Extended Season Soon

[Froob]

The best idea I've heard for shortening the preseason came, I believe, from one of the coaches who suggested two actual preseason games + two televised joint practices for each team.

Not a bad idea, but I don’t really see what the issue is with pre season. People can just not watch it if they don’t like it. It’s mostly backups playing trying to make the roster so really not hurting starters.

I guess if you do anything you take one game away. Have one game with a drive or two from starters, dress rehearsal, and scrub fest. Hall
Of fame game should def count as one of the four (or 3 in this scenario), five is very excessive.

Not sure if it’s realistic with season ticket packages, but maybe you do 3 with one home, road and then a neutral site.

 

[SammyBlueCat]

18 games season concept


Goodell: Four preseason games not necessary


Interesting thought about 18 game schedule

NFLPA says, "18 game season... no way"

 

[PatsDeb]

Roger Goodell says NFL has 'no higher priority' than player safety

You can't see in that photo that his fingers on his left hand are crossed behind his back.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Roger Goodell says NFL has 'no higher priority' than player safety

He needs to dummy up on all matters related to this topic.

 

[patman52]

shorten the preseason by one game and add 1 more bye week and one more regular season game. keep the playoffs the way they are now. Thursday night games are between teams coming off byes. I think this adds about 1o% more revenue. The national networks will now have 18 weeks of regular season games to broadcast.

 

[ralmat55]

You have to wonder if the addition of two Wildcard games would make up for the lost gate receipts and other revenue from 32 cancelled preseason games. Each team would lose 10% of their gate revenues.

Make no mistake. The need for more product to offer the networks so the rights fees continue to go up is what this discussion is all about. because without more product, TV revenue will decline and the salary cap is going to start to decrease and the Union sure doesn’t want that to happen.

That’s why, like it or not, the NFL is likely to win this battle.

My suggestion which dovetails with improving player safety is to go from 1 bye week to 3 which would give the networks 19 weekends rather than 17 of NFL games during the regular season. Keep the playoffs as they are. And the Super Bowl would then be played on the Sunday before Presidents Day.

 

[moosekill]

It is easy to sit here in New England and say how stupid it is to add another playoff team, when we have made it for so many years in a row. For most teams, including the Patriots that I grew up watching, making the playoffs was not a given, and this prospect of getting into the playoffs would have been amazing.

 

[Kontradiction]

If it ain’t broke... try to fix it.

 

[Deus Irae]

Billionaires who feel the need to add a couple of million dollars to their bottom line, at the expense of both player safety and the quality of playoff games.


Or, as I call them: assholes.

 

[patfanken]

What we have here is the reality that 2 weeks of joint practices instead of 2 preseason games and 2 preseason games, are better for the team's preparation than the current situation. The question becomes how do the owner replace that revenue (that they steal from season ticket holders every year).

First how much money is it? And where could they get it back. One idea is to charge people to go to the joint practices. Remember there would be 6 joint practices, to replace ONE preseason game. So if you charge people say $20 to watch the practice you might actually end up with more money. Of course you might have to add to the seating capacity.

I am VIOLENTLY opposed to any expansion of the playoffs. Having almost half the teams making the playoffs just diminishes the regular season. Currently just over a third of the teams in each conference make the playoffs. Personally I'd rather it be about 25%, but it is what it is and this system seems to work most of the time. Changing it just as a relatively small money grab is obscene

 

[reflexblue]

The regular season is fine as is and the playoffs are perfect the way they are so naturally they need to be 'fixed' until they are broken, smdh. If they are that desperate for more product they should just add a second bye and increase the season to 18 weeks while leaving the game total alone.

One of my rules of thumb... if it ain't broken don't fix it. Because theres a good chance you really will break it.

 

[RelocatedPatFan]

This is the NFL thinking this is a good idea

 

[varjao]

Not a bad idea, but I don’t really see what the issue is with pre season. People can just not watch it if they don’t like it. It’s mostly backups playing trying to make the roster so really not hurting starters.

I guess if you do anything you take one game away. Have one game with a drive or two from starters, dress rehearsal, and scrub fest. Hall
Of fame game should def count as one of the four (or 3 in this scenario), five is very excessive.

Not sure if it’s realistic with season ticket packages, but maybe you do 3 with one home, road and then a neutral site.

I agree with this point of view. Pre season kind of sucks, the injuries sucks but there's no way you go into the season without playing games, that doesn't happen in any sport I can remember, don't give me that crap that practices are the same, or joint practices for that matter. You need to get all the people involved acclimated, from the bus driver, water boy, to the real stars, the players. You need to judge a rookie when all the lights are shinning, not in a practice in the afternoon.

The 4th game really comes in question, there's a workload in NFL games that involves travels, airplanes, hotels, that is really unnecessary for a game that will define a couple roster spots or 3. It could really be a joint practice with steroids. Maybe a 40 minute game, 2 quarters of 20 minutes. Definitely avoiding long travels, maybe in a neutral field in the middle of the path between the two cities, and the money raised with tickets going to a foundation.

Oh yes, or remove the 4th game already, that's my favorite option.

 

[Chevy]

It is easy to sit here in New England and say how stupid it is to add another playoff team, when we have made it for so many years in a row. For most teams, including the Patriots that I grew up watching, making the playoffs was not a given, and this prospect of getting into the playoffs would have been amazing.

Well, teams that earn a trip to the post-season get a trip to the post-season.

Win your Division
Win your Conference
Win the Super Bowl

I say drop all overseas / foreign games, drop TNF, drop one WC and one First-Round bye. 10/32 teams make the playoffs.

I like the idea of dropping one Pre-Season game in favor of - nothing. Don't add any games. Keep the Pre-Season start and end dates the same, giving that free week to the tram to do as they see fit.

 

[BradyFTW!]

All else aside, I do think there's something to be said for having the 1 seed be even more of a benefit than 'just' guaranteed AFCCG home field. I'm not totally against this, much better than lengthening the regular season at least.

 

[Deus Irae]

It is easy to sit here in New England and say how stupid it is to add another playoff team, when we have made it for so many years in a row. For most teams, including the Patriots that I grew up watching, making the playoffs was not a given, and this prospect of getting into the playoffs would have been amazing.

I've been a Patriots fan since the 70's. You'll have to excuse me if I find your argument untenable, but I've lived through 1-15 and still think expanded playoffs is a bad idea.

 

[Wheelman]

I told ya. When Jerrah gets involved, he always gets what he wants!

 

[Wheelman]

Welcome to the
Never
Feel
Like it's Enough

league. They are determined to kill a good thing...

It's what greedy people do. Hasn't changed since the dawn of humanity. We only have ourselves to blame for funding their greed.

 

[Wordsmyth]

shorten the preseason by one game and add 1 more bye week and one more regular season game. keep the playoffs the way they are now. Thursday night games are between teams coming off byes. I think this adds about 1o% more revenue. The national networks will now have 18 weeks of regular season games to broadcast.

If there any changes to truly be made, your ideas are the best.

 

[farn]

In an attempt to “make more $”, the League will actually oversaturate and lose money in the end...