Recent back and forth between the NFL and the NFLPA in light of a possible work stoppage at the end of the 2020 season has revealed a proposal for a 18 game season, with players getting a blow in two of the games that has been floated out there the last month or so.
Overall, this seems to have been met with avarice, with the two main issues being this would make it difficult for coaches to put together rosters over 18 weeks while allocating the “bye” spots, and isn’t it a ripoff to fans who still pay unimaginable prices for tickets to not see their team at their full healthy as possible self?
The NFL owners want 18 games to sell more tickets and TV rights. The NFLPA wants either their players to remain healthy or at least a lot more cash if their players have to play two more regular season games.
Heres my compromise: a 17 game season. The owners and their TV masters get to cash in on at least one more regular season game, while only paying the players for just ONE MORE game.
To make sure each team still gets 8 home games, and only 8 road games?
Each NFL teams plays one “Neutral site game”. By my math, with 32 teams, that means 16 of these. With 4-5 of these games already on the NFL schedule is this THAT much of a stretch? And surely this would expand their brand, like the NFL wants to? Here is where the 16 games could be played:
4 “UK/Ireland” games
4 Games in Canada
4 in Mexico
4 in US cities that either want NFL teams or used to host them: San Diego, San Antonio, Portland, Oakland etc etc.
I’d rather the NFL went to a 18 WEEK season, with two bye weeks. Thursday night games only occur after a bye.
The owners aren’t going to get more than sixteen games, especially in today’s climate of awareness regarding the dangers of playing football and increased media savvy of many players. They would be better off trying to grow the fan base as they have been - pulling in international fans and improving the at-home experience.
I think “blow” is supposed to be “bye”? That would make sense, in an 18 game season if players rest for 2 games they still only play 16 regular season games like they do now. I’ve heard of that idea proposed already.
If it ain’t broke, don’t break it. The season is perfect, it starts after Labor Day, summer vacations are wrapped up and everyone is back at work. The season ends in early February. People are done with Dry January and they’re sick of eating salads from their New Year’s Resolutions. Plus, the Super Bowl falls before Lent begins and it won’t conflict with Valentine’s Day.
Plus, late season football can be a dumpster fire. IIRC, the Redskins used 4 QBs last season and no one wants to pay NFL dollars to see a 4th string QB.
Another problem with the 17-game season: scheduling the 17th game. It would have to be something awkward, like, “In the years where everybody in the the NFC North plays everybody in the NFC South, the NFC North division winner from the previous year plays the NFC East second-place team, East #1 plays North #2, South #1 plays West #2, West #1 plays South #2, and the corresponding #3 and #4 teams play each other.”
Hmm, I was curious about the term “blow” as a rest day in baseball, since I’ve been a (casual) fan for years and never heard it. Apparently it’s not a baseball term either from what I can tell, you can “blow” a call or a save but players don’t “get a blow”.
I can’t find it used in that sense for any sport actually. Did I get whooshed perhaps?
Yeah, in context, I get what it means, but I’ve been a baseball fan for 40 years, and I’ve never heard the term in that context with regards to baseball.
Agreed. With an even number of games, and the current number of teams, the schedule rotation for the 16-game season works pretty brilliantly. I suppose it’s possible to work out something sensible for scheduling a 17th game, but I can’t picture it offhand, and an odd number of games to the season just feels off, to me.
I think that there’s widespread agreement that four preseason games are too many, but looking at the frequency of injuries in the NFL, I really do think that 16 games is enough.
Keep the 16 game regular season. 16 games seems like the sweet spot. Though I do like the idea of spreading them over 18 weeks with two byes.
Two preseason games are enough. We don’t need four.
Get rid of the Pro Bowl that nobody watches. The skill drills are fun but the game itself is boring. You never get the best players because they’re either going to the Super Bowl or otherwise declining, the game result doesn’t matter, and the gameplay is neutered so badly it doesn’t even look like pro football.
I’ve mostly heard it used as someone gets a few play off, not an entire game. And most often in basketball. I have vague recollection of it being a carryover from horse racing…
Although weirdly, in horse racing a blow-out is a type of strenuous workout. Usually pretty brief.
Never heard the term applied to baseball for a rest day, nor actually any sport.
As for the OP, ehhh. The end of the schedule is pretty fixed by CFB and the holiday schedule (as noted above), so the extra game(s)/week(s) would need to come out of preseason, but they’d almost have to be all evening games. It’s damn hot out there!
My idea for the 17th game is to have it be a ‘pick em’ game. Based on draft order, each team gets to pick their opponent for the 17th game. The game replaces the last pre-season game, so it is the first game of the year, and the remaining 16 games are unchanged from the current system. The game is a home game for the picking team, but the owners agree to a revenue share formula, similar to what they might use for a London game.
I could see the discussions around these choices of opponent being very interesting.
I’d also drop to 2 pre-season games, and add a bye into the regular schedule.
I think it they were to add any more games, they should be inter-conference games and you play the opponent that finished the same as you in their division. And then you rotate just like everything else.
The season used to start on Labor Day weekend, in fact. The league moved the season start back a week about 15 years ago, as they felt that attendance and viewership were depressed due to many fans being away from home (or busy doing other things) for the long weekend.
