Patriots and Primetime: Did B. Pollard cost the NFL money?

I was cutting my grass today and got wondering: Does Tom's disappearance from the NFL this year cost the NFL or at least those carrying NFL games a lot of money?

The bandwagon is a money maker. You can bet the Tom, Randy, and Wes show (not to downplay the rest of the team to actual fans) got a lot of people tuning in to football. That show isn't available this year and with the massive QB turnover going on, it's hard to imagine we'll be seeing too many high-scoring games that are severely lopsided this year.

The Cowboys/Vikings game was a good example of high scores, but not much in the way of a gap. The Packers/Lions game HAD to be an anomaly. The Lions almost got Green Bay's number there for a bit.

In one way, I think all the shake ups make for exciting football, but what will draw in and keep new fans around better than Air Patriots did last year?

So it's a simple question. Can two single NFL events (the Beloved Favre moves to an inferior team and the MVP goes down for the season) put a serious ding in the NFL's bankability?

I think that is a legitmate question..and if ratings go down..what does that mean?? In some ways, I HOPE for that..as maybe that is the only way Goodell will ever be canned.

I think to many people the Patriots are now boring except for the diehard fan. They aren't hi-scoring. I remember when people were sick of the Patriots because they were boring and then that turned into jealousy when they kept winning and winning.

It's too early to call it, IMO. The Patriots drew in record crowds last year mostly because they were undefeated. If they had one loss in their name during the regular season, you might even be able to cut that crowd in half. But as of right now, there are plenty of other great teams out there whose quarterbacks haven't had their knees blown up. Prime example is the Packers/Cowboys game this weekend.

I think it's a wash. Teams and players only stay on top for so long, and then are replaced by another team or player. The Greatest Show On Turf was replaced by the Colts for those looking for offense, and by the Pats for those looking for a winning team, for example. Mike Vick was the most exciting QB in the NFL not too long ago; nobody even thinks about him now. There will always be somebody who is the best QB in any given year, and the fact that it is somebody else - and quite possibly not Manning or Favre - will be this season's big story. Brady's injury may hurt sales of Pats merchandise and ratings of their games, but they will be replaced by somebody else as the season progresses.

I think people were tired of seeing the Patriots keep winning. If you really think about it as Patriots fans it was almost the same. You knew they would win almost every game so was the desire to see it unfold truly there? NO! BUT now the team is going through major adversity and everyone is re-interested to see how it unfolds. The element of uncertainty is back and it's not really a bad thing. Don't get me wrong I was one of those that loved to see them dismantle teams week in week out but it's even MORE interesting now to say the least.

This will be one great sideshow this season and knowing Brady will be back next time gives me even more to look forward to and another NEW story to be told. Next season will be "Is Brady & his Patriots run done?" at least that's how ESPN will spin it.

i think the combo of brady out, and hochuli's call making the nfl look fixed, is going to hurt the nfl this season

that's 2 horrible weekends for the nfl back to back to start off the 08 season

they're probably scared ****less of what week 3 has in store for them

the league's got 2 black eyes, maybe week 3 will give it a bloody nose

jmt57 said:

I think it's a wash. Teams and players only stay on top for so long, and then are replaced by another team or player. The Greatest Show On Turf was replaced by the Colts for those looking for offense, and by the Pats for those looking for a winning team, for example. Mike Vick was the most exciting QB in the NFL not too long ago; nobody even thinks about him now. There will always be somebody who is the best QB in any given year, and the fact that it is somebody else - and quite possibly not Manning or Favre - will be this season's big story. Brady's injury may hurt sales of Pats merchandise and ratings of their games, but they will be replaced by somebody else as the season progresses.

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The media is currently trying to replace NE with Denver because the Broncos are employing a large portion of the Patriots offense.

The Oct. game between Broncos/Patriots will be huge. The media will totally promote Cutler as the new gunslinger.

Should be fun.

jcdavey said:

i think the combo of brady out, and hochuli's call making the nfl look fixed, is going to hurt the nfl this season

that's 2 horrible weekends for the nfl back to back to start off the 08 season

they're probably scared ****less of what week 3 has in store for them

the league's got 2 black eyes, maybe week 3 will give it a bloody nose

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I didn't understand your post until I looked up at the UserName and figured it all out.

Nobody thinks Hochuli's call makes the game looked fixed except cry baby Chargers fans like you.

Get over it.

We've gotten over Brady. You need to get over one bad call.

We'll see another dozen bad calls across the league this weekend too.

MrTibbs said:

You knew they would win almost every game so was the desire to see it unfold truly there? NO!

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Yeah, that's not even close to how I felt, but I grew up watching Tommy Hodson throwing ducks and wishing Hart Lee Dykes hadn't been a bust, so maybe it's not the same.

I enjoyed the hell out of every victory and I still do, whether I expect them to win or not.

WTE said:

I didn't understand your post until I looked up at the UserName and figured it all out.

Nobody thinks Hochuli's call makes the game looked fixed except cry baby Chargers fans like you.

Get over it.

We've gotten over Brady. You need to get over one bad call.

We'll see another dozen bad calls across the league this weekend too.

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i doubt we see anymore calls that have the ref who called it contemplating retirement and having to be talked down off the ledge by the head of officials

i mean that happened this past week, that's just facts lol

that's very very rare

WTE said:

The media is currently trying to replace NE with Denver because the Broncos are employing a large portion of the Patriots offense.

