but if you f*ck it up and there is an investigation and you didn't brief it, it could have serious consequences..
Does that mean if you briefed it and still screwed it up there would be lesser consequences? (tongue in cheek). It does seem odd to the older brigade that the simplest of tasks, e.g. land on a runway that everyone can see from downwind or overhead should be deemed to be so dangerous unless you have briefed what you are going to do. There is no such thing as a standard descending visual circuit because you could start at a differing height and a differing position. The wind could effect your profile; traffic on finals - in sight- will effect your turn in. How can you brief when & what you are going to do in micro steps in advance. The only thing you know is the flap & auto brake setting. All the rest you do by good judgement during the procedure. This gives you no discretion to make a decision when close to the airfield and can assess the local situation. It's too late to act. These guys who set up LNAV/VNAV profiles for visual circuits are not any safer, perhaps less so, if circumstances force you to leave the cosiness of the sucky blanket magenta line.