NFL season

[Dark Angel]

IF I was running the NFL this is how I would do the schedules.

Games would be played on Saturday instead OF Sunday.

Sunday Night Football would be on NBC with the flexible schedules but I would make sure that the playoff team get at least 1 apperance before week 10.

The pro bowl would played at mid season.

Super Bowl would be renamed the WORLD BOWL.

I want to know what you guy think and i'm open to any idea.

THANK FRIENDS, Merry XMAS.

[Audiodrama]

Games would be played on Saturday instead OF Sunday.

And ruin an American tradition? No.

Sunday Night Football would be on NBC with the flexible schedules but I would make sure that the playoff team get at least 1 apperance before week 10.

What playoff teams? From the previous season?

The pro bowl would played at mid season.

You'd get virtually *zero* players going to Hawaii, then. You think a guy like Brady or Manning is gonna play an extra game in the middle of a season, when they need to rest for their own regular season games? Plus, what if a star like that gets hurt? You're gonna jeopardize a team's chances for an All-Star Game?

Super Bowl would be renamed the WORLD BOWL.

What part about the Super Bowl signifies a World Championship? The NFL is only the USA, for now (save for NFL Europe). It's not a "World" thing just yet.

[Dark Angel]

Games would be played on Saturday instead OF Sunday.

And ruin an American tradition? No.

Sunday Night Football would be on NBC with the flexible schedules but I would make sure that the playoff team get at least 1 apperance before week 10.

What playoff teams? From the previous season?

The pro bowl would played at mid season.

You'd get virtually *zero* players going to Hawaii, then. You think a guy like Brady or Manning is gonna play an extra game in the middle of a season, when they need to rest for their own regular season games? Plus, what if a star like that gets hurt? You're gonna jeopardize a team's chances for an All-Star Game?

Super Bowl would be renamed the WORLD BOWL.

What part about the Super Bowl signifies a World Championship? The NFL is only the USA, for now (save for NFL Europe). It's not a "World" thing just yet.

What I meant Unwind is that the PRO BOWL would be held at a neuatral site just they do in MLB, NBA, & the NHL. The Sunday night Football I meant the playoff teams from the previous season cause this year the Bengals, Buccaneers, and the Jaguars didnt make a NBC apperance which is strange. As for the World Bowl,

SUPER BOWL is like the WORLD SERIES so the name World Bowl would probably make more sence and I would rename the Championship games as the finals like the AFC FINALS and the NFC FINALS.

[Nick 1733]

I assume his statement about the Pro Bowl still stands. Football is a very rough and physical sport and and extra game in the middle of the season that doesn't mean anything would only hurt. Those voted would refuse to go because no player wants to play an extra game in the middle of the season. The wear and tear is just too much, plus the risk of injury.

I like the flex schedule as is because clearly the Bucs didn't deserve a Sunday Night game, along with Jacksonville because you could never tell which Jaguars team was going to show up for the game. Just because a team made the playoffs the previous season doesn't mean they are as good the following season.

Finally, renaming the Super Bowl would be stupid. It's a very unique name and most everyone in the US knows what the Super Bowl is. Super Bowl Sunday is an American holiday (so to speak). AFC & NFC Championship is best for those games.

[FiddySicks]

I like the flex schedule as is because clearly the Bucs didn't deserve a Sunday Night game, along with Jacksonville because you could never tell which Jaguars team was going to show up for the game. Just because a team made the playoffs the previous season doesn't mean they are as good the following season.

Despite what you think, anything is better than seeing Denver 47 Sundays in a row.

[Nick 1733]

I like the flex schedule as is because clearly the Bucs didn't deserve a Sunday Night game, along with Jacksonville because you could never tell which Jaguars team was going to show up for the game. Just because a team made the playoffs the previous season doesn't mean they are as good the following season.

Despite what you think, anything is better than seeing Denver 47 Sundays in a row.

Funny, I don't think Denver was on Sunday night football 47 times in a row. How many times were they on Sunday Night anyway, do you even know?

[FiddySicks]

I like the flex schedule as is because clearly the Bucs didn't deserve a Sunday Night game, along with Jacksonville because you could never tell which Jaguars team was going to show up for the game. Just because a team made the playoffs the previous season doesn't mean they are as good the following season.

Despite what you think, anything is better than seeing Denver 47 Sundays in a row.

Funny, I don't think Denver was on Sunday night football 47 times in a row. How many times were they on Sunday Night anyway, do you even know?

Too many times.

[Nick 1733]

I like the flex schedule as is because clearly the Bucs didn't deserve a Sunday Night game, along with Jacksonville because you could never tell which Jaguars team was going to show up for the game. Just because a team made the playoffs the previous season doesn't mean they are as good the following season.

Despite what you think, anything is better than seeing Denver 47 Sundays in a row.

