrant a spot in the post-season.
"We're very cautious on that. You want to make sure that you don't do that. We have 12 teams out of 32 that make our playoffs now. This would only take us up to 14," Goodell is quoted as saying by ESPN.
"The competitiveness of our league, that's the difference to me. It's not just adding two more teams that didn't have a chance to proceed in the playoffs. That wouldn't be something that we're interested in. I think what we're seeing now is such a competitive league that a team that got in on the 13th or 14th spot has a chance to win it all.
"The reality is there are a lot of teams that other playoff teams are afraid of coming in in those 13th and 14th spots. We're going to make it more competitive. I think that's the positive spot. That's what our competition committee, our membership, our ownership has all looked at and feels comfortable that, yes, it will be competitive."
The league is due to discuss the proposal on May 20, when it could be decided whether to use it for the 2014 campaign or wait until 2015.
