The proposal would have given only the team with the best record in each conference a first-round bye, but the Chiefs withdrew before it could be voted on because of a lack of support.
"There was not enough sentiment that you were leaving good teams out," said former Houston Texans general manager and current CBS analyst Charley Casserly, who was on the Competition Committee that year. "The thought was you would end up with more mediocrity than quality.
"This year is an exception. We know that."
The plight of this season's Patriots, who became only the second 11-5 team since the advent of the 16-game schedule in 1978 and the first since the six-playoff-berths-per-conference format was enacted in 1990 to miss the postseason, might reignite the debate over playoff expansion and the fairness of the current system.
The case for expansion is bolstered by the fact that the 8-8 San Diego Char gers are in the playoffs as winners of a mediocre AFC West.
According to NFL spokesman Greg Aiello, it is up to the teams to determine the agenda for the Competition Committee, and any club can make a proposal.
The committee reviews proposals and makes recommendations. Proposed rule changes then are placed on the agenda for the NFL's annual meetings, to be voted on by the member clubs.
Atlanta Falcons president Rich McKay, who is co-chairman of the eight-member Competition Committee along with Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher, said via e-mail that he does not envision there being enough momentum to expand the playoffs.
"The expansion of the playoffs to 14 teams has been discussed on numerous occasions by the membership over the past 4 or 5 years," wrote McKay. "At no time has there been any real sentiment to make the change, as membership believes the current system serves us very well.
"Since our conversion to the 8 divisions of 4 [teams], the Patriots are the first team to have [an] 11-5 record and not qualify for the playoffs. Traditionally, we have not been a league that has reacted quickly to anomalies but, rather, have tried to correct 'trends' that need addressing."
