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Goodell: NFL no longer needs 4 preseason games


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http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-goodell

 

NEW YORK (AP)—Commissioner Roger Goodell says the NFL no longer needs four preseason games, but the league should change its offseason training programs.

 

“It’s clear the fans don’t want four preseason games,” Goodell said Thursday after speaking to high school players at an NFL football clinic in Queens. “It’s clear the players don’t want four preseason games. They tell me that all the time. You ask them that question and they’ll tell you. And we really don’t need it to make the game better. So we have to evolve just as we did a couple of decades ago when we went from six preseason games to four.”

 

NFL and union officials discussed adding two games to the regular season when they met Wednesday for their first negotiating session since February. Teams would still play a total of 20 exhibition plus regular-season games under the proposal. The league would go from four in the preseason and 16 in the regular season to two and 18.

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Players have expressed concerns about an increase in injuries. Goodell suggested adjustments in the offseason programs could alleviate that.

 

“I think you do have to make changes,” he said. “We’ve been very open about that from Day 1. I think we have to do it regardless.”

 

Players don’t have much of a true offseason these days when they can rest and take a break from football. While certain workouts are technically voluntary, they may not feel that way.

 

“Obviously there’s a lot of pressure from teammates and coaches,” Goodell said, “so I think we’re going to have to have some guidelines and restrictions on what can be done and can’t be done in the offseason.”

 

The collective bargaining agreement expires in March, which could lead to a work stoppage during the 2011 season. Goodell said he wasn’t concerned about the tone of the back-and-forth between the league and the NFL Players Association.

 

“This is a negotiation,” he said. “You have to have a dialogue about how to make the game better.”

 

Goodell said he still doesn’t have enough information to make a decision on possibly disciplining Vince Young(notes). The Tennessee Titans quarterback received a misdemeanor assault citation after a fight early Sunday at a Dallas strip club.

 

Surveillance video footage released by Dallas police showed the quarterback and several people talking in a small room before Young attacked someone in the room. Young has apologized and said he hopes he won’t receive a suspension.

 

“Right now we’re just gathering facts to make sure we understand all the facts before we make any determination about the next step in our process,” Goodell said.

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Myself I like the idea of no preseason 18 regular season games with 2 bye weeks.

That would shorten the total of the games from 20 to 18 but add an extra bye week for injury recovery

they want more revenue...hence turning two pre-season games into regular season games...doubt they would just cut 2 games, even if they were just pre-season games (season ticket holders are forced to buy them, from what I recall)

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It's ALL about money. Don't need pre-season games? Ask coaches if they agree. I doubt many will.

 

Pass on an 18 game season too. NFL in August? The fact that it's so stinkin hot aside, do that many people really want to watch football in August? I watch about 2 mins of the occasional pre-season game and it wouldn't be much diff if they counted, frankly; I have better things to do in the summer. Season is plenty long enough anyway. More games just dilutes it that much more. And if you thought 1000 yd season rushing (etc etc) was less impressive or meaningful when they went from 14 to 16.........

 

PS: they tried 2 bye weeks before and everyone hated it, including the fans, because you get these weeks where there are only a few games being played. I even remember ESPN commentators saying they didn't like it.

 

I think Goodell is about as lame as Tagliaboob was.

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I have been waiting years for this because I can't stand 13 game regular fantasy seasons.

 

After 20 years of living with week 17 this year I finally had enough and cut our 14 game season to 13 to have week 16 end the year.

 

So of course now they are thinking about making it 18 weeks just to mess up the history of my leagues!

 

Thank you NFL!

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I have been waiting years for this because I can't stand 13 game regular fantasy seasons.

 

After 20 years of living with week 17 this year I finally had enough and cut our 14 game season to 13 to have week 16 end the year.

 

So of course now they are thinking about making it 18 weeks just to mess up the history of my leagues!

 

Thank you NFL!

 

So you play in 52 leagues and they all play by your rules?

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I think the 16 game schedule and postseason is perfect in length. Holds fans attention without being too long or two short. In fantasy terms, going to 18 games means more committee backfields to last all year, more injuries and potentially even worse situations where a team may go on autopilot for a month after winning their division.

 

Oh yes, and all NFL records for rushing, passing and receiving get shattered.

 

Cut out two preseason games - fine. But going to 18 games in the regular season is a pure play for money at the expense of the players and game. Would players get an automatic 12% increase from playing in 12% more games? Or is this how the NFL gets more money for owners without taking away money from players?

 

I hate the idea. You have something almost perfect. Leave it the hell alone.

