A Football Fanatic's Fantastic Plan for 52 Weeks of NFL Football

[PromisedLand]

OK, so we're in the middle of the desert of the football offseason. When deprived, the human mind tends to conjure up fantasties to compensate. So here is mine: 52 weeks per year of legitimate NFL football that counts!

Is this a real plan? No, of course not. Is it workable? Probably not, for a million reasons. But that's what they said about sailing across the oceans, or going to the moon, too! So think of it as a fantasy, or a first draft, or whatever. Anyway, here is my plan:

Each NFL season will be 52 weeks long and will be comprised of 3 16 week phases (designated A, B and C) and will play a game each week, plus 4 weeks of playoffs. The divisional structure and playoff qualification rules are the same as we have today, except the regular season is 48 weeks long, and each phase's division winners will be awarded the equivalent of an extra win when it comes to playoff qualifying and seeding. Each team will be allowed a 53 man roster for each regular season phase and no player may participate in more than 18 total regular season games or during more than 2 phases. Injured reserve rules will be modified so that a player who is placed on injured reserve can be restored to the roster after 20 weeks, or when the playoffs begin.

Will this dilute the talent level? Of course, but it will also make for some interesting strategic decisions as teams will try to manipulate their rosters to have their best squad available for the stretch run and playoffs. Playoff talent should not be diluted at all.

OK, like I said, it's a fantasy. But oh what a fantasy!

 

[JoeSixPat]

OK, so we're in the middle of the desert of the football offseason. When deprived, the human mind tends to conjure up fantasties to compensate. So here is mine: 52 weeks per year of legitimate NFL football that counts!

Is this a real plan? No, of course not. Is it workable? Probably not, for a million reasons. But that's what they said about sailing across the oceans, or going to the moon, too! So think of it as a fantasy, or a first draft, or whatever. Anyway, here is my plan:

Each NFL season will be 52 weeks long and will be comprised of 3 16 week phases (designated A, B and C) and will play a game each week, plus 4 weeks of playoffs. The divisional structure and playoff qualification rules are the same as we have today, except
the regular season is 48 weeks long, and each phase's division winners will be awarded the equivalent of an extra win when it comes to playoff qualifying and seeding. Each team will be allowed a 53 man roster for each regular season phase and no player may participate in more than 18 total regular season games or during more than 2 phases. Injured reserve rules will be modified so that a player who is placed on injured reserve can be restored to the roster after 20 weeks, or when the playoffs begin.

Will this dilute the talent level? Of course, but it will also make for some interesting strategic decisions as teams will try to manipulate their rosters to have their best squad available for the stretch run and playoffs. Playoff talent should not be diluted at all.

OK, like I said, it's a fantasy. But oh what a fantasy!

Sounds good. I can't imagine the players union would ever have a problem with this. (Well, they might, but heck, given the 159 man rosters this schedule would require, that should ensure that those players typically left off the roster will give them all the votes they need to pass this plan.)

So I'd endorse this model with just a few modifications, such as having a bye week after say the first 16 game + playoff stretch. Only intstead of a "bye week" I think it would be more like a "bye quarter-year" which would give the organization a chance to assess the coming crop of College talent and engage in the draft as well as free agency. We'll call this Phase A.

After that the next quarter of the year would be focued on integrating the new players and honning strategy and play-calls. Or Phase B in your parlance.

After that it's back to Phase C and a 16 game + playoff season.

Aside from those modifications I think it's a great plan.

 

[Wide_Receiver]

I think it's safe to say.....


September can't come soon enough. Haha!

I commend your efforts, though. :cheers:

 

[jmt57]

I think the NFL has done a tremendous job of transforming themself from what was once a three or four month sport to year-round entertainment. Consider what goes on in the NFL, starting with when their calendar commences:

• March: Free agency
• April: Draft; Schedule announced
• May: Rookie mini-camp and OTA's
• June: Mini-camp
• July: Training camp
• August: Pre-season games; Hall of Fame enshrinement
• September: Regular season kickoff
• October-December: Regular season
• January: Playoffs
• February: Super Bowl; Combine

If there is one thing the NFL might consider, it's creating more space between free agency and the draft. That would push the other subsequent events deeper into the summer, which would lessen the dead zone between the end of mini-camps and beginning of training camp.

My suggestion would be to push the draft back further - as well as everything that follows. That would eliminate the problem with some rookies being unable to attend mini-camp because their classes had not yet finished, and it would also keep the NFL the (sports) news all year long - while also shortening this current dead zone for NFL news.

 

[MoneyFX]

I think the NFL has done a tremendous job of transforming themself from what was once a three or four month sport to year-round entertainment. Consider what goes on in the NFL, starting with when their calendar commences:

• March: Free agency
• April: Draft; Schedule announced
• May: Rookie mini-camp and OTA's
• June: Mini-camp
• July: Training camp
• August: Pre-season games; Hall of Fame enshrinement
• September: Regular season kickoff
• October-December: Regular season
• January: Playoffs
• February: Super Bowl; Combine

If there is one thing the NFL might consider, it's creating more space between free agency and the draft. That would push the other subsequent events deeper into the summer, which would lessen the dead zone between the end of mini-camps and beginning of training camp.

My suggestion would be to push the draft back further - as well as everything that follows. That would eliminate the problem with some rookies being unable to attend mini-camp because their classes had not yet finished, and it would also keep the NFL the (sports) news all year long - while also shortening this current dead zone for NFL news.

Do you mean, January: Playoffs and Pro Bowl? Cuz they just moved the Pro Bowl to Miami at a week before the Super Bowl.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

I take the thread in the spirit in which the OP presented it: not a "real plan," not "workable," and "fantasy." :singing:

Training Camp is almost here!!!

 

[JR4]

Believe it or not there is a lot of truth to the statement
too much of a good thing can be bad.

 

[Ring 6]

This is why I always thought the USFL was going to make it. NFL season is basically 6 months: August-February. If there were another pro league that ran feb-july, you would have football all the time.
Problem is any other league is shown as a cheap imitation.

Since this is a fantasy thread, AFC plays Aug-Feb NFC plays Feb-July. I think it would be far, far better to have half as many games on a weekend, but have them yearround.

 

[PromisedLand]

Well, it was fantasy, with a glimmer of reality. Definitely trying to think outside the box. My original proposal in essence amounts to having the miinor leaguers play in the big leagues but have their games count toward the big club's W-L record. Added to that is the strategic element of deciding when to put the best players on the roster. And leaving aside the "too much of a good thing" angle, it could possibly be workable in a theoretical sense, except for all the entrenched special interests, traditionalists, and purists. But it sure would be fun! :woot: