State of the NFL in about 5 years

[RecoveringCowboy]

I would not get too hopeful. We will probably look back on 2015 as the NFL's high water mark. I expect the decline in TV viewership to continue to the point the league will have to make some hard decisions, including lowering the salary cap. Undoubtedly, this will make the next collective bargaining agreement - CBA really tough before you even factor in the players no longer respect sheriff Goodell. Maybe you have a short season or even none at all.

By then, even the Hatriots might grudgingly concede dynasties are better than parity for this league. I hope to be wrong, but think Patriot SB runs will really be hard without Brady and not knowing when and how Belichick transitions to his successor. I hope BB remains as a GM and mentors his expertise to whoever remains on his coaching staff.

This league is too focused on short-term profits at the expense of the future. I think dynasties are a good thing. Not like the Yankees, but a team of the decade type. The lack of standout teams hurts the NFL right now.

The NFL may be done in by concussions. If kids don't play, the league gets fewer players. Don't know if there is much that can be done.

 

[deroc5050]

Yeah it will be very interesting to see how the NFL fares at the next CBA, not only is salary most likely going to be cut by a significant % but they have to get the marijauna violations suspensions out of the league. Guys are losing millions for smoking the safest recreational drug on the planet. Instead of taking hard pills for pain they can smoke weed which can help with the pain.

Cable subs will continue to drop so viewership on certain games will get lower and lower.

They might need to advertise on their jerseys.. I don't watch commercials and most of the peops that do have cable probably spend the extra 10 bucks for DVR which you can just fast forward through the commercials. If I am home I go on the gameday thread forum and read over reactionary sometimes funny, sometimes ludicrous statements, keeps me entertained while the commercials are running.

The NFL should still be king.. but have the rule changes made the game better over the last 10-12 years? I'm not so sure, they really need to access penalties and after every play down field WR' and Tight ends after every play are making the throw the flag hand gesture.\

And honestly let players celebrate however they friggen want to after scoring a TD as long as its not a delay of game. Obviously you have to draw the line somewhere like hiding cell phones in the goal post is crossing the line, but if 3 guys wanna dance and celebrate let them..

 

[supafly]

I hope BB remains as a GM and mentors his expertise to whoever remains on his coaching staff.

I think this is nothing more than wishful thinking. I fully expect Belichick to be "all in" with his year round role as GM/HC right now and until he hangs them up, but what purpose would it serve for him to stop coaching (something he seems to love) and spend a comparable amount of time as a GM? It just doesn't make any sense when you think about it.

 

[Joey007]

As for the NFL as a whole, I hope the best for it. I love the game, I just hate the greedy individuals that have taken it over. I'd love to see the NFL get rid of Goodell, clean up the rules, and make the game more enjoyable like it used to. Though that all may or may not be a pipe dream, the sport in general I hope nothing but the best for.

 

[BobDigital]

The NFL is going to be hurt by trying to tinker with it too much. Sometimes you don't need to make a good thing better. Sometimes just leave well enough alone and be happy for the massive success you have.

I think the height of the NFL was the SB49 and not just cause the Pats won but cause it was a year when Ds could still play to an extent unlike 2015 when rule changes/reinforcements hurt them more and before the crusade to stop the Patriots at all cost made the NFL look stupid and fans lose trust. No one likes the owners/commissioner now and that is a problem.

As far as the guys on the field.... No doubt the game will be poorer after Brady leaves (he may be the last true elite pocket passer we ever see). However the guys on the field will not be an issue.

Rodgers will still be kicking around a bit. Carr, Mariota, Wilson, Prescott (maybe) JAG (maybe), Winston, Bortles (maybe), Wentz (maybe).

It is not like they don't have some potentially good young QBs coming up. It is just I don't trust the NFL to not screw it up even with that.

Yes I will still watch cause i love the game but I will always have in the back of my mind "the NFL isn't afraid to fix things if one team gets too good or "their guy" doesn't win.

 

[Joker]

The NFL ,as I and long time fans have known and loved it, died August 8th, 2006. We just didn't know it until recently. You've all been watching the WWFL the past ten years.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

The NFL ,as I and long time fans have known and loved it, died August 8th, 2006. We just didn't know it until recently. You've all been watching the WWFL the past ten years.

I hope the NFL is dead in five years, a formerly successful sports league ruined by the greed and lies of the owners and their abominable commissioner.

 

[deroc5050]

The NFL ,as I and long time fans have known and loved it, died August 8th, 2006. We just didn't know it until recently. You've all been watching the WWFL the past ten years.

Did Malcolm Butler have that all planned out. And I am sure the NFL was ecstatic the Patriots won another one.

 

[deroc5050]

I hope the NFL is dead in five years, a formerly successful sports league ruined by the greed and lies of the owners and their abominable commissioner.

You want the NFL dead in 5 years? Your lying to yourself.. so you want Brady and the Pats Superbowls to mean nothing? You don't enjoy watching Pats games anymore? Why are you even here if you want the NFL dead and buried?

 

[Joker]

Did Malcolm Butler have that all planned out. And I am sure the NFL was ecstatic the Patriots won another one.

The Pats were beat if Lynch runs the ball. Everyone knows that. THAT CALL is something no ref could have stopped.Did the 49ers have a nearly 20 minute game stoppage planned out for Ray Lewis in THAT Super Bowl? Did THIS never happen in 2007------------------------>




Did Rothlisberger's 22.7 QBR in the Seattle/Pitt super bowl win it in 2006? Heh...right
Top Ten Controversial Calls: Super Bowl XL

You actually think that game in Denver last season that stopped New England from moving on over Denver and propelled Manning into his last Super Bowl appearance was just bad luck on a string of calls/non-calls bordering on the ludicrous?

You are seriously saying all the gates aimed at destroying the effectiveness of the NEP as a franchise are just the result of happenstance? Do you or ANYONE on thsi board or any NFL board in the world KNOW where Mike Kensil is TODAY?

Goodell's NFL Offices executives and VP's comprised of former NY Jet presidents, lawyers,media PR people...jeezus krist, right on down to the mope that runs the NFL Official Tweets arm of the league...the franchise in direct geographical and divisional competition with the NEP, the franchise jilted by BB, the franchise that has NOT won a Super Bowl in the modern era, the franchise that LUSTS for league parity...THIS franchise has no part in the New Goodell Order ? "Pushing the pile"do over for the ONLY time in NFL history to rob the NEP and strengthen their rivals with playoff positioning?

Year after year since 2006, all these coinky dinkys....literally hundreds of them the past decade are ALL deemed "nothing to see here...PURE AS THE DRIVEN SNOW!!"

What Malcolm Butler did was TAUGHT to him by BB. The blatant pushoffs and uncalled holds on that DRIVE by the Seahawks were in the hands of the refs. The method Goodell proposed and was hired to implement in 2006. The NFL as "entertainment". Storylines, appeal to the female demograhic, "parity!",complete and utter disdain for the HARDCORE NFL fans as evidenced by the castration of the game itself in order to foster this fake sense of "safety" they so desperately want to hold off the concussion lawsuits. The NFL has taken us for suckers and has been playing us for suckers ever since the networks and corporate money flooded the league in the mid 90's. With Goodell, they finally had the window to completely co-opt the game to do with as they well pleased. THIS is why Kraft perplexingly always sided with the preposterous "gate" thieveries. It's all about the moolah.

The NFL as a contested sporting event is a thing of the past.

 

[deroc5050]

The Pats were beat if Lynch runs the ball. Everyone knows that. THAT CALL is something no ref could have stopped.Did the 49ers have a nearly 20 minute game stoppage planned out for Ray Lewis in THAT Super Bowl? Did THIS never happen in 2007------------------------>




Did Rothlisberger's 22.7 QBR in the Seattle/Pitt super bowl win it in 2006? Heh...right
Top Ten Controversial Calls: Super Bowl XL

You actually think that game in Denver last season that stopped New England from moving on over Denver and propelled Manning into his last Super Bowl appearance was just bad luck on a string of calls/non-calls bordering on the ludicrous?

You are seriously saying all the gates aimed at destroying the effectiveness of the NEP as a franchise are just the result of happenstance? Do you or ANYONE on thsi board or any NFL board in the world KNOW where Mike Kensil is TODAY?

Goodell's NFL Offices executives and VP's comprised of former NY Jet presidents, lawyers,media PR people...jeezus krist, right on down to the mope that runs the NFL Official Tweets arm of the league...the franchise in direct geographical and divisional competition with the NEP, the franchise jilted by BB, the franchise that has NOT won a Super Bowl in the modern era, the franchise that LUSTS for league parity...THIS franchise has no part in the New Goodell Order ? "Pushing the pile"do over for the ONLY time in NFL history to rob the NEP and strengthen their rivals with playoff positioning?

Year after year since 2006, all these coinky dinkys....literally hundreds of them the past decade are ALL deemed "nothing to see here...PURE AS THE DRIVEN SNOW!!"

