NFL drops 18 game schedule proposal... but...

[RelocatedPatFan]

To get to 17 games, they would need to expand the league by 2 games and then there would be an unbalanced division and it would blow the whole concept apart (playing your in division team twice unless they went to a AFC/NFC 17/17 split with no division.

But that would be another problem....seems too complicated because it couldn't be play all teams in your conference once and the matching from last years in the other conference - would get boring to only see the same teams each year. Don't fix it, it's not broken

 

[Wax Frog]

I don't mind losing 2 preseason games. In fact, might prefer it. I don't love adding a 17th game, and question where in the formula it would come from?

Keep in mind this is the same species that endlessly remakes or does needless sequels to old movies instead of actually trying to be creative.

 

[Sicilian]

Keep in mind this is the same species that endlessly remakes or does needless sequels to old movies instead of actually trying to be creative.

So what you're saying is, reboot the whole league. Start from scratch, but call it The New NFL. Then, when people complain, bring back the old league, call it NFL Classic, and start counting the money.

 

[Crazy Patriot Guy]

Please leave it as is. I very much enjoy knowing that the Pats will play @ New Orleans in 2025 and @ Green Bay in 2022 and host the 49ers in 2020.

Right now the schedule is easy. Don't change it.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Dropping 2 preseason games make player evaluation more difficult, but it allows us to start the season earlier...

Sunday, 1 PM, August, Miami?

Hell no.

 

[SHOWTIME15]

Sunday, 1 PM, August, Miami?

Hell no.

Like September in Miami is a huge difference?

 

[fxmallon]

The best scenario for players and fans--who cares about the owners-- would be to drop one pre-season game, all international games (or play one of the three pre-season games abroad) and leave the rest utterly alone with the one possible exception of banning Thurs night games.

 

[InRodWeRust]

LEAVE IT THE **** ALONE! It's perfect as is! This reminds me of that biscuit scene in Tommy Boy:

 

[Tb12goesinya]

The NFL format is perfect.

-Divison play.
-Rotating divison in conference.
-Rotating divison out of conference.
-Play same divison ranking opponent in conference.

-Home field advantage throughout
-2 bye teams
-Divison winning goal gets you a home game
-2 wild card teams reward good teams and keep out riffraff

Keeps teams fighting til the end for vital homefield, and keeps very mediocre teams out.(unlike basketball etc.)

IT'S PERFECTLY SYMMETRICAL LEAVE IT ALONE

2 minor alterations

1. Completely ditch the preseason. It's a money grab for owners, season ticket holders dont like it. Prepare for battle with your 100 or so man summer roster and then go to war with your best 53 man team. It hurts getting fringe players on tape, but bring in cut players for a post camp workout. Oh well sorry, maybe next year son. Workout hard and do self scouting, pick a team fit for you to try out in camp the following year.

2. Move President's Day up a few weeks. Do it Trump. It is a bi-partisin NO BRAINER. The country would love it. Football is #1 sport in America, cater to it. No one really cares about President's Day either, ZERO reason it can't be shuffled around to the collective's advantage. If Easter can shuffle then so can President's Day.

 

[QuantumMechanic]

What's wrong with the way things are? I like the current format. I like 4 pre-season games because it gives other guys a shot to make the team. I also don't want the playoffs expanded. Keep it the way it is now.

Exactly.
If they do “have” to extend the season, give every team another bye and play 16 games in 18 weeks.

 

[MainePatsFan26]

...now they’re pushing 17.

They’d drop 2 preseason games. Am I crazy, or does this sound reasonable?

I can't believe the league would claim they are done with pushing for an 18 game season. If they continued to threaten 18 games, that would have made 17 seem like they were doing the players a favor. The league could also hold the player salaries hostage, claiming that they need the extra revenue from 18 games to continue to be able to afford player salaries in the age of lower live ratings.

Now do I believe the league is right to push for more games? God no! But the failed bargaining tactics employed by the clown commish further shows that it is time for the owners to move for new leadership.

 

[Patriot Missile]

The only way these players are ever going to even entertain a 17 or 18 game schedule is if the overlords start ponying up guaranteed contracts and lifetime medical. Which means the NFLPA will never agree because we know the owners like things just the way they are.

 

[pheenix11]

The current schedule rotation is perfectly symmetrical,

Hey, let’s completely screw it up by adding another game.

 

[Deus Irae]

The NFL format is perfect.

-Divison play.
-Rotating divison in conference.
-Rotating divison out of conference.
-Play same divison ranking opponent in conference.

-Home field advantage throughout
-2 bye teams
-Divison winning goal gets you a home game
-2 wild card teams reward good teams and keep out riffraff

Keeps teams fighting til the end for vital homefield, and keeps very mediocre teams out.(unlike basketball etc.)

IT'S PERFECTLY SYMMETRICAL LEAVE IT ALONE

2 minor alterations

1. Completely ditch the preseason. It's a money grab for owners, season ticket holders dont like it. Prepare for battle with your 100 or so man summer roster and then go to war with your best 53 man team. It hurts getting fringe players on tape, but bring in cut players for a post camp workout. Oh well sorry, maybe next year son. Workout hard and do self scouting, pick a team fit for you to try out in camp the following year.

2. Move President's Day up a few weeks. Do it Trump. It is a bi-partisin NO BRAINER. The country would love it. Football is #1 sport in America, cater to it. No one really cares about President's Day either, ZERO reason it can't be shuffled around to the collective's advantage. If Easter can shuffle then so can President's Day.

Leave President's day alone. It's bad enough that Washington had his holiday taken away from him. Let's not add insult to injury by moving his consolation prize around for the sake of something as idiotic as a sporting event.

 

[Deus Irae]

I can't believe the league would claim they are done with pushing for an 18 game season. If they continued to threaten 18 games, that would have made 17 seem like they were doing the players a favor. The league could also hold the player salaries hostage, claiming that they need the extra revenue from 18 games to continue to be able to afford player salaries in the age of lower live ratings.

Now do I believe the league is right to push for more games? God no! But the failed bargaining tactics employed by the clown commish further shows that it is time for the owners to move for new leadership.

A push for 18 games was the equivalent of pushing for 100% of the income. Neither has any chance of being taken seriously on their face, thus neither is of any use as a bargaining chip.

 

[Tony2046]

Exactly.
If they do “have” to extend the season, give every team another bye and play 16 games in 18 weeks.

Using that additional bye week before each Thursday night game.

 

[Tony2046]

" it's completely fair... during even years the Patriots play an additional road game and during odd years the Patriot's opponents play an additional home game "

 

[BelichicksHoodie]

The starters barely play at all in the preseason which is why the first two weeks of the season are hard to watch sometimes. They don’t have the rhythm or timing down yet which only comes with game action. Cutting down on preseason leads me to believe players will play even less and teams will just make those glorified scrimmages with third and fourth stringers.

 

[luuked]

Dropping 2 preseason games make player evaluation more difficult, but it allows us to start the season earlier...

Dropping 2 (or all) preseason games will just make for fewer injuries but won't do anything meaningful to the player evaluation process.

Evaluations are happening every day during camp and even more so in joined practices which are a more efficient and less dangerous way to do it. You can have your offense and defense work on specific scenarios and situations at the same time against opponents with a much lower risk of injury.

Screw the preseason.

 

[1960Pats]

Right now all a team needs to do to win their "division" and make the playoffs is have a better record than three other teams. Adding more crappy teams to the playoffs won't help. IOW, the current system is a joke and any changes will more than likely just be a different joke.