NFL ideas you would like to see

[everlong]

Off-season ideas you would like the NFL to entertain.

Mine would be an 18 week schedule in place of two extra playoff teams. I'm not advocating an extra game for each team and not an extra bye week per say but rather the Thursday night game participants wouldn't play on the Sunday before or after that game. It would make those games better to watch vs teams coming in on short rest and eliminate that short rest as a potential reason for increased injuries. This would give the NFL 18 weeks of ad dollars vs 17.

 

[signbabybrady]

Off-season ideas you would like the NFL to entertain.

Mine would be an 18 week schedule in place of two extra playoff teams. I'm not advocating an extra game for each team and not an extra bye week per say but rather the Thursday night game participants wouldn't play on the Sunday before or after that game. It would make those games better to watch vs teams coming in on short rest and eliminate that short rest as a potential reason for increased injuries. This would give the NFL 18 weeks of ad dollars vs 17.

I am no math wiz but I believe you still proposed a 17 week season.

As it stands you already dont play the sunday following the Thursday game as that is your game for the week and you said your not adding a bye week but rather making everyones bye week the week prior to their Thursday game so that is still just a 17 week season.

For the record the NFL did have an 18 week schedule back in the late 80s or early 90s. Not sure exactly why they did a way with it. But given the need for the owners to either add regular season games or playoff games combined with emphasis on player health maybe an 18 week schedule could help each.

I am totally against expanding the playoffs. It should be hard to get in as it is the last team in usually is pretty average.

I am not opposed to more regular season games as it means more games to watch and that is a good thing but physically it already is a long season for the players and not sure it would make for a better product week in and week out.

The things I would really like the NFL to do is to embrace technology more. Centralize the replay and take it off the sidelines. Lasers to determine FGs and as corny as it seems a light up system like the NBA back boards. Added cameras fixed looking down the sidelines and goal lines from both directions and maybe even the same going down the first down line.

And just for yucks an absolutely crazy idea but how about every player gets a communication device in his helmet. No need for a huddle and coaches could make pre snap adjustments directly.

 

[Deus Irae]

Roger Goodell resigning

 

[borg]

Prison work release program

 

[everlong]

I am no math wiz but I believe you still proposed a 17 week season.

1 Sun Buffalo
2 Sun Miami
3 Sun off
3 Thur Indy
4 off
5 Cinn
6 bye
7 NYJ
8 Buffalo
9 Denver
10 Miami
11 Chicago
12 GB
13 Minnesota
14 NYJ
15 Detoit
16 KC
17 SD
18 OAK

So you're playing Thursday on 11 days rest and two Sunday's later on 10 days rest thus 2 games in 3 weeks. Not quite a bye.

 

[Wheelman]

16 games on Saturday - That way I get to see more games being played. and keep the 16 games on Thursday as well.

Longer field - 110 yards. With everything favouring the offense I think this should happen.

Under 5 minutes in 2nd and 4th quarter if no positive yards is made during the play, stop the clock. - Thus eliminating kneel downs and giving the teams a chance.

When a 1st down is made under 5 minutes in 2nd and 4th quarter, stop the clock momentarily until the ball is spotted and refs give the ok to play.

Cheaper tickets - Yeah yeah I know it's never going to happen.

Increase Practice Squad eligibility to 5 years

Increase roster size to 60 players

Increase active players during game to 53

5-10 IR-Designated to return for the season.

Increase the Salary Cap

Allow group celebration during touchdowns.

Remove non-offensive celebration penalties during touchdowns - Like when Welker did a snow angel in that 2009 snow game against the Titans, he got flagged for it. So lame! If someone does like a Randy Moss fake mooning, then flag him and fine him for it. I'm ok with that.

Free all 22 film to fans worldwide.

Fire Roger Goodell - Hey...we're all thinking it! :confused2:

That's all I could think of off the top of my head.

 

[BradyBranch39]

ditch goodell

allow tackling

allow pass coverage

no expanded playoffs

no 17 or 18 game reg season

no team in london

afc v nfc pro bowl

more game day actives

announce that BB's taping was something everybody does

sure, ditch extra points if it means I can have the rest of these.