What Malcolm Butler did was TAUGHT to him by BB. The blatant pushoffs and uncalled holds on that DRIVE by the Seahawks were in the hands of the refs. The method Goodell proposed and was hired to implement in 2006. The NFL as "entertainment". Storylines, appeal to the female demograhic, "parity!",complete and utter disdain for the HARDCORE NFL fans as evidenced by the castration of the game itself in order to foster this fake sense of "safety" they so desperately want to hold off the concussion lawsuits. The NFL has taken us for suckers and has been playing us for suckers ever since the networks and corporate money flooded the league in the mid 90's. With Goodell, they finally had the window to completely co-opt the game to do with as they well pleased. THIS is why Kraft perplexingly always sided with the preposterous "gate" thieveries. It's all about the moolah.

The NFL as a contested sporting event is a thing of the past.

Well if you honestly believe that, than I don't know how you could watch a game ever again.

The Giants D line utterly dominated us the entire game. Yeah on 4th down that was a hold I admit and pretty blatant but refs tend to swallow the whistles at the very ends of games. Even after Eli threw the ball it took a pretty amazing grab with Harrison clobbering David Tyree and somehow he holds the ball against his helmet as he is falling to the ground... I am not willing to say the fix is in. The Patriots didn't play well enough in the 07 super bowl.. they should have been up 2 possessions at the very least but the Giants D line all took PED's and Adderal before the game and were so jacked up.. they just decimated us.

And then the next super bowl all we needed was for Wes to hold on to the ball... And that was pretty much game.

Edit: dude last year Ghost missed the extra point.. Marcus Cannon was a friggen statue as von miller just ate him for breakfast all game. We had our chances.

 

[Joker]

Edit: dude last year Ghost missed the extra point.. Marcus Cannon was a friggen statue as von miller just ate him for breakfast all game. We had our chances.

Dude, here's a pic of Talib not holding Gronk in the EZ of that game..

Dude, this pic comes from a sports.yahoo.fans page with NINE other explicit examples

Ten reasons Patriots fans can claim they were robbed at Mile High

Dude, so I guess you're a huge Chris Mortensen, Mike Kensil, Roger Goodell,Grigson & Harbawl believer...that's nice. Flat earther believer too?

 

[Observer]

In 5 years Brady will have retired, there will be no superstars left, the games will be sloppy and boring and I will only be watching if I absolutely don't have anything better to do.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Brady's puberty will have reversed and he will be shy around girls. He will think poopie jokes are funny and play with GI Joes.

 

[BTTA]

You want the NFL dead in 5 years? Your lying to yourself.. so you want Brady and the Pats Superbowls to mean nothing? You don't enjoy watching Pats games anymore? Why are you even here if you want the NFL dead and buried?

Yeah, that's a conflict...disgust with the NFL vs. love for the Pats. Not sure how that settles out, but when Brady's gone I suspect I'll be more focused on the disgust than the love.

Plus, there's going to be a lot of pressure on football regarding brain injuries at all levels. I don't think we've even begun to see the impact of that, throughout the "football system."

 

[aluminum seats]

I think this is nothing more than wishful thinking. I fully expect Belichick to be "all in" with his year round role as GM/HC right now and until he hangs them up, but what purpose would it serve for him to stop coaching (something he seems to love) and spend a comparable amount of time as a GM? It just doesn't make any sense when you think about it.

Agreed. He'll do what he does and then he'll sail off on his boat (with whatever number of rings it'll be called then.) Also don't think he'll write a book like a lot of people want. He might actually do some TV, as bizarre as that sounds.

 

[deroc5050]

Dude, here's a pic of Talib not holding Gronk in the EZ of that game..

Dude, this pic comes from a sports.yahoo.fans page with NINE other explicit examples

Ten reasons Patriots fans can claim they were robbed at Mile High

Dude, so I guess you're a huge Chris Mortensen, Mike Kensil, Roger Goodell,Grigson & Harbawl believer...that's nice. Flat earther believer too?

So you think the fix is in?

 

[brdmaverick]

2016 seasons feels like Gotham City without the Joker.

With the Joker around, Batman had the rival that spurred epic battles.

Without Peyton Manning in the league, Brady has only faced mediocre teams and without the looming potential of facing off against his long time nemesis.

 

[RecoveringCowboy]

Five years is a long time off. For the first time, it looks like the future may not be as good as the present or past. On fix that should be a no-brainer is hiring full-time refs. If eliminating the "dead space" and bad calls is that important, why didn't this already happen? The viewers that stay and watch the game should more than pay for the refs.

I don't know if such a thing can be devised, but if concussion-resistant equipment can be made, someone is going to get rich.

 

[NormZauchin]

2016 seasons feels like Gotham City without the Joker.

With the Joker around, Batman had the rival that spurred epic battles.

Without Peyton Manning in the league, Brady has only faced mediocre teams and without the looming potential of facing off against his long time nemesis.

Last year, the Joker was a joke.