godef

If an 18 game schedule happens, then I would like to see the Conferences re-aligned back to 3 divisions each, with the 6-team division teams each missing a home and an away games against division foes on a rotating basis. This would reduce the risk of an 8-8 division rival replacing an 11-5 team in the play-offs.

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See you at Super Bowl XLVI!

Deus Irae

One of the big reasons that people like football is that they don't have to invest as much time in it as they do in the other "major" sports. Hockey and basketball are playing 80+ games and baseball is playing 162, and that's before the playoffs, and it's every day of the week. With football, it's 16 games, pretty much only on 1-2 days of the week. As the NFL adds more games, it will be diluting the importance of each individual game. Personally, I don't know how brilliant a move that is, particularly in a down economy.

Furthermore, as Patriots fans can attest, it only takes one key injury to ruin a season. Now, instead of 16 chances for that key player to go down, it's going to be 18 chances.

Lastly, people should realize that this is, quite possibly, not going to lead to more home games. This could very well lead to games being played around the world, especially if they go to 17 games and not 18.

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Patsfanin Philly

An easier way and a fairer way would be to play the 6 games in the division, and the 4 games versus the other conference division as it is now. for the remaining eight games, play two of the three divisions in your own conference. This eliminates the 1 vs 1, 2 vs 2 (which is why the Pats play Indy every year- not that there's anything wrong with it) and levels the playing field. It would make the tiebreakers easier to figure out!!

patsfaninpittsburgh

I would go as follows:

3 preseason games
17 regular season games

The 17th game is a interconference "neutral site" game with geographic rivalries. Let's say the Pats/Bills/Jets/Ravens play Giants/Skins/Eagles/Panthers on a rotating basis in Europe.

Expand roster/salaries.

AzPatsFan

I have few sugestions about the extended season. You havetoopenupthe roster. teh simplest thing to do is allow all 53 players onthe rsoter to play without any ofthis e"activation" nonsesne.

I have always wanted the IR system to be rationalized. If a player like Brdy gets hurt in the first few minutes of the start of the season he should be allowed the possibility to return after an IR episode, I would say 8 games and he would be eligible to be removed from the IR season ending status.

Similarly I think the playoffs are a treu second season. second season. If you have been placed on IR, and are now healthy, players should be allowed the option of returning to the team in the playyoffs.

How many great players labor over an entire career to get to the Superbowl only to be now healthy but serving an IR "suspension" when they would love to take the on a SuperBowl Sunday field, perhaps for the only time in their careers?

I fully feel that the regualr season IR period of 8 games is necessary to prevent strong teams from stockpiling personnel on their IR list.

What say you?

Nunchucks

I hate the idea of lengthing the season by replacing preseason games. The first 6 weeks of football generally consists of crappy play, teams don'treally find their true identity until week 8 and we are supposed to now think that losing 2 preseason games nd those extra practices are a good idea?

Talk about declining quality of product on the field....that's what we get with an expanded schedule and I am against it.