Ryen Russillo blasted the 28 team playoff proposal on his podcast Tuesday. The components of his argument:

- Significant devaluation of the regular season

- Why do the BIG 10 and SEC get 7 automatic bids? Why should the sixth best team in a conference have the right to play in the playoffs?

- More than anything, why is the System changing with such frequency? Since the end of the BCS, the system has been in perpetual change. We just moved to a 12 team format. What is the motivation to change again?

After prolonged reflection (one day), I’ve come to the realization that most of these are uncomfortable, but not strong enough to reject the proposal. A KMARK Counter:

- Less automatic bids for the power conferences. If this proposal aims to capture the spirit of March Madness, then include the smaller conference schools who go 10-2 instead of the 6th best BIG 10 team who went 8-4. Generate Football Cinderella’s. Save automatic bids for small conference teams that win their conference.

- Don’t have 28 teams. Start with 18 or 20.

- Use the existing bowl games in addition to on-campus playoff games. The Music City Bowl is a joke. Players opt-out. Players transfer before the season even ends! Repurpose some of the smaller, but still very quality bowl environments for a larger playoff. Early round playoff games should use the Holiday Bowl. It’s a sick bowl!

Get your own anecdotal evidence ready because I’m about to shove mine down this column.

PUT YOUR ROOKIE FIRST ROUND QB SQUARELY ON THE BENCH FOR HIS ROOKIE SEASON.

Emotion. Reaction. KMARK can’t watch Colts QB Anthony Richardson lose his job and not feel something. Richardson started 13 total games in his college career. Drafted 3rd, the prevailing developmental thesis was that he needed to play. Can’t get good if you don’t play. Richardson spent the next two years stinkin up the damn joint and now has lost his job to Daniel Jones. What makes teams rush quarterbacks on to the field if they know it’s the most challenging position to master:

- Massive roster building advantages to receiving production from the QB spot while that player is on a rookie contract. Have a top flight QB and spread the money you save to all the other holes in your roster. It works! Look at Jayden Daniels and the Commanders.

- Find out what you have and move on. 2 wasted years of Richardson, but now the Colts are one more trash season away from drafting Arch Manning. Why not play Richardson again at this point? Either way, GM’s and coaches are always one bad year from being fired. Neither party likes to sit on what could be buried treasure.

These positions miss the point, and highlight why the worst organizations (Browns) stay where they are (the Dump). It’s all so short sighted. The NFL loves to trumpet its parity, but we know the best organizations are always the one’s leaking into the playoffs year after year. Only the bottom few playoff spots really turnover from one season to the next. Who plays QB for these teams:

- Chiefs, who sat Pat Mahomes behind Alex Smith for his rookie season

- Ravens, who sat Lamar Jackson behind Flacco for 9 games

- Packers, who sat Jordan Love behind Aaron Rodgers who sat behind Brett Favre

- Eagles, who had Jalen Hurts start 4 mop up games late in his rookie year

- Patriots, who handed Drake Maye the keys after 6 weeks, but still, ever heard of Thomas Brady? He threw 3 passes his first season.

Look at this list. They’ve had down years, but those are the organizations that produce the most consistently. You think it’s an accident? That’s institutional knowledge of how to develop the QB position. As for Anthony, take the year off, learn, grow, just don’t sign with Jets next summer.