The Oct. game between Broncos/Patriots will be huge. The media will totally promote Cutler as the new gunslinger.

Should be fun.

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Yeah, I can see that.

Right now, the Donkeys are on pace to score 640 points (cf. the Pats last year, who were on pace for 662 before the Colts game).

OTOH, the Donkey defense is also on pace to allow 416 points (cf. the Pats, who allowed just 274).

EIGHT people actually voted NO to this poll? That's a little stunning. And really makes almost no sense. Losing Brady isnt going to hurt the NFL's ratings? Who honestly thinks that?

<---------- voted "yes"

The Patriots last year had a little Mike Tyson in them. If anyone is old enough around here to rememeber when Tyson was just RIPPING people apart. People complained the fights were over too quick and it was boring because he always won. But people were INCREDIBLY interested in Tyson..

It was great for the NFL. The fans (rating wise) loved it despite their complaints.. Unfortunately - NY Giants = Buster Douglas.

Pete

Yo what's up?

This is a STUPID premise. This is a nation wide league made up of a bunch of guns for hire nomads. The fact that one guy got hurt doesnt change either the profitability or the overall marketability of the product. The league is based more on image than production, and the image hasnt changed at all. I think this is a fans simple idea of being important, neither the fan nor the player are important...its the GAME thats important as a commercial interest.The TV time will simply be put into different avenues exploiting a different player/s this year. TB will be happy its not him.

jcdavey said:

i doubt we see anymore calls that have the ref who called it contemplating retirement and having to be talked down off the ledge by the head of officials

i mean that happened this past week, that's just facts lol

that's very very rare

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I think that speaks more to the character of Ed Hochuli than to the likelihood that his call wasn't on the up and up...

And besides, wouldn't an official showing so much remorse and letting a negative call affect him so greatly show just the opposite, that the call WASN'T preordained?

Hochuli is a lawyer in Arizona, and would be able to quit reffing in a second and still live very comfortably. The only reason he does it is because he loves his job, and treats it as professionally as any other ref in the league.

He's one of the best in the game, but he made a horribly bad call. It sucks that it was against your team, and I'd be pissed if that happened for the Pats in the Meadowlands this past week (although I'd also be pissed that my team couldn't keep the opposition out of the endzone with 3rd and Goal from the 10, AND on a two point conversion, and probably focus more on the play that my team could have actually controlled...).

What I've seen around the league's fanbases is that Ed made a horrific decision, but is also one of the best in the game. Only delusional Chargers fans (of which I'm not saying you're one, per se) think the game was "fixed."

I'd take Hochuli as the ref for Pats games every single week...

AFPatsFan12 said:

I think that speaks more to the character of Ed Hochuli than to the likelihood that his call wasn't on the up and up...

And besides, wouldn't an official showing so much remorse and letting a negative call affect him so greatly show just the opposite, that the call WASN'T preordained?

Hochuli is a lawyer in Arizona, and would be able to quit reffing in a second and still live very comfortably. The only reason he does it is because he loves his job, and treats it as professionally as any other ref in the league.

He's one of the best in the game, but he made a horribly bad call. It sucks that it was against your team, and I'd be pissed if that happened for the Pats in the Meadowlands this past week (although I'd also be pissed that my team couldn't keep the opposition out of the endzone with 3rd and Goal from the 10, AND on a two point conversion, and probably focus more on the play that my team could have actually controlled...).

What I've seen around the league's fanbases is that Ed made a horrific decision, but is also one of the best in the game. Only delusional Chargers fans (of which I'm not saying you're one, per se) think the game was "fixed."

I'd take Hochuli as the ref for Pats games every single week...

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i think he's one of the best in the game as well

but you've gotta wonder when a great competent ref calls "what he thought was a backwards pass" an incompletion

that's just ******ed


and pats fans would be saying the same thing, as would all other fans if it happened to them.

you guys know that's true....


as for the fix, if i was a ref who fixed a game, i'd show a ton of remorse too, to keep up appearances


i'm just saying, cracked hard drive in the equipment, 10 missing seconds from 1:52 to 1:42 at the end, and then the fumble?

that was a very shady game....

imagine the pats in the superbowl, with those 3 things happening, and you're going to tell me you're going to blame your D who tossed a 2nd half shutout, only to see the opponent given a mulligan.....and you're going to be more upset with your D?

this is like tiger woods winning the masters because his opponent missed a putt, then the opponent being given a 2nd chance at his failed putt.

The loss of Brady won't cause the NFL's stock to plummet, but I think there will be a loss in terms of more casual fans who just like to watch the superstars. Between the Favre fiasco, Brady, Peyton Manning slowed down from his offseason surgery, Vince Young, and all the other notable QBs who aren't doing much (e.g. Carson Palmer), there will be a slight drop.

It reminds me of the 1998 base-ball season, where you had the Yank-mes winning 100-some games and the home run race between McGuire and Sosa (and yes we now know that was because of 'roids, that's not the point.) That was a huge season in restoring base-ball to its pre-strike status, and then the following season was kind of a let-down just because you couldn't possibly top it. Now not only is the NFL not going to be able to top last season (though even with Brady they probably wouldn't have either), but there's a real derth of strong marquee games.