NFL Reportedly Now Focusing on 17-Game Season

[BleedGopher]

per Bobby:

The nightmares of the NFL expanding its regular season to 18 games appear to be over. According to The Athletic's Daniel Kaplan, the NFL is now focusing on expanding its season by just one game, to a 17-game season. From Kaplan:

"The NFL has dropped a proposal for an 18-game season and is now focused on expanding the regular season to 17 games, ownership sources said. Owners were briefed on the change at committee meetings in Houston this week. The current schedule is 16 games.

"Not enough owners support (for) 18 and players would not go for it either,” one of the sources said of why the change. The 17-game proposal will be paired with a reduction in the preseason by a game or two from the current four."

The length of the NFL season is nearly perfect right now and expanding the season only benefits you if you are directly pocketing the extra cash from it. Translation: this is not ideal for the fans. It's unnecessary, risky, and lacking upside in quality. So, if they must add to the total, one sure beats two. Though, having an odd number of games is rather strange.

https://www.thebiglead.com/posts/nfl-17-game-season-01dnq4txpbqj

Skol Vikes!!

 

[Ogee Ogilthorpe]

It's never been about more regular season games for the fans; it's about paying for 2 preseason games (2 home, 4 total) that are worthless.

This is a minor bandaid on the situation, nothing more. The owners are just never going to give up those preseason games unfortunately.

 

[GophersInIowa]

They continue to change a game/league they didn't need changing.

 

[Bad Gopher]

Their greed knows no bounds. And their increasing and increasingly bizarre legislation of the games is ruining the sport in unforseen if not improbable ways. They might find a way to kill an unkillable league; that would be the equivalent of bankrupting a casino.

 

[GopherJake]

It goes without saying that the addition of interference - and specifically the ability to scan the field for any foul after a score or turnover - is a horrific change and will be reversed or clarified. I liked Florio's standard. He said the only way those calls should be overturned is if there is blatantly obvious evidence. If you are going frame-by-frame to see if there is a holding call or interference call, we've lost our way. That is what is happening and it's a joke. There were 2 calls in the Fudge Packers game last night that were not called, challenged and not reversed. They made the right calls on that, in my opinion, even though they were both probably technically, letter-of-the-law interference. But the coaches have no idea and lose timeouts. This calls for a mid-season change.

 

[howeda7]

It goes without saying that the addition of interference - and specifically the ability to scan the field for any foul after a score or turnover - is a horrific change and will be reversed or clarified. I liked Florio's standard. He said the only way those calls should be overturned is if there is blatantly obvious evidence. If you are going frame-by-frame to see if there is a holding call or interference call, we've lost our way. That is what is happening and it's a joke. There were 2 calls in the Fudge Packers game last night that were not called, challenged and not reversed. They made the right calls on that, in my opinion, even though they were both probably technically, letter-of-the-law interference. But the coaches have no idea and lose timeouts. This calls for a mid-season change.

If they are going to leave interference in, give everyone one renewable challenge. If you're wrong, your done challenging for the rest of the game. That will cut it down fast.

 

[JimmyJamesMD]

They continue to change a game/league they didn't need changing.

This x 10,000%.

16 games is perfect. 6 against your division, 4 against the NFC division rotating, 4 against AFC division rotating, 2 intra division that finished in the same place you did. Perfect.

But all the rules they change every year, with making PI review-able as icing on the cake. They should have stopped changing rules 5 yrs ago

 

[howeda7]

This x 10,000%.

16 games is perfect. 6 against your division, 4 against the NFC division rotating, 4 against AFC division rotating, 2 intra division that finished in the same place you did. Perfect.

But all the rules they change every year, with making PI review-able as icing on the cake. They should have stopped changing rules 5 yrs ago

Yes. They should leave it alone.

 

[Angry]

If it makes the gamblers and FF players happy, then I’m for it. They drive viewership not the average fan.

 

[stocker08]

If they want to get rid of a preseason game or two and add a regular season game....yes please.

