Goodell Proposes Longer NFL Season (Continued)

I was tickled at Jerrah! Jones saying he wanted more games to appease the fans angry at having to buy tickets to meaningless preseason games with their season ticket packages.

The NFL doesn't set ticket prices, does it? Couldn't Jerrah! throw preseason tickets in for free with season ticket packages?

 

Hell, let's just expand to 64 teams and play 32 weeks if we want to preserve the symmetry. Mobile Moguls, anyone?

 

The model being discussed is the one the CFL has now: 2 preseason games, 18 regular-season games.

While I wouldn't mind losing the preseason games, I really don't need a longer regular season. With all the parity that exists today, I figure the playoff races are going to come down to the last 2-3 weeks of the season, whenever that may be. I'd much rather see them expand the playoffs to include 16 teams.

If you don't change the schedule, the extra games MUST come at the front end, in place of the last two preseason games. Or you can eliminate the bye week. It's rough enough that the season is stretching into February as it is. The last thing we need is more regular-season games in January --- which would make Thanksgiving roughly equivalent to the midway point --- and playoffs dronning onto into February.

One of the fallacies here is the idea that people have an unlimited attention span. That's what hurt the NBA/NHL/MLB. No matter how long you extend the season, there is a point when the stretch run begins, when games start to matter more. Maybe it's week 11 or 12 in a 16-game format. If you add games, it just makes that point week 13 or 14.

 

Contrary to popular belief -- I know, I know -- there was a time not long ago when I was an avid football fan. That's changed in the last three years, and I can pinpoint the reason why: the NFL season never ends. It's constant hype, hype, hype, and it seems to overshadow just about every other sport these days. I blame ESPN mostly, but it's infected every part of the sports world -- just look at the "T.O. alerts" that AP was running on the wire every single day a couple of summers ago.

It just never ends. When the Super Bowl is over, then all the talk begins about free agents. Then it's an entire month of mock drafts. There's a new friggin' "NFL Live" on every night. ... When the draft finally comes, it's all the post-draft analysis. Then it's all about summer camps. Then it's wall-to-wall coverage of training camp. Then it's all about preseason and previews/predictions. Then the season finally, finally, begins. Whew.

So, in conclusion, I can't possibly think of a worse idea than making the season longer. How can we miss it if it never goes away?

 

Stale? The NFL just signed a $4B deal with DirectTV. It's raining money and Goodell doesn't have a big enough barrel.

 

All true, but no major sport is more fun to watch in a crowded bar than football.

Men, women, fans, non-fans all are involved.

But the season should trim two exhibition games and keep the regular season at 16.

 

Stop watching Sportscenter. I have.

 

I usually read the Scouts preview on ESPN insider, and of course I will watch the highlights, but I normally watch every second of the Pittsburgh game and probably another three hours of pro which is a mix of MNF, the second Sunday game or the Sunday night game.

I also watch about three hours of college each weekend. Sometimes more, sometimes less.

 

Add NO additional regualr season games and eliminate 2 pre-season games.
That's what I'd like to see. (No chance in hell)

 

You are right as rain.

Any more games just lowers these guys' life expectancy.

 

Does anybody think the owners care about players' life expectancy more than they care about money. more money and more money?

You know if the NFLPA asks for raises to cover the extra two games, the greedy fucks are going to say we're eliminating 2 exhibition games and adding 2 regular season, so you're playing the same number of games for the same salary.
The greedy fucks are going to push the players into a strike over this and killing their golden goose.

 

I wonder what kind of impact this will have on my fantasy team chances. Two more weeks equals two more weeks of stats!