I'm not advocating mediocrity. I'm advocating parity and diversity. I don't think it's good for the NFL, for NFL fans, or for the game of football to have a system in place that supports two or three teams being dominant for 15-20 years at a time because they win the QB lottery. Either make it equally possible to win with a running attack or with an elite defense, or allow these QBs to get hit more than 10 times a year, so their careers are only 7 or 10 years long--not necessarily because of injury, either. Guys making that much money can easily run out of motivation to take hits from linemen and linebackers--but only if they're actually getting hit by those guys.
The problem with doing that (aside from that it's wrong) is your team will have the stigma of being that team. And your players will be in danger every time they step on the field.
Just like you said the moral implications to purposely hurt another human being for your own gain is disgusting and I hope no franchise swoops to those levels to really have no gain of their own other than hurting some of their competition. The other thing, as fans we get caught up in the passion of the game, for owners this is a business. Of course they want to win, but if the business is profitable and the numbers are good you are not going to do anything to jeopardize ruining your cash cow.
It already happened. Remember the Saints bounty scandal? They won a Super Bowl the year the bounty was started. They received a horrible fine and the HC was suspended for a year. Was it worth it? And dont defenses look to take players out of games anyway? How many helmet to helmet hits have Jet QB's taken that would have gotten a player suspended if the target was Brady? Christ Petty was destroyed several times with no flags this year alone. True, but owners also want to win. And if the league seems rigged for certain players to succeed and for the owners team to lose year after year it starts to hurt the bottom line of that team. Having the points and the God QB's might help the Pats and Steeler franchises and bring in fantasy football dollars to the NFL but the league as a whole suffers as long time Jet fans and Viking fans and Cardinal fans start to check out.
The way this league babies a small number of players is insane. It is especially great when P*ts fans bitch about the league having it out for them when Brady has been coddled for nearly 2 decades. Until every team stars being treated equally interest will continue to drop. For those "chosen few" winning will lose it's thrill. For the rest, people will just get tired of losing with the deck stacked against them. As for the owners, switching sports for a second, Rogers is a pubclically traded company so you can see the difference in revenue the last two seasons with the Blue Jays winning in comparison to the years before when they were a sub 500 basement club. The healthiest thing for any teams bottom line is winning playoff games. Woody probably made more money off the Jets in 2009 2010 then did in any other 5 years combined.
I guess it becomes an argument on whether that trickles down from the top of the organization or from the coaching staff. I can't remember if the ownership of the Saints was involved with it, but good points made.
Good point on the Blue Jays... Winning means hundreds of millions of dollars and the difference in being an owner that is considered a joke like Woody to one that walks on water and is treated like an all-knowing statesman like Robert Kraft. Which is incredible when you think of how Kraft has been involved in a lot of foolishness over the years. From the video he made with that young actress he dated after his wife died to having Putin steal his Super Bowl ring.
If Bountygate resulted in a franchise QB suffering a career-ending injury (Warner retired after his concussion, but he was due to retire anyway), it would have likely resulted in a totally different outcome for the Saints.
In the long view, healthy stars playing at their top level makes more money for everyone. In the NHL there has been an unwritten rule that you don't take hard "runs" on players like Gretzky, Lemieux, Crosby, etc because they're putting a lot more butts in seats, selling more jackets & jerseys, etc., than a 4th line winger up from Peoria. That's why the league wants to "protect" its brightest stars. Which is quite puzzling however, when you consider that they pretty much allowed Denver and then just about everyone else open season on Cam Newton this year. He went something like 12 games before a roughing the passer call was made on his behalf. No I don't like him, and yes he brought a lot of it on himself, but the double standard is just not right. If you're going to protect one, protect them all equally. Another part of the problem is that NFL officiating is in a deplorable state today, but that's another discussion.
with the linebackers starting to be smaller mroe able to cover lbs you will see more rushing. i heard that mentioned this year and its the absolute truth. they are always one step ahead of the game. the defense has adjusted with smaller faster more agile lbs and the offense will now adjust with bigger stronger backs.
i also think it is hilarious that the nfl has wanted nothing but parody for the past 20 years and they have watered down the game tremendously in order to get to that parody.... and now its got less parody than ever. brilliant!!!!
Are these guys out of their minds? The premise might be workable somewhere in the US perhaps but I can't think of a worse place to do it than Southern California. It seems to me we've recently seen another round of NFL musical chairs in its never ending quest for fan involvement in that area. If they'll be giving away a fifty dollar bill, free beer and an iPhone with every ten dollar ticket bought they may get some people in the stadium but only if they don't give out the phones until the game is over.
The Dunce League ...I get it lol So the only real difference between recruitment of 18 year olds to the Clemson s Alabamas and any other college football factory is that there will be no more funny business and recruiting violations,,,hehe So they pay you $ to play but no degree in Basket Weaving...yep Truth be told 25 per cent or more of the NFL are all pre or post conviction of drug /gang affiliation wife abuse assault stalking rape etc Goodels Role Models ..YIPPEE
The new league will pay for the players to go to a local community college so that they can get some kind of education, but I wonder how many will take advantage of that.
Some may but the idea that 4yr. college programs educate most of their players is a myth. This is the best news for prospective football players in a long time. If Brady is involved I may have to start hating him less.
it is and at that point the assholes in major college athletics will have to shit or get off the pot, they have taken advantage of young men and women for years making millions and millions off of htem.
