2011 NFL Offseason

[Mark Priors Calves]

I don't like the 18 game schedule because fantasy football would have to be altered depending on how they structure the season.

[Banedon]

I don't like the 18 game schedule because fantasy football would have to be altered depending on how they structure the season.

 

So...you don't like it because change is bad? That's not a very good reason to not have 18 games, imo.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

I understand why people wouldn't like an 18 game schedule, but it means 2 less Sundays out of the year of me whining that there's nothing good on TV.

[sneakypower]

the only problem i have with the 18 game schedule is that every record is going to be broken now and treated like it's meaningful, sort of like the Maris thing

[rawaction]

the only problem i have with the 18 game schedule is that every record is going to be broken now and treated like it's meaningful, sort of like the Maris thing

 

Wasn't a big deal when the NFL went from 14 to 16 in the early 80s (I believe).

 

I just don't see how the league can justify taking a stance on hard hits and concussions, then add 2 more chances for players to get hit hard and end up with concussions.

[rocket]

Wait, why do fans hate the 18 game schedule?

 

Because it's unnecessary. Further risks the health of teams' best players. Diminishes the overall talent of the league as 18 games means more roster spots on the gameday rosters and the practice squads (due to teams being more hesitant to IR a player with more weeks to get them back).

 

I understand the arguments against it, but do any of them stack up against that there will be 2 more weeks of football?

 

I guess if somebody cared a ton about the playoffs and much less about the regular season than an 18 game season would be a bad idea. For me, having 2 more Sundays worth of football is wonderful. And I don't think the talent level will drop that much. There will be more players injured but there will be more time for star players to come back from injuries as well without getting IR'd (especially if there are more roster spots).

 

couldn't they add a 2nd bye week and extend the schedule to 18 weeks? that way we get more weeks of football (with healthier players) and the players still play 16 games.

[CubColtPacer]

Wait, why do fans hate the 18 game schedule?

 

Because it's unnecessary. Further risks the health of teams' best players. Diminishes the overall talent of the league as 18 games means more roster spots on the gameday rosters and the practice squads (due to teams being more hesitant to IR a player with more weeks to get them back).

 

I understand the arguments against it, but do any of them stack up against that there will be 2 more weeks of football?

 

I guess if somebody cared a ton about the playoffs and much less about the regular season than an 18 game season would be a bad idea. For me, having 2 more Sundays worth of football is wonderful. And I don't think the talent level will drop that much. There will be more players injured but there will be more time for star players to come back from injuries as well without getting IR'd (especially if there are more roster spots).

 

couldn't they add a 2nd bye week and extend the schedule to 18 weeks? that way we get more weeks of football (with healthier players) and the players still play 16 games.

 

That is certainly an option. It would only add 1 week of football. It would also give some major competitive issues with the byes. The teams with the two early byes (say week 2 and week 10) would have a big disadvantage to the team with the week 9 and week 15 byes. A week like Thanksgiving would also be stretched rather thin. If there are 4 teams on bye that week with 3 games on Thursday, 1 Sunday night, and 1 on Monday night, that only leaves 9 games total for the four Sunday slots.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

Wait, why do fans hate the 18 game schedule?

 

Because it's unnecessary. Further risks the health of teams' best players. Diminishes the overall talent of the league as 18 games means more roster spots on the gameday rosters and the practice squads (due to teams being more hesitant to IR a player with more weeks to get them back).

 

I understand the arguments against it, but do any of them stack up against that there will be 2 more weeks of football?

 

I guess if somebody cared a ton about the playoffs and much less about the regular season than an 18 game season would be a bad idea. For me, having 2 more Sundays worth of football is wonderful. And I don't think the talent level will drop that much. There will be more players injured but there will be more time for star players to come back from injuries as well without getting IR'd (especially if there are more roster spots).

 

couldn't they add a 2nd bye week and extend the schedule to 18 weeks? that way we get more weeks of football (with healthier players) and the players still play 16 games.

They did that in the early 90s.

[dew1679666265]

I haven't heard of anyone who likes the 18 game schedule besides the owners.

 

I love the 18 game idea for basically the reasons CCP has outlined. More (non-preseason) football is a good thing.

[Banedon]

Another 7 day extension. It could all fall apart, but they might actually avoid a works stoppage, which is damn near a miracle.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

I haven't heard of anyone who likes the 18 game schedule besides the owners.

 

Season ticket holders like the 18-game schedule.

 

As a Cowboys season ticket holder, I have to purchase tickets to 10 games. 8 regular season games and 2 pre-season games. My seats are $80 seats in the upper level of the stadium. If I do not want to go to a regular season game, I cna usually sell my seats for $150 a piece. In a down year like we had this year, I still was able to get face or close to it.

 

On the other hand, there's been times I couldn't give my preseason tickets away. I really do not care to go to preseason games and pay for parking, etc. Last year, I sold two tickets to one game (160 face) for $50. Not fifty per ticket, fifty for the pair; the other game I gave the tickets away.

 

Now, I usually just consider that the price I pay to have season tickets....

 

but if given the choice of trading a preseason game for a regular season one, most season ticket holders are for it enthusiastically. I either will have another game that I will want to attend because it matters, or a game that I will not have to take a loss on if I do not attend.

 

 

In most surveys with season ticket holders, paying regular season prices for preseason games is a the largest complaint. Instead of reducing what we pay for those games (which would cost revenues), the NFL prefers this solution.