 

[Snake Eyes]

1 Sun Buffalo
2 Sun Miami
3 Sun off
3 Thur Indy
4 off
5 Cinn
6 bye
7 NYJ
8 Buffalo
9 Denver
10 Miami
11 Chicago
12 GB
13 Minnesota
14 NYJ
15 Detoit
16 KC
17 SD
18 OAK

So you're playing Thursday on 11 days rest and two Sunday's later on 10 days rest thus 2 games in 3 weeks. Not quite a bye.

Why not just have an extra bye week? You could divide the season in 2 parts with a bye week in each.

 

[Hammer of Thor]

I am no math wiz but I believe you still proposed a 17 week season.

As it stands you already dont play the sunday following the Thursday game as that is your game for the week and you said your not adding a bye week but rather making everyones bye week the week prior to their Thursday game so that is still just a 17 week season.

For the record the NFL did have an 18 week schedule back in the late 80s or early 90s. Not sure exactly why they did a way with it. But given the need for the owners to either add regular season games or playoff games combined with emphasis on player health maybe an 18 week schedule could help each.

I know Everlong responded already with an illustration of his proposal. Back in the early 90s during that period, it really was 2 bye weeks. They did away with it because they felt it was too much of a disruption to the team's rhythm to have 2 of them.

Everlong's proposal is really more like 1 1/2 byes instead. Back in the 90s there were no Thursday games except Thanksgiving. Now, the NFL wants every team to play a Thursday night game annually. Currently that means each team has 4 days betwen two of its games, and there are complaints about its effects on injuries and on the product in general. If you add a "bye" week the week before, you essentially have a team with 11 days between the game leading up to the Thursday night game and 10 days to the subsequent Sunday.

Doing this allows:
1) Better health to players giving them more time off in between
2) Better product on Thursday night since teams will be more prepared and healthy
3) Potential more revenue to the league as it can charge the networks for 18 weeks of games instead of 17. Yes, the total number of games will be the same, but some of the matchups that would have been broadcast to a small group before will now be broadcast to a larger audience. So net overall the networks will make more money so the NFL can charge more money. Which of course will also go into the players pockets too.
4) Better rhythm for the team as it won't be a full 14 days between games during this second bye.

I really love this idea, it makes the most sense considering all the goals the NFL and players union have. Thus, it'll never happen.

 

[Hammer of Thor]

Why not just have an extra bye week? You could divide the season in 2 parts with a bye week in each.

That doesn't solve the Thursday night game issue, which is the crux of the reasoning behind this proposal (at least from my end anyhow).

 

[Danger Zone]

Some wacky spit-balling

1) The Practice League, an NFL Minor League with every NFL team having their own minor league team. Acts as a much expanded practice squad for every team.. much like what we have in baseball. They could play games during the NFL off-season and give us something to watch

1a) Or maybe just add a couple spots to every teams Practice Squad

2) Extra points (some combination of the following)
- Option a) Run one play from the opponents 5 yard line: 1 point
- Option b) Run one play from the opponents 10 yard line: 2 points
- Option c) Field Goal from the 30 yard line: 1 point
- Option d) Field Goal from the 40 yard line: 2 points

3) Maximum salary caps, 10 million per position

4) Kick Offs - Greg Schiano explains idea on replacing NFL kickoffs - NFL.com
As relayed by TIME's Sean Gregory, Schiano proposes that after a touchdown or field goal, the scoring team retains possession, getting the football on its own 30, facing fourth-and-15. The team either can go for it or punt it away. In effect, punts would replace kickoffs.

5) Losers of the Superbowl are rewarded with the 6th pick of every round.

6) Worst 5 teams gain respective picks 1-5 in every round. All other teams use a lottery system to decide the picking order of the rest.

7) Teams have a 5 million dollar flex in their Cap Space. This 5 million can be used to sweeten trades, trade for picks, pay their players etc.

8) Increase in Roster Size (60 sounds right to me)

9) Appropriate increase in Cap Space for the 7 extra players.

10) Allow more full-pad practices

11) Any and all cap-space is returned to any team of a player awaiting trial on a felony

12) Longest field-goal in the pre-game decides the right to Receive or Kick (or which goal to defend)

13) Coaches can use a challenge to challenge.. anything. All reviews are done by a centralized reviewing system

13a) All revenue from commercials shown during a review are used to hire full time officials.

