Interesting thought about 18 game schedule - New England Patriots Forums

signbabybrady · 03-25-2009, 09:45 PM

Any idea when the games would be added? how would they reschedule would the SB get pushed back or would they just move the start of the season up a few weeks.

Here is why I ask.

If they added two weeks of summer football this would add to the homefield of the sothern teams

and if they added two weeks to the end it would add to the homefield of the outdoor northern teams.

thoughts?

***tanked_as_usual*** · 03-25-2009, 10:12 PM

they would probably replace preseason games, and have an expanded roster until the end of sept

***Jackson 2*** · 03-25-2009, 10:56 PM

I think it's possible they would add one week on to each end of the schedule: one week earlier to start (although the NFL in recent years has been purposefully avoided beginning on Labor Day week-end) and add a week at the end. Just a guess.

***Rob0729*** · 03-25-2009, 11:18 PM

Jonathan Kraft addressed this on WBCN prior to a game this season. The start of the season would stay the same and the season would be extended into January and the Super Bowl would be in late February. They would also keep the bye week before the Super Bowl.

The thinking is that February is a dead period in sports. Spring training hasn't started. March Madness is a month away. The NBA and NHL are in the middle of the season. They figure if they start the season earlier than the week after Labor Day, they would interfer with the kickoff weekend for college football and those last two weeks of August are weeks a large number of people are on vacations.

***jmt57*** · 03-25-2009, 11:28 PM

If - and that's a big if - the NFL did go to an 18 game regular season, I wonder if they would expand playoff games to neutral sites? As it is now warm weather teams are at a huge disadvantage playing on the road in January. For example, the disadvantage of the Pats adapting to the January weather of San Diego is minimal in comparison to the Chargers adapting to New England weather in January. In addition, the NFL could get that many more cities to compete for rights (i.e., give the NFL whatever they want) in exchange for tourist dollars for the AFCCG and NFCCG, for example.

jays52 · 03-25-2009, 11:49 PM

If anything, it would lead to a greater demand on guaranteed money. Having played four 12 (11 plus bowl) game seasons as a starter, the 16 game (possibly 20) schedule is already incredible to think about. The pain the body endures over such a season is incredible. By the end of two a days, the body is already hurt. There are muscle strains, bone bruises, minor breaks and hyperextensions already had before the season starts. Once the season strarts, the body continues to break down during both practice and during games. The player isn't 100% to start the season and by the third week, they body is appx 70%.

For example (and please don't read this as masculine posturing or me being a glory days hungy has been, this is meerly for illustrating a point) I played through my senior season with two broken ribs and a broken sternum after taking vicious blindside block to the chest after an interception in the second week of the season. Each play, it would feel as if I had the wind knocked out of me. I played with a rib pad, wrapped my ribs and was on a fairly potent ****tail of painkillers throughout the week. On gameday, I would medicate when I first woke up, report to the trainer two hours before the game for a cortisone shot and proceed to suit up. Playing mike inside linebacker, I would loose my wind within seconds of each snap after first contact. After the game, when the meds wore off, I was incapacitated. I would lay in my bed, reading my text books with my laptop on my chest and try my best to complete my assignments. This is in the midst of lamaze style breathing. This was my life for the next 10 weeks and it was only scratching the surface of my minor bumps, bruises and muscular strains. By the end of the season, my body was broken, beaten and effectively useless. I would start rehab the day the season ended. By the time I was able to lift weights and run effectively, it was march. Spring practices would give their own bumps and bruises which were treatable. By August, the body was close to 95% through hardcore 5 hours a day training to rebuild what was lost and 3 hours a day of treatment. Then, practices would start again. Having played football since I was eight, my body did not feel 100% until right now, nearly two years removed from my college football career.

Football is the most grueling sport I have ever played, and can only image what it would be like to play 16++ games a season. Players must be broken down beyond belief after the end of this, nevermind the addition of another game. The injuries will further pile up both major and minor. The careers will be shortened and the values of the contracts will dimish significantly. The union will have to push for greater gurantees in order to protect their market value as their bodies distegrate at a more exponential rate. Before Godell delivers the proposal, he should have to participate in a full pads week of practice.

***HEY BRO! WHAT UP?*** · 03-26-2009, 12:26 AM

As long as the NFL takes away two pre season games, I'm down with it, .

***Mike the Brit*** · 03-26-2009, 12:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jays52

If anything, it would lead to a greater demand on guaranteed money. Having played four 12 (11 plus bowl) game seasons as a starter, the 16 game (possibly 20) schedule is already incredible to think about. The pain the body endures over such a season is incredible. By the end of two a days, the body is already hurt. There are muscle strains, bone bruises, minor breaks and hyperextensions already had before the season starts. Once the season strarts, the body continues to break down during both practice and during games. The player isn't 100% to start the season and by the third week, they body is appx 70%.

