Last season was a tough for my son and his Red Devils teammates.

The team finished with a 10-2 record during their 2014 campaign and finished in the top four of their league. However, my son’s team graduated to the older division (9- and 10-year-old) this season, which meant there might be some growing pains.

In youth football, win-loss records are generally insignificant in comparison with the experience that comes with playing. However, even after finishing with a disappointing 3-5 record in the regular season, it was not time to pack away the uniforms and the equipment. The league that my son plays in has three tiers of playoffs and each bracket crowns a champion. Essentially, every team plays in the playoffs. 

This inclusive playoff format accomplishes a number of things. The first goal for every team is to finish as a ‘tier one’ team. Every team that makes it into this ‘tier one’ bracket is considered one of the eight best teams in the league, which is something special in itself. Additionally, it allows every team to experience at least one playoff game. Finally, it gives three different teams the thrill of winning a ‘Super Bowl’ trophy.

Two years ago, my son’s team finished in the ‘tier one’ bracket. During the playoffs, the team won their first game and ultimately finished as the runner-up. Last year, the team wound up in the ‘tier three’ bracket. Although the regular season finish was disappointing compared to the previous season’s record, the team still had the reward of looking forward to a playoff game.

It was interesting because not all of the parents were on board with the team enjoying a playoff game after a losing season. I heard a few of them say that the season should be over.

I completely disagree.

What’s the harm in allowing the kids to play at least one extra game?

I remember how excited my son was when his pee-wee team won the ‘tier three’ championship after winning just two games during the regular season in 2012. The two extra post-season games, coupled with the accomplishment of winning that trophy, helped my son and his team become better players. It also provided the team an opportunity to learn how to win.

My son Bradley and his teammates headed into the season this year with a chip on their shoulders. After finishing as a runner-up in the ‘tier three’ bracket last year, the boys were fired up for this season to prove they could win. The memory of losing in the championship game fueled the team and helped them finish with a 7-1 regular season record as well as a berth in the ‘tier one’ bracket. Last year’s extra game in the 'tier three' bracket was vital for the team on many levels.

Ultimately, I believe there should be no opposition from parents, coaches or administrators to all kids having the opportunity to play an extra game or two thanks to an inclusive playoff format with tiered brackets. There is no substitute for experience and every youth football player should take advantage of the opportunity.

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick summed it up after quarterback Tom Brady played the entire first half of the preseason finale. Meanwhile, Brady was about to serve a four-game suspension to start the regular season.

“You play football, you play football,” said Belichick. “I don’t know how you get better at playing football without playing football. You stand around and talk about it all day, I don’t think that really makes you a better player. At some point you’ve got to get out there and play.”

And that’s for one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history.  So how can you expect a youth football player get better if he or she is not playing football?

Peter Schwartz is an anchor and reporter for the CBS Sports Radio Network. He also writes a CBS New York sports blog at http://newyork.cbslocal.com/tag/peter-schwartz/. You can follow him on Twitter @pschwartzcbsfan. Peter’s son Bradley plays for the Levittown Red Devils of the Nassau Suffolk Football League on Long Island in New York. His son Jared cheers on Bradley and then Bradley returns the favor when Jared is playing soccer.