18 Game Season backed and virtually approved
 

ATLANTA -- NFL owners didn't vote to approve an 18-game regular season at Wednesday's Special League Meeting, opting instead to discuss options to propose to the NFL Players Association and business partners.

The "enhanced" season was the key topic on the table and something to which NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the 32 team owners pledged "overwhelming support."

"From our standpoint, we think we've moved this concept along," Goodell said. "There's a tremendous amount of momentum for it."

Added New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft: "I really think that going to the 18-game season is critical to us getting a labor deal (with the NFLPA). There aren't a lot of ways in this economic environment that we can generate incremental revenues, and that's the best way. The other thing is, our fans have said loud and clear to have fewer preseason games. It's a win-win all around."

La Canfora: Offseason effects
The NFL could adopt an 18-game schedule as soon as 2012, and players might not start workouts until May instead of March to allow more recovery time, Jason La Canfora writes. More ...
Goodell said the owners are formulating a comprehensive proposal to present to the players' union, but the lack of progress in collective bargaining likely will preclude an 18-game regular season from taking place before 2012. The proposed augmented schedule would be part of a new CBA, currently being negotiated between the league and the union.

"We want to do this the right way and make it good for players, fans and the game in general," Goodell said about not using current rules to simply implement games, which owners could.

"I look at this as an opportunity to create an agreement that will be good for players, good for the league and take our league to the next level," Goodell added.

Goodell said there wasn't a timetable to make a proposal to the union, but he envisions something happening "rather quickly."

NFL Videos: 18-game season a reality?

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Blah! Maybe if they drop two preseaon games but I don't really see the need to extend the season without allowing for a larger roster. Guys are going to be injured like crazy.

I am all for adding more games. Injuries... deal with them. You might as well shorten the season if you are worried about injuries. Increase roster size - go for it. More real football is better than fake football that doesn't count.

It is a win - win for everyone. More money, more salary in players pockets.

So say they add two games. Who would teams play? Two more conference foes? Or two opposite conference foes?

Either way, I don't like it. Marino's single season passing record and some of the other records would be easily passed. Kind of lame.

And dangit, if they're gonna have an 18-game season, they have to, and I mean have to, get rid of the Pro Bowl. Just pick the teams and Sim it on Madden, show that on ESPN.

Think it is a terrible idea

Well lets see how the defense will hold up for every team at the of game number 18...they'll basically shortened the life span of the Defensive linemen in the NFL by about 20 to 25 percent.

.i dont play so it doesnt bother me either way....Its two more meaningful games to watch...they are paid to play so play...injuries can happen week 1...so thats a weak excuse..its not going to make much of a difference as to who advances in the playoffs...just that we as fans get more of a good product.

I think if we expand to 18, there should be a second bye week in the season as well. And this isn't the first time we've expanded, most recently '77-78 went from 14 to 16, and there's no telling how high OJ's numbers would have been in a 16-game season.

I disagree with you Strat. If we had to play two more regular season games last season, the whole outcome may have been different. We were beat up and trying to heal. The end of the season came just in time for us. Two more games could have meant two more losses. Plus with the Vikes losing their last game, we barely squeeked into home field advantage. Two more games could have meant a whole different season.

Just means I get to watch two more Saints games. Two less preseason games.

2012 is the target.

But how do you know?...im like Q its more football...and thats a good thing...dont worry be happy...and pass the bottle..lol

Oh I agree. There's no way anybody could know. I do know that we were right on the ragged edge at the end of the season. I was glad it ended when it did. We needed the time to get healthy. That's all I'm saying.

Your avatar better be careful. Those strings snap, and some body could get hurt!

I know man...lol..Sarge you good people...:bng:

Thanks Strat, back at ya bud!

Hey, did you notice I about to bust 1000!

Yeah i saw that...very kewl...once the season starts your gonna really bust it up...

I love it. Its good for the fans. We all want more Saints football. And whats 2 more games really gonna hurt?? Add in another bye week and I think the players will be fine

Cut one preseason game. Cut out the week of no games between preseason and the regular season. The Season can then start 2 weeks sooner. Change the bye week as well - it starts in week 5 and stretches til week 10 or 11. Change that. Every team gets Thanksgiving weekend off EXCEPT the 4 teams in the TWO Thanksgiving DAY games (no night game). Those for teams rest the week before. And those 4 teams rotate THROUGHOUT the league. I don't give a damn about watching the Cryboys play EVERY THANKSGIVING. End the season in December. And get the Superbowl back to the last weekend in January, where it BELONGS.

Some folks will cry that it overlaps the start of college football. So what? Every other week in the fall there college and NFL games in the same weekend.

