18 game regular season?

[woolster22]

Let the record show that I think this is exactly what is going to happen.
PFT has said they are talking about creating a developmental league, which might make sense.

a minor league system of sorts may be a half decent idea. only this time they should probably try to keep it within the US border...
think the players association will be with it enough to realise that any bump in theyre percentage will be offset by a larger roster/2nd league? Where would this second league play? Seems this would be a problem with owners crying about stadium costs etc...

 

[Wolfpack]

a minor league system of sorts may be a half decent idea. only this time they should probably try to keep it within the US border...
think the players association will be with it enough to realise that any bump in theyre percentage will be offset by a larger roster/2nd league? Where would this second league play? Seems this would be a problem with owners crying about stadium costs etc...

Well there's talk that they can get the UFL involved. But fact is that it really is only the borderline players that would use such a thing, and the NFL isn't going to base their decisions on what will make the borderline players happy.

The NFL already has the only developmental league they need; it's called the NCAA. Anything else is just figuring out who the 50-something-th players on your roster is going to be, so I don't think it's anything that is really making the league lose any sleep.

 

[patfanken]

a minor league system of sorts may be a half decent idea. only this time they should probably try to keep it within the US border...
think the players association will be with it enough to realise that any bump in theyre percentage will be offset by a larger roster/2nd league? Where would this second league play? Seems this would be a problem with owners crying about stadium costs etc...

I actually played in a the last minor league system in the US back in the fall of 1969. The Atlantic Coast league had 9 teams who had official connections with NFL teams. Quincy (Pats) Hartford (Bills) Bridgeport (Jets) LI (Giants) Pottstown (Eagles) Harrisburg (Steelers) Richmond (Saints) and Roanoke (Redskins). It was pretty serious. There were guys who were making $100,000 a season, (King Cochran), while I was thrilled to making $250/wk (which was more per week than I was making teaching 8th grade)

I'm pretty sure that the other teams in the league had affiliations in other parts of the country as well. However by the terms of the merger, when it became final in 1970, or 71 the NFL teams agreed to cut ties with "minor league" clubs and the league pretty much folded soon after. Though post college football leagues have popped up from time to time. Nothing was ever effective until NFL Europe was started.

I was never sure as to exactly why the league decided not to support a true "minor league", I doubt that they will change their mind at this time.

As to the expanded schedule. I agree that it will lead to more injuries, but I also think greed by BOTH the players and owners make it inevitable. It is really the only way to create new revenue. I DO think the the Players will be able to get expanded rosters (say 58) if they agree to this. That would mean adding another 160 more jobs. I'm sure the coaches would appreciate it.

IMHO if the players were really smart, they'd recognize the fact that revenues can't expand forever. They'd be happy with a similar deal to what they have right now in terms of revenue. Players have NEVER been paid so much. And instead focus on more personal issues like better health care, better playing conditions, and better equipment. That way they can keep a 16 game schedule, and be in position to be able to "walk" away from the game at some point.....LITERALLY.

 

[patsfan-1982]

playing 18 games would be a joke we could see the first ever 12 win team not make the playoffs



i don't even like the new overtime rule for the playoffs roger goodell, is the worst commissioner. ever



thats what makes the NFL so great there are only a few games and everyone means so much and when it gets into overtime it's one play and over i don't wanna see the NFL turn into the NBA or MLB and how will rookies hold up comeing from were they only played 12 or 13 games now have to play 18 games will geting hit harder then they have ever been hit befor.



i just don't like it i say no to the 18 game season.

 

[PatsChamp88]

If it ain't broke don't fix it but sadly the NFL doesn't see it that way lately..

 

[Kontradiction]

Wow, 50-7. This board alone is OVERWHELMINGLY in favor of keeping it the way it is.

 

[TrueBeliever]

I don't know exactly what the answer is, but an 18 game season is definitely not it. As Brady was quoted as saying in an article I read today, the season can already be 20 games if you get to the Super Bowl (assuming you play in the wild-card round instead of getting the bye.) Granted, only two teams get that far, and only 12 teams make the playoffs, but come on.

 

[goldenaleus]

Scrap the two preseason games and at the end of the Regular Season have a bye week for all the playoff teams.

Then we could have two weeks of "Wild Card playoffs" instead of one with no byes.

NFL makes more money with the extra playoff week rather than minimal money for two preseason.

 

[blackglass3]

I think we had a thread about this a couple of years ago, and my suggesting was the same: Please do NOT change anything. But IF you are, give this a shot...

First off, increase the roster limits and ditch the IR = Season Over rule, make it more like baseball with the different limits (15 day, ect). If there are going to be more players needed, it would be better for them to learn the system they are playing in than getting signed off the street Tuesday and playing Sunday. That leads to poor football which leads to more injuries and by the end of the season they will be holding open tryouts for the fans at the game that day.

Give each team 2 bye weeks. And to make it fair (although I doubt the league would go for it) everyone's bye should be the same. Play 6 weeks of football, bye, six weeks, bye, and then finish the season. I know a Sunday without football would suck, but they aren't robots. We'll manage. Or, just have 30 team off on the bye and have a Sunday Night Special that week, then give those two team off the next week. Maybe one Sunday Nighter is an AFC Championship Rematch and the other is an NFC Rematch. Thanksgiving could stay the way it is. Have divisional games in the first 3rd and last 3rd of the season, not the middle. It looks like the league is going this way, anyways.