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I think the 16 game schedule and postseason is perfect in length. Holds fans attention without being too long or two short. In fantasy terms, going to 18 games means more committee backfields to last all year, more injuries and potentially even worse situations where a team may go on autopilot for a month after winning their division.

 

Oh yes, and all NFL records for rushing, passing and receiving get shattered.

 

Cut out two preseason games - fine. But going to 18 games in the regular season is a pure play for money at the expense of the players and game. Would players get an automatic 12% increase from playing in 12% more games? Or is this how the NFL gets more money for owners without taking away money from players?

 

I hate the idea. You have something almost perfect. Leave it the hell alone.

Dreamer. :wacko:

 

Agree 1000%.

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Nobody complains (Muto aside) that the NFL season is too short... The thing people complain about is paying regular-season prices for preseason games (but of course they don't want to change that)... Definitely all about the money, and has nothing to do with improving the game.

 

But gripes aside, my question as a fantasy owner is how much of a pain in the arse is it going to be to have to go through two rounds of bye weeks?

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In 1993 they used a double bye system.

 

I remember it because some guy in one of the leagues I was in (I was only in 2 leagues that year ok) had drafted only 3 RB's and 2 of them were from the AFC Central and back then in 1993 the entire division byed together. Then this guy failed to make a waiver move all year and only started 1 RB both weeks then to top it off 2 of his 3 RB's got hurt during the season and I had to win my game while having him knock off his opponent who was 1 game up in my division for me to win my division because the guy who ran the league had some quirkey rule only 2 teams made the playoffs and went straight the Bowl.

 

In any event it was pretty strange, hard to remember that far back but a real pain if they go to double bye weeks again.

Edited by Henry Muto
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The 1993 NFL season was the 74th regular season of the National Football League. For the first time in league history, all NFL teams played their 16-game schedule over a span of 18 weeks. After the success of expanding the regular season to a period of 17 weeks in 1990, the league hoped this new schedule would generate even more revenue. However, teams felt that having two weeks off during the regular season was too disruptive for their weekly routines, and thus it reverted to 17 weeks immediately after the season ended.

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I believe the only way the NFLPA would go for it, would be with more game checks for players. Would never fly without that, right?

 

It does seem however, that it might cheapen the value of a W. And some teams may outplay their division or conference to the point where they could rest starters for 2 weeks instead of 1. Which would be quite suckworthy.

 

Otherwise, I'm all for it...

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In 1993 with the 2 bye weeks, there were 8 teams with a bye during most bye weeks. Over a 18-week season, they would be able to spread ot the bye weeks more, meaning there would be less teams on bye on each bye week, and there are 4 more teams since then. So the available teams would be less diluted than in 1993.

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If the regular season still started after Labor Day, I could go for an 18 week season since February sucks for sports after the Superbowl. An 18 game season with two bye weeks would push the SB to the end of February, which would be OK with me though I am concerned about the season petering out in a welter of uninteresting non-games.

 

If the season were to begin in August though, I'd consider packing fantasy football in altogether. Drafts would need to be done in July / early August and that's just too difficult what with vacations and all. I dunno about the rest of you but I play fantasy baseball and there's already a one month overlap with FF.

 

There is a smell of "too much of a good thing" about this proposal.

Edited by Ursa Majoris
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Pre-season football sucks balls. I would love to see them cut two pre-season games out and make them into regular games.

If I were in a large league and/or dynasty, I'm sure I'd be a lot more into it and I can see being into it for that.

 

I would freakin hate an 18 game season for the same reason I hate the idea of more NFL teams added to the league. You're just diluting it.

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also ask all the bubble players. They need every chance they can get to show what they can do. I hope the UFL survives.

 

I honestly think the coaches would be on board cutting preseason down to 2 games, yet you are correct that those 4 games are paramount for players trying to make the team.

 

Coaches teand to tread putting their starters on the field during preseason and I think all the assistant coaches do most of the barking on the sidelines during the preseason.

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I'm not in favor of this. The knee jerk reaction is going to be: Great! 2 more meaningful games. That HAS to be a good thing!

 

I'd be wary of an increased number of injuries as a result of the additional games, which would water down the product. I'd also be concerned about increases in demands by players for additonal compensation - which is completely justified, IMO, given an increase in full time game day workload of 11%. Those additonal costs would be absorbed by the fans of the game.

 

The season seems just about right the way it currently exists. I'm not sure why there is such a need to mess with a good thing. Sometimes these kinds of changes can have significant negative impact.

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