Funny, I don't think Denver was on Sunday night football 47 times in a row. How many times were they on Sunday Night anyway, do you even know?

Too many times.

Only four times, and EVERY game was a GOOD game. @ New England, vs Baltimore, vs San Diego, vs Seattle. Not a bad game in the bunch, which is what the purpose of the flex schedule is.

Just because you have hatred for the Broncos doesn't mean they are a bad team.

[FiddySicks]

I like the flex schedule as is because clearly the Bucs didn't deserve a Sunday Night game, along with Jacksonville because you could never tell which Jaguars team was going to show up for the game. Just because a team made the playoffs the previous season doesn't mean they are as good the following season.

Despite what you think, anything is better than seeing Denver 47 Sundays in a row.

Funny, I don't think Denver was on Sunday night football 47 times in a row. How many times were they on Sunday Night anyway, do you even know?

Too many times.

Only four times, and EVERY game was a GOOD game. @ New England, vs Baltimore, vs San Diego, vs Seattle. Not a bad game in the bunch, which is what the purpose of the flex schedule is.

Just because you have hatred for the Broncos doesn't mean they are a bad team.

Four times is too many times when theres a good amount of teams who didnt even sniff the possibility. Its not my "hatred" for the Broncos that makes me feel this way, its the fact that FOUR times is too many times in primetime during a 16 game season with 32 teams. Hell, I wouldnt like it if the Bucs got that much airtime.

[slapshot]

Games would be played on Saturday instead OF Sunday.

So, when would college football play? Friday? And kill all the high school games? You're going to shrink the ratings and the fans, because you couldn't see both at the same time.

Sunday Night Football would be on NBC with the flexible schedules but I would make sure that the playoff team get at least 1 apperance before week 10.

Are you going to go back in time to change the schedules? Can you really tell the playoff teams by week 3 or 4?

The pro bowl would played at mid season.

Because the players aren't going to worry about getting hurt before the playoffs.

Super Bowl would be renamed the WORLD BOWL.

There already is a World Bowl.

All 4 are bad ideas. Sorry.

[winters in buffalo]

These really aren't good suggestions.

There's not much I'd want to change about the season, but since we're throwing out ideas....

I wouldn't mind seeing them retool the shcedule so that teams played the following:

Weeks 1-4: Non-conference games

Weeks 5-11: Conference, non-division games (and bye week)

Weeks 12-17: Division games.

I think it would make late-season games a lot more exciting, and reward teams that finish strong.

[Nick 1733]

Well, if we're going to make suggestions, I have a few...

Have weeks 6-12 be the bye weeks. Well, that's all I can think of, everything else works just fine.

Maybe move the season back the way it was, so the Super Bowl is the last Sunday in January and remove a pre-season game from the line-up.

[BBTV]

These suggestions are not only unpractical, but they just don't make sense.

My suggestion would be to simulate the "conference season" like college has it.

Weeks 1-4 = non-conference games

Weeks 5-7 = division games (round 1)

Weeks 8-14 = intra-conference games (with a bye somehow worked in)

Weeks 15-17 = division games (round 2)

Work out the kinks against the other conference, then bang through your division. Keeping the games clustered may increase the probability that all of the teams in the division are playing each other at the same "strength" (injury and momentum wise.)

Then the conference schedule, which means more than the inter-conference schedule anyway. Then the dramatic conclusion of the season with round 2 of the division games. Increased probability of meaningful games at the end of the year.

[HedleyLamarr]

Why mess with the schedule? A Falcons-Panthers matchup in Week 16 is just as meaningful as a Falcons-Panthers matchup in Week 2.

The only thing I would do is simplifying the schedule. Keep the games on Sunday and Monday, except with the exceptions like Thanksgiving Day football and one Saturday game in the last two weeks of the season. No "Opening Night" game on Thursday, no random matchups on non-Thanksgiving Thursdays.

[Alphabet Man]

What's wrong with how it is at the moment.

I'm not an American, but even I know that NFL is always played Sundays since year one. College Footy is on Saturday and High Schoolers run around on Fridays.

Flexble Schedules i'm not a fan of. the NRL has been using it for years and the Melbourne Storm have had like only 2 Friday night games (equivilent to USA's Monday Night Football- it's the big night) in like 4 years during the Flexible Schedule rounds, then if we get on free to air TV, is another whole debate.

Pro Bowl played Mid Season won't work. The Players will not play. Same reason we got rid of State of Origin, players didn't really want to play mid season for their states. It's fine every year after the Super Bowl and in Hawaii, let them have one game a year on the island.

Didn't know America was The World. Sorry, SuperBowl for me, its universally accepted as one of the premier events in the world that most sports fans watch even though many know all about the game. Like NBA and MLB using the World Champions and World Series names. It's one league in one ot two countries, does not constitute the whole world.