14) During reviews: The cheerleaders from each team, (un)dressed in lingerie, reenact the play in question on the field.

 

[Snake Eyes]

That doesn't solve the Thursday night game issue, which is the crux of the reasoning behind this proposal (at least from my end anyhow).

I'd solve that by getting rid of Thursday night football

 

[SalemPats]

There is one issue that bothers me. Replay challanges almost always go straight to commercial. I think they should speed up the replay challenge and not go to a commercial to speed up the game.

 

[DocHoliday]

1.) Remove the totally arbitrary 'ref' spot from the game. We use replay and precise chains but it's all inherently flawed because a ref spots it pretty much wherever he wants. I'm not sure how to do this, but if there's a technological alternative, I'm all for it.

2.) Extend uprights.

3.) Replace chains with lasers. In fact, everything should be lasers. More lasers. In the goal line maybe as well. Just more advanced tech. Keep the chains and stuff for backup.

4.) Centralized replay system that shows views in-stadium.

5.) Loosen defensive and offensive PI but call pick plays that result in collision as Unnecessary Roughness, 15 yards. Maybe this is a kneejerk suggestion. Ignore it.

Here's where I get controversial:

6.) 18 game season. Two Thursday Night Games that come after bye weeks. Give each team two bye weeks. Each player can only play in 16 games. Allows more planning and intrigue while leaving the game safe. Raises importance of those depth players which has an interesting side effect: since your previously ST only players now must play on O and D, it makes for less ST specialists and hopefully more dynamic and mistake-prone ST plays. This helps make KOs more interesting again without making it dangerous again.

7.) Extend rosters to 60. Add 5 spots to the practice squad and extend eligibility by a year. This will support idea 6.

8.) Push extra point back to make the equivalent of a 35 yard field goal. Hopefully results in more two point conversions. OR, eliminate XP entirely and make a TD worth 7 points. The upside of the latter idea is the elimination of the TD, commercial, XP, commercial sequence.

9.) Push lineman closer to each other to eliminate the repetitive head banging that has been shown to be a part of CTE and turn it more into a sumo type upper body technique battle. There will be decreased momentum at contact and a lessened emphasis on explosiveness and an increased emphasis on technique. I find this more interesting and safer for the game. The downside is the possibility that such an increased emphasis on technique will make DL more specialized and stop the emergence of hybrid LB/DE/DTs. One solution is to apply this new rule to interior lineman only, leaving DE and OT as they are. These two players often have a massive height difference (little head contact) and engage directly with their hands right at the start anyway, making this rule unnecessary. The lines would look like )(

10.) Totally eliminate all non-wrap up tackles below the thighs. If you want to deliver a big hit with your shoulder, it can't be to the knees or lower. That's it.

 

[Deus Irae]

1.) Remove...

4 and 8 (in some form) work for me. No thanks on the rest.

 

[JackBauer]

162 game season.

 

[Danger Zone]

162 game season.

Thats just being unreasonable..

52 games a year is much more realistic!

 

[ivanvamp]

1. Pass Interference, two kinds: (a) Major - the greater of spot foul or 15 yards. (b) Minor - the lesser of spot foul or 15 yards. There's a big difference between slight interference (which still should be a penalty) and a mugging. No way a 40 yard penalty should occur on slight (but legit) PI that far downfield. But DBs should pay a stiffer penalty for crushing a guy on a 3-yard out pattern as well.

2. 2 preseason games, 18 regular season games, add a bye week, and let the Super Bowl be on Presidents' weekend. Take advantage of the holiday on Monday. Plus, it extends the most popular sport in America longer into the worst month of the year for sports.

3. Have baseball-style disabled lists. I hate the NFL injury rules.

4. Change replay on fumbles. The Sea-SF playoff game was exhibit A for why those rules are seriously messed up.

 

[DocHoliday]

One more:

Away teams can use any jersey they'd like so long as it doesn't look anything like the home team. Encourage throwbacks instead of whites.

 

[lurker1965]

Extend the uprights 5 feet. I can do it with PVC, a ladder, a plumb bob, and a can of yellow paint. I'll charge $25 per goal post.