The victory of the St. Louis Rams over the Philadelphia Eagles on December 27 means something in the standings and, sadly, might actually get them into the playoffs at the expense of some other NFL team but in terms true NFL football, putting the best team available on the field, it is meaningless. As is the case in “pre” season football, the RAMS did not beat the best team the Eagles could put on the field. They beat the Eagles “playoff expendable team” (pet) which, for most of the game, if not all of the game in some cases, had healthy star players like running back Brian Westbrook, offensive tackle Tra Thomas and quarterback Donovan McNabb off the field saving them for the playoffs. How fair is that to teams like the Carolina Panthers, the fans, the RAMS, and what kind of message does it send to those players on the Eagles that are “expendable?” Shouldn’t the NFL at least charge a reduced rate for the “pet” games?