And finally, knock the international crap off. I don't want to see a game in London (Super Bowl included), China, Germany, Brazil, or Japan. Mexico City and certain parts of Canada are ok, if they care (I don't remember how the Mexico game went, but we haven't had one there since so...). But if Europe or Asia were really into it, they would start a league like the US did with MLS. I understand there is an audience for American Football in these places, but it isn't anything like the mania we have here in the States. Reopen NFL Europe or something...even more wear on the players bodies from the flying and time zone adjustments, plus the 2 extra regular season games is not cool.

 

[stinkypete]

My only issue with expanding the season is how will it affect scheduling. The league has adopted such a tidy scheduling format, how do you decide who plays who in the final two games?

Do you match up inter-conference teams based on record (Indy vs. NO, San Diego vs. Minnesota...all the way down to St. Louis vs. KC)?

Do you choose set inter-conference rivals like MLB does for their interleague play (NE vs. NYG, Philly vs. Pitt)?

Don't forget too that an expanded season is going to create an expanded list of dud games.

 

[PatsDeb]

Physically, it's too much for the players and you end up with lots of injuries, which can screw your team if you are headed for the playoffs and then are suddenly without several key players. I say take away the two preseason games, do more scrimmage-type work leading up to the season, and leave it at 16 games.

 

[Wolfpack]

My only issue with expanding the season is how will it affect scheduling. The league has adopted such a tidy scheduling format, how do you decide who plays who in the final two games?

Easy solution while keeping the current format - and this is one I actually came up with myself and haven't, like, read anywhere (though the solution is so simple I doubt I am the only one to think of it).

You add 2 games against teams in the other divisions in your conference who finished near the same as you did last year. In otherwords, let's use this year's Patriots schedule as an example. They play 6 divisional games and 4 games against an entire NFC division rotating through a 4 year cycle. So that's 10 games. You also play all members of one division within your conference rotating on a 3-year cycle so that's 14 games. For the Patriots, this year they play the entire AFC North.

Under the current format, since the Patriots finished 1st in the AFC East last year, they also play the #1 teams from the AFC South and AFC West (Indianapolis and San Diego). So you just add in a game against the #2 teams from each of those divisions as well. Similarly, the #3 team from the AFC East would play the #3 and #4 teams from the AFC South and West.

So there's your 18 games Much easier than the idea that they play 17 games, with the 17th being at some "neutral" international site of some other such nonsense.

Don't forget too that an expanded season is going to create an expanded list of dud games.

Well that's a silly argument because it is also going to create an expanded list of exciting games. We'd be adding the Houston Texans and the Denver Broncos to this year's schedule, which I think would be 2 darn decent games to watch.

 

[TennesseePatriot]

Why 18? So we can watch the best teams sit starters for four games instead of two?

 

[TruthSeeker]

Except people clearly aren't happy with the current format, which speaks volumes as to the point I am trying to make.

There's always some discontents. What percentage of people aren't happy with the current format? I am. I think you should start another poll.

 

[Wolfpack]

Why 18? So we can watch the best teams sit starters for four games instead of two?

The New Orleans Saints played their starters for all 16 games last season. I sure hope you don't consider that other team that sat everyone down throughout December to be the "best team".

 

[eom]

Wow, 50-7. This board alone is OVERWHELMINGLY in favor of keeping it the way it is.

people hate change.

when they expanded to 16 games all the same people were making all the same posts in all the same poll threads.
any vote to 'keep it as it is' should be counted as a vote to roll back the number of games --- unless 16 is some kind of magical number.

 

[Deus Irae]

people hate change.

when they expanded to 16 games all the same people were making all the same posts in all the same poll threads.
any vote to 'keep it as it is' should be counted as a vote to roll back the number of games --- unless 16 is some kind of magical number.

1.) "People hate change" is a false assertion. People love change. They crave it and need it. What people don't like is needlessly changing what already works in a fashion that involves high risk for no real gain. "People" generally consider that stupid, and rightfully so. It's rarely a good idea. The Coca Cola company can certainly attest to this.

2.) Few people have a problem with 16 games because it seems to have struck a fine balance. Shorter schedules would have had difficulties because of the large number of teams and the use of interconference play, so having 12 game seasons wouldn't really work all that well, but the longer you run your season, the more significant injuries you'll end up with. 14-16 games seems to be the optimal range under the circumstances.

3.) It's possible for the NFL players and owners to get by on the revenue from 2 preseason games and 16 regular season games. so the "4 preseason or 18 regular season" is a false choice. They can all find a way to eek out a living, even under such poverty inducing circumstances.

 

[Wolfpack]

3.) It's possible for the NFL players and owners to get by on the revenue from 2 preseason games and 16 regular season games. so the "4 preseason or 18 regular season" is a false choice. They can all find a way to eek out a living, even under such poverty inducing circumstances.

There is absolutely no chance whatsoever they drop 2 preseason games without adding 2 regular season games. You may want to talk about it in theory, but it simply isn't even remotely within the realm of possibility.

 

[Raymond]

I've never met or talked to anyone who has a clue about the NFL and is knowledgeable on the game who think the 18 game season is a good idea. Most of the people here agree.......whadayaknow.......they also are pretty savy.

I'm actually one of those people who enjoy the PS games to see the kids try out for the team. I expect nothing great there. It's relaxing to watch with no worries on the end result.

The real motive is money and we all know it. It's simply another way for Goodell to placate the Season tix holders for charging full price.

If I was a player I'd also expect an instant 12.5 % raise.

 

[blackglass3]

Why don't the owners just axe two preseaon games and keep the season ticket package price the same? I mean, I know ticket prices on the actual ticket will go up, but you're still playing the same price in the long run. Then $70 tickets turn into $78 tickets; owners keep their money, players lose two meaningless games, and the fans pay the same $1400 per ticket for the season.