 

[Ogee Ogilthorpe]

It goes without saying that the addition of interference - and specifically the ability to scan the field for any foul after a score or turnover - is a horrific change and will be reversed or clarified. I liked Florio's standard. He said the only way those calls should be overturned is if there is blatantly obvious evidence. If you are going frame-by-frame to see if there is a holding call or interference call, we've lost our way. That is what is happening and it's a joke. There were 2 calls in the Fudge Packers game last night that were not called, challenged and not reversed. They made the right calls on that, in my opinion, even though they were both probably technically, letter-of-the-law interference. But the coaches have no idea and lose timeouts. This calls for a mid-season change.

This is why there will be very few changed calls. I told one of the young guys I was watching the game with last night that they wouldn't change that first one, he was shocked, said no way. It wasn't, and he couldn't believe it.

The refs are going to try to discourage the coaches early this season by almost not reversing any calls. Coaches are going to think twice about it after seeing some of these early calls not overturned. The second one by Pederson (sp?) was just plain stupid to try to reverse, and it wasn't even 3rd down. Idiotic.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

FWIW - from 1970 to 1977, teams played 6 pre-season games and 14 regular season games for a total of 20.

starting in '78, it went to 4 pre-season and 16 regular season.

Going further back, in the 60's, there were 14 regular season games and teams played 4 or 5 pre-season games.

But, the big change is that in today's game, the starters play very little in the 1st pre-season game, a little more in the 2nd game, maybe a half in the 3rd game, and nothing in the 4th game. Out of 4 games, the starters are playing the equivalent of less than a full game, but fans are paying full price to watch rookies and undrafted players who have little chance of making the final roster.

I am fine with 2 pre-season games and 17 regular season games.

 

[JimmyJamesMD]

It goes without saying that the addition of interference - and specifically the ability to scan the field for any foul after a score or turnover - is a horrific change and will be reversed or clarified. I liked Florio's standard. He said the only way those calls should be overturned is if there is blatantly obvious evidence. If you are going frame-by-frame to see if there is a holding call or interference call, we've lost our way. That is what is happening and it's a joke. There were 2 calls in the Fudge Packers game last night that were not called, challenged and not reversed. They made the right calls on that, in my opinion, even though they were both probably technically, letter-of-the-law interference. But the coaches have no idea and lose timeouts. This calls for a mid-season change.

Really good post.

I wonder if they shouldnt be able to use slow motion for replay.

 

[Ogee Ogilthorpe]

But, the big change is that in today's game, the starters play very little in the 1st pre-season game, a little more in the 2nd game, maybe a half in the 3rd game, and nothing in the 4th game. Out of 4 games, the starters are playing the equivalent of less than a full game, but fans are paying full price to watch rookies and undrafted players who have little chance of making the final roster.

I am fine with 2 pre-season games and 17 regular season games.

Part of the problem is, what you described was the way it was just a year or two ago. Now there are starters that either aren't playing at all, or are playing a few series, TOTAL, in all 4 preseason games.

I gave away both of my preseason game tickets this year for the Cardinals, first time I've ever done that. The fans just have very little recourse, other than not showing up for games you paid for, and then everyone else suffers; food vendors, bartenders, et al.

Just a sh*tty situation all around.

 

[Winnipegopher]

Part of the problem is, what you described was the way it was just a year or two ago. Now there are starters that either aren't playing at all, or are playing a few series, TOTAL, in all 4 preseason games.

I gave away both of my preseason game tickets this year for the Cardinals, first time I've ever done that. The fans just have very little recourse, other than not showing up for games you paid for, and then everyone else suffers; food vendors, bartenders, et al.

Just a sh*tty situation all around.

NHL preseason is even worse as they give more home games to strong attendance teams. This year Florida plays 2 home preseason games, Montreal 5. It is time for all sports to rethink preseason and even consider shortening the regular season.

 

[Dano564]

They should allow each coach one Pass Interference challenge a season (including post-season).

Leave the game be played as called unless it's so bad, and so important you need to use that challenge.

 

[Bad Gopher]

Do I remember correctly: didn't the USFL have an 18-game schedule?