Before you read this, Nick Mendola wants you to know that he hates the Jets more than any team in the NFL, and that it pains him to type this column. Ask Nick a question at Twitter.com/NicholasMendola.

I was hoping I wouldn't have to write about this, but I don't want anyone who remembers my Week Sixteen anger at the Colts to misinterpret my feelings.

So, let's be clear on a couple fronts:

1) I wanted the Colts to play their starters in Week Sixteen because any time your team or organization has a shot at doing something no one's ever done -- in this case, 19-0 -- you do it. You do it for your fans, for your players, for yourself and for history. Pulling Peyton Manning for a third-string quarterback with just a four-point lead and a little more than a quarter to go is just something I wouldn't do. Especially when you consider that the Colts already have a Super Bowl, and can stake a claim as one of the greatest teams ever by going unbeaten... not a chance I'd sit anyone. If I'm a fan and my team blows another Super Bowl by trying to be the statistical best of all-time, I can't complain. I want history.

2) I think every single good team has the right to determine whether their starters play once they've achieved their regular season goals. You can question the wisdom in such a move (players not competing at high level for weeks, etc.), but they have the right. And to the argument that undeserving teams like the Jets make the playoffs because they play two teams mailing it in during the final two weeks, here's my answer: That stinks, but that's life in a variable word.

When they set the schedule, the league can't be sure the Colts won't be 14-0 heading into Week 15 the same way they can't guarantee the Patriots might be missing Tom Brady for Weeks 6-8. Does that mean the teams that play the Brady-less Pats should be ruled out of the playoffs? Not at all. Teams that play well deserve to be rewarded with the choice as to whether their players should rest or play. If it ruins a fan's Sunday and the team ultimately fails, the team deals with the consequences, not talking heads.

There is a minor fix I'd advocate, and full credit to guy who called The Howard Simon Show with this suggestion: make the last three weeks divisional games for all teams. It doesn't fix everything by any stretch of the imagination, but it does up the ante a bit. Not too many teams have clinched their division by Week 15, so it would spice up the division races, too. (While we're at it, I'd make three consecutive weeks in the middle of the season all division games, followed by a mutual bye. This way, Team A doesn't have to play Team B coming off the Bye Week).

For example, an AFC East schedule would look like this:

Weeks 1-5: Non-divisional opponents
Weeks 6-8: Divisional opponents
Week 9: Bye
Weeks 10-14: Non-division opponents
Weeks 15-17: Divisional opponents

It's that simple, and that's why it'll never happen. Just some food for thought. Figured we all could use a little relief from the coaching search to talk about something just as enthralling (Sarcasm noted, I hope).

Email: nick@wgr550.com
P.S. I had to use a picture of Mark Sanchez in order to stomach advocating anything that supports the Jets. A Rex Ryan photo or the fireman dude would've been a real problem for me.