[BlueSky]

Why mess with the schedule? A Falcons-Panthers matchup in Week 16 is just as meaningful as a Falcons-Panthers matchup in Week 2.

The only thing I would do is simplifying the schedule. Keep the games on Sunday and Monday, except with the exceptions like Thanksgiving Day football and one Saturday game in the last two weeks of the season. No "Opening Night" game on Thursday, no random matchups on non-Thanksgiving Thursdays.

Agree with the simplification. They're overexposing the NFL. I love pro football but sorry, Thursday/Saturday/Sunday/Monday is too much, even when (insert tongue in cheek) you have exciting games like that 9-7 barnburner between Green Bay and Minnesota ("Well, that's Favre's tenth interception today but Brett's sure having fun out there...").

What I'd like to see is going back to one week between the Conference Championships and the Super Bowl. The hype is at least bearable for a week and the games always seem to be more exciting than when the teams have two weeks to read about how great they are.

As for this thread, it sounds like the originator is trying to "soccerify" the NFL. NFC/AFC "Finals" ? "World Bowl" ? Not working for me. And I truly mean no offense but the Pro Bowl at midseason is ludicrous not only because of the travel/injury issue but because you'd be sending people based on what they've done for 1/2 the season. The selection process is already a joke, let's not make it worse.

But as for the Super Bowl not being a "world thing," it is...the winner is "World Champion" by default since there are no other professional football leagues on a par with the NFL. I think their rings if not the trophy have "World Champions" on them.

[infrared41]

Games would be played on Saturday instead OF Sunday.

And at least half the NFL's ratings would go out the window. Especially in places that have big time college teams like where I live. The Browns, who have some of the highest local ratings in the NFL, would lose 75% of their audience to the Buckeyes if they both played at the same time on a Saturday. People like the Browns around here but schools rearrange high school playoff game times (for the Michigan game) and reschedule high school basketball games (for the championship game in 2002) to make sure everyone can watch the Buckeyes.

Do you honestly think that given the choice between the Wolverines or the Lions that Michigan residents would choose the Lions? That Tennessee people would pick the Titans over The Vols? That Georgia fans would watch The Falcons over their beloved Dawgs? There are some markets where The NFL would still get better ratings head to head against top tier College teams but not many. Imagine football crazy Texas having to choose between The Cowboys and Texans or the Longhorns. The Cowboys might hold their own but The Texans would be playing to no one. No way do the Cowboys out draw the Sooners on TV in Oklahoma.

Saturday NFL football is fine as long as they aren't competing head to head with NCAA football.

[BaltimoreFan]

The only thing I would do is simplifying the schedule. Keep the games on Sunday and Monday, except with the exceptions like Thanksgiving Day football and one Saturday game in the last two weeks of the season. No "Opening Night" game on Thursday, no random matchups on non-Thanksgiving Thursdays

I have to agree, Thursday games should only be on Thanksgiving. I'd still like to see the primetime "wildcard" games. Some years both the Cowboys and Lions have sucked and the games weren't all that exciting. Other Thursday night games were just a bad idea all around. Both teams have short rest so the game really isn't all that exciting. Plus it puts the road team at an extreme disadvantage, because they also have to find time to travel (not saying its impossible for them to win, just harder). Also I miss the late season Saturday games. It was cool to have 3 games on Saturday (2 afternoon games). I just didn't get into the one primetime game this season.

[DrBear]

OK, here's a really wild idea - an 18-game season with only two exhibition games. The schedule would be:

Division home-and-home: 6 games

Road games against one division in your conference: 4 games

Home games against one division in your conference: 4 games

Two home, two road against a division in the other conference: 4 games.

This would take away the "parity scheduling" that gives us matchups between last year's first-place teams and between last year's fourth-place teams; that idea was phased in before free agency made it easier for teams to improve (and collapse) between seasons. As we've seen, good teams one year aren't always good the next year, right, Seattle and Pittsburgh?

As for putting them in blocks - not a bad idea, but tough to do with division games.

[Bucks6thMan]

I don't see why they don't just replace the pro-bowl with a charity flag football game. At least then the league's best players would be willing to go.

Games would be played on Saturday instead OF Sunday.

Imagine football crazy Texas having to choose between The Cowboys and Texans or the Longhorns. The Cowboys might hold their own but The Texans would be playing to no one.

The Cowboys would be competing with SMU and TCU. The Texans would be competing with Rice and the U of H. I don't think either of them would have to be too worried about losing fans to college ball.

If anything, NFL games on Saturday would cause teams like Pitt and Minnesota to have to drop down to 1-AA.

I still agree though... NFL on Saturday is just plain stupid. Save for the Saturdays between the end of the regular season and the start of bowl season.