well put by nate jackson. i have been saying it for awhile and still feel that roger goodell is the worst thing for this league and will harm it terribly.
Hard to argue with the guy. I hope the average NFL fan isn't that dumb, it seems pretty obvious to me what Goodell has been up to. I personally am happy with the 16 game format right now, and the potential of these 2 games diminishing the quality of the game as a whole outweighs its positives.
Its funny how he talks about NFL fans wanting an 18 game season. I've yet to encounter an actual person that supports it Aside from injury issues, they are having a hard enough time trying to get teams not to lay down for the final 1 or 2 games if they have locked up the playoffs. An expanded regular season is only going to exacerbate that problem
People like to get really dramatic about all the posturing that both sides do leading up to labor disputes, but I would be really stunned to see more than a game or two missed (and that's really the worst case scenario.) While there are definitely some major disagreements the reality is that every single game means too much to both the players and the owners for them too squander that. That's a game check each player never gets back and a week on their body they never do either, and for the owners the money from t.v and game day sales is again just too good to make it worth their time to allow things to get too bad.
Nate Jackson wrote a doozy here. I can't say I disagree with anything he wrote, at least the parts I have first hand knowledge of. I too have yet to meet a fan that is for an 18 game season.
As a fan, I support it. As a season ticket holder, getting one more home game instead of a preseason snoozer is great. As a person who spends his fall waiting every week for football Sundays, adding 3 more weeks of regular season football would be great. As a Jets fan, I'd love to have 2 more Jets games to watch. As a fantasy football player, I'd love to have a couple more weeks to follow my teams. Will it injure the players a little bit more? Probably. But there would also be expanded rosters and an extra bye week. Those would help ease the wear and tear on the players. I understand if you're a player, and you don't want to risk two extra games each year. Every play has the potential for a life-changing injury. I get that. I do think extra bye weeks and extra players would help. Plus, with each game meaning slightly less, teams will be more likely to let players recover from injuries, especially around the not one, but two bye weeks. But as a fan, more football is a great thing. I can't be against anything that gives me three more Sundays a year to watch NFL all day.
Well, then I have met 1. An 18 game season is hovering dangerously close to the point of diminishing returns. It is too much in my opinion. Football right now has just the correct mix of quality regular and post season games. I think to start tinkering with the season is folly. They want to improve the product, get better refs, find a way to keep the players healthier etc. etc. I don't think an 18 game season accomplishes anything other than to get more $ in the coffers and will backfire in the long run. It will shorten careers and lead to more injuries, of this I am sure. What ultimately will happen is, rosters will expand, there will be more injuries to the better players and the game will be watered down somewhat. You really think that is what the NFL needs? Edit: I do understand your point though.
I'm not entirely certain how I feel about it as a fan. Yea, I'd like to watch more football, but on the other hand I have to hear Fantasy players talk about every game in the context of their stats which typically puts me 3 weeks away from dropping about 4 hits of acid and walking into a bar/my friends' living room with a roofing hammer and just windmilling until the cops show up. Ultimately, though, I'd probably have to side with the labor on this one. Owners don't want to pay more players and Jackson's point about the BS headshot enforcement vs. the risk of injury at the end of the season is the most compelling one made against it. I really think that the most impact an 18 game season would have would be watering down the league's talent level. Either teams are going to start resting more starters in the latter games due to fatigue/injury or the playoffs are going to be as boring as the FCS finals. Indianapolis delenda est.
If you follow the history of anything, there is a period in which the great entity has either a down period of time, or it collapses in a fashion that history not only records in great detail, but is then used an example for others to never do again. My gut feeling is telling me that this league is in the beginning stages of that period. It won't happen for a long, long time. But this league is starting show signs of that stage in its history. Saddening.
This is some brilliant, inspired writing by Nate Jackson. This should be spread to every NFL fan. The NFL is headed towards the brink with this idiot Goodell, clearly he should be replaced. Also - the title of this thread should change. 'A Glorious New One?' It should be: Nate Jackson Gloriously Rips Goodell a New One Nate Jackson Tears Out Goodell's Still Beating Heart and Eats It While He Watches Nate Jackson's Gonna Get Roger Goodell Fired
Yeah man, the fans want it! The NFL owners told me so. They must have wanted PSLs too. They must want to pay full price for preseason games. Bullshit.
So instead of 1-2 weeks of useless games at the end of the year...some teams might be able to take a month off. That wouldn't be more football...You would just be adding 2 more useless games to many teams *teams that are way ahead and clinched...and teams that are way out of it*
The way the season is now is perfect. I can understand why people would want more football, but there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. The reason that the NFL is the country's favorite sport is because there's a compact season and every game means something. Was the argument made that it was too much going from 14 to 16 games? Probably, but it's a much bigger point when you factor in the massive advancements in player size/strength/speed in the past few decades. It's a violent game, and the playoffs are already enough of a death march for some teams. The reason that no one cares about baseball is because only a small handful of fans feel the need to watch every game. Football is supposed to be a sprint; a violent, angry sprint.
I'm with ya on this. I'd like to add, they need an expanded roster. At least 4 or 5 more spots. The ability to rotate men in and out will keep players in better condition. They need expanded pratice squads. By 3 to 5 spots. Having healthy players who know the system and can step up in case of injury would be huge for everyone involved. Less preseason is good. Then we only have to hear the Brett Ratliff is a future hall of famer talk for two week. Its going to happen so I accept that two more games will make most statistical records irrelevant soon. I think we need to just be ready for it coming down the line.
You raise a real good point. I was 4 years old at the time, so I have no idea what the arguments were then. One of our elder, wiser, Jet fans hopefully can give us an idea.
when are they going to play these extra 2 games? august in miami? or are we going to push the superbowl into march? maybe goodell figures it will be warm enough in march to play the superbowl outside in new jersey.