I think the first preseason game should be JUST the rookies and tryouts - anyone who DIDN'T play in the NFL the previous season, with the needed 2nd or 3rd string players to fill out the positions. Starters should be on the bench. That way the coaches get a good look at the new players on their own, before trying to mix them with the returning starters. There won't be any of this 'starters playing against the opponents 2 or 3 string and lighting them up'.

That's my $0.02 on changing the season.

Sarge, I'm using all my Jedi mindtricks and WILLING those straps to snap. ;)

Oh...goody...2 down and 2 to go.

Just look at it this way...

If they changed it to an 18 game season...we would all be looking forward to opening night tonight.

I can't speak for everyone, but I personally am ready for some football...not rehearsals.

And as far as the bye weeks goes...one is too many for me. Baseball players play 162 games...yes, I didn't stutter...162 games...and their regular season is at least a month longer than football...and they travel as much in a month as football players travel in a season...and they have to play 5 or 6 games a week, and they only get 1 week off, and that's only for the players who aren't good enough to make the all-star team.

Final note on this topic...

I really don't understand everybody's sympathy for the paid athletes...with paid being the key word here. It's not like they are playing this game out of the goodness of their heart. They go out there and play because we buy products that the NFL endorses, enabling them to make huge amounts of money because the TV networks like the fact that they can make so much money on commercials during a football game. We are paying them.

It is kinda hypocritical for those who are also huge fans of Nascar or boxing or anything like that. These guys, especially the race car drivers, put their life on the line every time they tee it up...so to speak. And what about airline pilots or cops or firemen, just to name a few other regular occupations??? They just get paid regular money and they go out there daily and put their lives on the line.

Rebuttals...anyone?...anyone?...Bueller?

Here ya go, Strat.

http://www.getoffongroundlevel.com/G...germeister.jpg

Some sound effects to go with

Bueller here.

I pretty much stated my point on another similiar thread.
Too much beating for the human body.
You're down to the bench by the end of the season. I have a hard time believing this doesnt benefit richer teams.
It changes too drastically the dynamic of the regular season, and I dont understand the need to **** with something that already works the way it is. All you're going to do when you **** with something that already works is **** it up.

If you dont like preseason, watch baseball.

If they're hurting for money that badly, lower the payroll.

Every time they do something because of money, it screws the game.

I watched an interview with Drew the other day and he thought that it would shorten the athletes career. If we go to 18 games I would hope that they would add an additional bye week and increase the roster size.
Personally, I like having preseason games so that the coaches can evaluate players and so I can get a feel for the team before season starts.

I for one hate it, 16 games has worked since the 70s why change it now? I think fans who pay to watch the games should be outraged. Owners want them to dish out more money to watch what could turn out to be a meaningless game, at least when you pay the money for a preseason game you know it will be meaningless fun. I also think that the players are all against this. If Drew says no, we should all say no.

You already pay for these games. If they move to 18 game regular season, they will only play 2 preseason games instead of 4. It's still a 20 game season plus the playoffs. I'm all for it. I pay for 10 home games,I don't get to pay for only regular season games, I have to pay for them all yet I see starters play 2 quarters in preseason. They don't sell me beer at half price so if I'm paying full price I want to see full price players.

^this

Did people lose there minds when the season went from 14 to 16 games. Its football the greatest game on earth. Two less preseason games. My only concern is for the players That mean there's two more real game on the body.

I was gonna point this out in response to an earlier post saying that it works fine the way it is...why change anything. It was working fine way back then, but adding two more regular season games made it work better.

Anyone who doesn't remember having to trudge through a six-game preseason is lucky...the preseason was so long they almost had to add a bye week to get through it. They needed to let the injured players get well before the real season started.


I wouldn't mind it if they made all 20 count, but if they bump it up to 18 like they are talking about, then I think I will be OK whether it ever changes again or not. 2 weeks is bearable and I do realize they need to see their new players in game conditions...but my contention is that they could similate that in practice easily.

PS...I tried to REP you, Q, but again it said I need to spread it around. ff, give Q his due REP's, please...and fix it so I can REP someone as much as I want...OK?

uh uh, Buds, not buying it, dude. You watch, they're gonna jack up the prices because 2 of the games will be real. I dont believe for a minute they wont. I sell my preseason tickets, so they're not a problem.

If this isnt the classic golden egg laying goose story laid out before our eyes, I dont know what is.

Here's my solution to the preseason problem, and I've presented it before.

1. leave it like it is. why risk killing your golden geese, just to get 2 more eggs.