For example (and please don't read this as masculine posturing or me being a glory days hungy has been, this is meerly for illustrating a point) I played through my senior season with two broken ribs and a broken sternum after taking vicious blindside block to the chest after an interception in the second week of the season. Each play, it would feel as if I had the wind knocked out of me. I played with a rib pad, wrapped my ribs and was on a fairly potent ****tail of painkillers throughout the week. On gameday, I would medicate when I first woke up, report to the trainer two hours before the game for a cortisone shot and proceed to suit up. Playing mike inside linebacker, I would loose my wind within seconds of each snap after first contact. After the game, when the meds wore off, I was incapacitated. I would lay in my bed, reading my text books with my laptop on my chest and try my best to complete my assignments. This is in the midst of lamaze style breathing. This was my life for the next 10 weeks and it was only scratching the surface of my minor bumps, bruises and muscular strains. By the end of the season, my body was broken, beaten and effectively useless. I would start rehab the day the season ended. By the time I was able to lift weights and run effectively, it was march. Spring practices would give their own bumps and bruises which were treatable. By August, the body was close to 95% through hardcore 5 hours a day training to rebuild what was lost and 3 hours a day of treatment. Then, practices would start again. Having played football since I was eight, my body did not feel 100% until right now, nearly two years removed from my college football career.

Football is the most grueling sport I have ever played, and can only image what it would be like to play 16++ games a season. Players must be broken down beyond belief after the end of this, nevermind the addition of another game. The injuries will further pile up both major and minor. The careers will be shortened and the values of the contracts will dimish significantly. The union will have to push for greater gurantees in order to protect their market value as their bodies distegrate at a more exponential rate. Before Godell delivers the proposal, he should have to participate in a full pads week of practice.

This is a great post and folks here who've never played football at all seriously (like me) shouldn't forget it. The truth is that the money-machine would be happy enough to have teams with 60-player rosters and 20 guys on Injured Reserve at the end of the season so long as fans still thought that their teams were competitive.

So, sadly, I predict that increased injuries will not be a factor in the NFL's decision-making UNLESS it means that the bankable stars (Brady, Manning, Moss, etc.) are less likely to be playing OR the players' union puts the players' interests across forcefully and effectively (which would be a change from the old regime!)

Pats726 · 03-26-2009, 03:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jays52

If anything, it would lead to a greater demand on guaranteed money. Having played four 12 (11 plus bowl) game seasons as a starter, the 16 game (possibly 20) schedule is already incredible to think about. The pain the body endures over such a season is incredible. By the end of two a days, the body is already hurt. There are muscle strains, bone bruises, minor breaks and hyperextensions already had before the season starts. Once the season strarts, the body continues to break down during both practice and during games. The player isn't 100% to start the season and by the third week, they body is appx 70%.

For example (and please don't read this as masculine posturing or me being a glory days hungy has been, this is meerly for illustrating a point) I played through my senior season with two broken ribs and a broken sternum after taking vicious blindside block to the chest after an interception in the second week of the season. Each play, it would feel as if I had the wind knocked out of me. I played with a rib pad, wrapped my ribs and was on a fairly potent ****tail of painkillers throughout the week. On gameday, I would medicate when I first woke up, report to the trainer two hours before the game for a cortisone shot and proceed to suit up. Playing mike inside linebacker, I would loose my wind within seconds of each snap after first contact. After the game, when the meds wore off, I was incapacitated. I would lay in my bed, reading my text books with my laptop on my chest and try my best to complete my assignments. This is in the midst of lamaze style breathing. This was my life for the next 10 weeks and it was only scratching the surface of my minor bumps, bruises and muscular strains. By the end of the season, my body was broken, beaten and effectively useless. I would start rehab the day the season ended. By the time I was able to lift weights and run effectively, it was march. Spring practices would give their own bumps and bruises which were treatable. By August, the body was close to 95% through hardcore 5 hours a day training to rebuild what was lost and 3 hours a day of treatment. Then, practices would start again. Having played football since I was eight, my body did not feel 100% until right now, nearly two years removed from my college football career.

Football is the most grueling sport I have ever played, and can only image what it would be like to play 16++ games a season. Players must be broken down beyond belief after the end of this, nevermind the addition of another game. The injuries will further pile up both major and minor. The careers will be shortened and the values of the contracts will dimish significantly. The union will have to push for greater gurantees in order to protect their market value as their bodies distegrate at a more exponential rate. Before Godell delivers the proposal, he should have to participate in a full pads week of practice.

All good points...I agree about Goodell having to be in pads for that one...I THINK the season is long enough already...making non-inhuries rewarded more than talent at least in some point. Can not have qualirty when pulled like this. I do agree. Sat more avout the pgysical effects later in a season..remember platoff yeams will have 3-4 games more to play AFTER a really long grueling season. Does not make sense.

betterthanthealternative · 03-26-2009, 05:58 AM

One of the reasons that Bruce Allen was fired in TB was because he was an early voice against this proposal, and the owners didn't like him stirring up the pot, especially before they had a chance to put together a well planned PR offensive to win the hearts and minds of the press on this subject.