[Soul]

I haven't heard of anyone who likes the 18 game schedule besides the owners.

 

I love the 18 game idea for basically the reasons CCP has outlined. More (non-preseason) football is a good thing.

 

I like it too. Give me more football.

 

As for the added injury risk, I'm sure it's real but the regular playoff franchises already play more games every season. They learn to mitigate the extra wear and tear.

[davell]

I'd rather keep the 16 game schedule, but I actually like the compromise Herm Edwards suggested: 17 games, 2 bye weeks, and each team has 8 home/away games and one game in Europe. Might not be perfect, but I could get on board with it anyway.

[Vanilla Ice]

dear god no

[Warpticon]

Get ready for the awesome weeks 17 and 18 (or 19/20, I guess) in which it's all bad teams or good teams resting all their good players. Yaaaay.

[dew1679666265]

Get ready for the awesome weeks 17 and 18 (or 19/20, I guess) in which it's all bad teams or good teams resting all their good players. Yaaaay.

 

Why would the bad teams rest their good players? They'd do like they do now and play their good players to try to get as good a record as they could.

 

Also, why will more good teams rest their good players simply because there are more games? A few good teams already rest a lot of their good players in the final two weeks anyway and that should be decreased some (in a 16 or 18 game schedule) by having divisional games those weeks.

 

I just don't see where there's going to be a drastic change for the worse.

[erik316wttn]

I haven't heard of anyone who likes the 18 game schedule besides the owners.

 

I love the 18 game idea for basically the reasons CCP has outlined. More (non-preseason) football is a good thing.

 

18 weeks, 2 byes, every contract is increased by the 12% or whatever the season will be extended by, better benefits to retired players, and then stop the bitching and prepare for next season.

 

I ought to be mediating this thing, dammit. haha.

[erik316wttn]

Get ready for the awesome weeks 17 and 18 (or 19/20, I guess) in which it's all bad teams or good teams resting all their good players. Yaaaay.

 

As opposed to the awesome weeks 15 and 16 right now where the good teams totally don't do that!

 

edit: I meant GAMES number 15 and 16, which would translate to weeks 16 and 17.

Edited March 5, 2011 by erik316wttn

[Andy]

Get ready for the awesome weeks 17 and 18 (or 19/20, I guess) in which it's all bad teams or good teams resting all their good players. Yaaaay.

 

As opposed to the awesome weeks 15 and 16 right now where the good teams totally don't do that!

There will be more games like that now, though. Ironic considering Goodell practically crapped a brick trying to stop that from happening by hastily shoving all division games in Week 17.

[Warpticon]

Get ready for the awesome weeks 17 and 18 (or 19/20, I guess) in which it's all bad teams or good teams resting all their good players. Yaaaay.

 

Why would the bad teams rest their good players? They'd do like they do now and play their good players to try to get as good a record as they could.

 

No, I was saying most of what we would see would either be a) bad teams playing, or b) good teams playing their 2nd and 3rd stringers.

 

Also, why will more good teams rest their good players simply because there are more games? A few good teams already rest a lot of their good players in the final two weeks anyway and that should be decreased some (in a 16 or 18 game schedule) by having divisional games those weeks.

 

I just don't see where there's going to be a drastic change for the worse.

 

With a longer regular season, there's a higher potential for injury. I just suspect that, unlike in other cases where teams may or may not hold the starters out currently, they'll be a lot more likely to do so. It's not an either/or thing...more like the longer season exacerbating the existing situation.

[dew1679666265]

With a longer regular season, there's a higher potential for injury. I just suspect that, unlike in other cases where teams may or may not hold the starters out currently, they'll be a lot more likely to do so. It's not an either/or thing...more like the longer season exacerbating the existing situation.

 

That's assuming that all teams have big division leads and can hold them. It can also be seen as a little more opportunity for a team that has a hot start to fall back to the pack.

 

For example, in a 16 game schedule, a team that starts 12-0 and its nearest competition is 8-4 will have ample reason to rest its starters - since it'd take the other team to run the table to catch up. However, with 6 games remaining in the new format, that 12-0 team will potentially have meaningful games for longer - especially if that undefeated team starts to cool off late in the year.

 

Even if you're right, worst case scenario is we get a couple of preseason-esque games a week (in those extra weeks) while having a number of other good, competitive games between teams' starters. In a 16 game format, we're guaranteed to have every game those two weeks be crappy preseason games. An 18 game format is still better even if you're right and a bunch of teams start playing backups.

[BigSlick]

Yeah count me in on the 'no' camp for the 18 game schedule, really bad wear and tear on the players enough already, the quality of football is definitely gonna drop a bit. A wild card team going all the way could conceivably play 22 games in a season, thats insane.

 

And running backs already hit a wall the season after they carry 350+ times, how are we even gonna work around that, have 3 running back systems now?

 

The NFL season will become even more a war of attrition.

[Soul]

So what if it's a war of attrition? Football is partly about whether players can take the physical stress of the game.

 

We didn't reach some magic number with the 16 game schedule. People definitely made similar arguments when it jumped from 14 games. Yet the league thrived. Go figure, the world didn't end!

[rocket]

that's a pretty easy thing to say when you're a fan.

[Banedon]

that's a pretty easy thing to say when you're a fan.

 

The NFLPA is going to agree to it, so maybe players don't think the world will end either.