2. take preseason out of the season ticket package. take the price of 1 game out of the cost. im thinking like an owner here. pocket a little, but drop the price by one game. When's the last time anything went down? everybody wins.

3. play all preseason games at alternate sites: minor league cities or college towns, for people who dont get the chance to see their team in person. example: Shreveport, Jackson, Mobile, Lafayette, Monroe, Beaumont... Did anybody go to Shreveport game in '06? The local people treated it like a Super Bowl. Now you have an event that sells, plus you're launching a "barnstorming" tour, making new fans. This is actually how the NFL started its rise to power in the old days.

4. get control of salaries, so we dont have to continually be subjected to these fan and game-screwing ideas: PSLs, 30 dollar parking, the build-me-a-new-stadium-with-more-revenue game, endless promotion (this coin toss sponsored by roto-rooter), and the #1 money induced abomination of sports: moving.

They will raise prices to reflect "giving you" 2 extra real games.
You heard it here first.

First of all, you yourself called it a problem...(see avove quote from skymike)

If it is in fact a problem, and obviously some people think it is...then why leave it alone?

I don't see your point with the raising ticket prices. You already pay full price for preseason games...you will now have one more game that is real for your money.

If they raise the prices, they will have to do it for all games...and guess what. Back in '67 you could get a ticket for a lot less than you could today. It's called inflation, and they've been raising the prices the whole time without adding any more games.

yeah, but where does it stop? Next time they cant control salaries, are they just going to go, "hey baseball has 162 games." lets do that.

Its just not worth it to me, if knocks 3 years off Drew's career. Eventually, your most important player on the team will be the 3rd string QB. Do you really want this?

I love going to Saints games, but Im pretty much to the top of my budget already.... I'd love to eat mexican food and drink whiskey every day too, but at some point, I have to cut myself off. at least from one of those things.

Love ya mans.

Dude...they've been playing 20 the whole time...just more count now. To my knowledge, they haven't changed the amount of games they've been playing for a long time.

I don't buy into the knocking 3 years off Drew's career...it's kinda like just throwing something out there...like my wife does all the time. What proof do you have of this?

...and as far as the price goes, how can you complain? You are the one that allows it to happen. You...me...and everyone else. If you want the salaries and the madness to stop, start watching TVLand on Sunday.

no, they play 16 games, and have 4 practice games, which the starters only play a few series, then go sit down while we evaluate the camp players & backups.

do I have to prove that playing 2 full extra regular season games adds to wear and tear? Use the Force, Luke, and feel the answer within you.

I thought of one positive - two additional weeks of fantasy football :-).

I'm starting to warm up to the idea a bit ... but man they gotta increase the roster sizes and then some, 63+ players.

I think they will...we shall see

It's still 20 games no matter how you slice it...they've never tried to change that number, as you suggested.

,,,and, yes...if you are going to contend that playing 2 more games a year is going to cut down on a players career by 3 years, then I'm going to need some proof of that.

I can say, for example, that playing 2 more games a year is going to be good for them physically because they will be getting more exercise and therefore be more fit...however, I would be just throwing something out there to fit my argument.

My preference:

20 games
2 are Preseason
18 are regular season
2 BYE weeks instead of one.. A little extra healing time.

=22 weeks of football excluding Post Season

I could care less about anyone's single season record being broken. Single season records were broken when the NFL went to 14 game seasons and 16 game seasons...

While it insures some records will be broken... It also ensures some records will stay in tact... Like the Undefeated season, two more games will that much more difficult.

I don't like the idea of an 18 regular game season!

We have a 16 game regular season now, it works well for fans and players alike. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GEAUX SAINTS!!!!

From another thread...

The word is we'll have 2 less pre-season games, but teams will have a lot more scrimmages with other teams, which I like since its more efficient and teams can agree on a format and on certain things they'd like to work on.

18 reg games, 2 pre-season, and a couple more team vs team scrimmages, open to the public of course.

Did I mention that I LOVE preseason?

If your starters dont get hurt, you cant lose!

If you lose, doesnt mean anything. If you win, wahoo!

And its PRE-season, which means the SEASON is coming.

Its like foreplay, only you cant "lose it."

Its like Christmas EVE. You wouldnt cancel Christmas Eve and have Two Christmases, now would you?

No, you wouldnt, because Everybody would go broke....
.... and your' Quarterback would get hurt.

Santa's career would be shortened.
And retailers would just want even more money the next year.
Then your family would demand a new crib, and probably just move to San Antonio.

"shudders" I lived in SA once...

Or it could be like having two girlfriends instead of one wife.... Just throwing it out there... Not sure where its going to land...