The Proposed 18 Game NFL Schedule

Seems like this is going to be a done deal--18 regular season games and 2 preseason--despite general disapproval by the players.

Lots of issues here, as a lockout looms. Plenty of veterans think it will shorten careers and make it impossible for players to have healthy productive seasons. Some NFL people believe the players will use this as a bargaining chip throughout the rest of the CBA negotiation.

Thoughts? Good for the league or no?

 

I'm good with anything that gives us more couch time. Think it will be a major collective bargaining issue. Howie Long had a very strong commentary against last week on Fox Pre Game. Clearly he was not following the NFL party line.

 

Given the number of significant injuries in the first couple of week of this season, I have little doubt the greedy bastard owners will get someone killed on the field with an 18-game schedule.
If the NFLPA had the balls of the MLBPA, there would never e an 18-game season. There wouold instead be a long strike before the next CBA is signed.

 

It's kind of odd for the NFL to urge all these rules protecting the quarterback, protecting the players' safety ... and then extend the season, to put their health at an increased risk for injury.

 

Pro Football Talk posted the other day that the players actually agreed to an 18-game schedule in the last CBA. Guess they weren't too worried about it then.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/09/30/as-far-as-labor-agreement-goes-18-game-season-already-is-a-done-deal/

And of course the CFL plays an 18-game schedule with one bye week for each team. Never heard people lamenting all the extra injuries there.

 

I hope it means the season will start earlier. I've never understood why the NFL seems to like to wait until the week after Labor Day to start the season.

 

Agreed - there is not a possible way that the NFL could spin it to make 18 game NFL schedule appear safe.

 

Those players are smaller and slower.

 

They should add a Thursday night game every week after the first month of the season through Thanksgiving. The teams coming off their bye play on Thursday night.

I hate Monday Night Football. I always have. I'm burned out on football after Saturday of CFB and Sunday of the NFL. By Thursday night, I want some football.

 

This really is a terrible idea. More injuries, a season that begins in the dog days of August and two more weeks of godawful halftime concerts. The NFL is doing it's damndest to oversaturate the public.

 

There are very few reasons to watch sports during the two months from the all-star game until the NFL regular season starts. With a few, rare exceptions, college football doesn't get interesting until October. I'm guessing they'll only push the start of the regular season up by a week or so, but it will make for a fun Labor Day weekend with the NFL starting.

 

i hate, hate, HATE going to 18 games, which is sure to shorten careers and hurt many more fans who will have their team's season/super bowl hopes wrecked with injuries in games 17 and 18.

but i suppose we can't have it both ways -- i hate the preseason and am all in favor of cutting it down from 4 to 2 games. no way the owners would give up all those missing ticket sales for nothing. at the same time, short-sighted players will see it as a chance to increase salaries. remember, they get paid only for the regular season, so that's two more game checks.