My ideas/notions on improving the NFL

[wdm1219inpenna]

Hello again friends,

As I sit here today, home sick, I decided this might be a good time for me to revisit this topic. I realize a week or 2 ago when I wrote my original, that I was truly dreaming, and had some really UNreasonable notions, but it did generate a lot of responses, which is what I love! My favorite was the one person who said "here is MY idea of the ideal NFL" and it was a link to nfl.com! Loved it!

Some of these things I say may indeed be repeats from the last time. I have a list of about a dozen or so.

I was not thrilled with the idea of a regular game being played outside the U.S.A. last year, and again I am not happy about it this year either. I realize that "globalization" is happening, and we will have the Buffalo Bills playing at least 1 game per season in Toronto. I've read different posts, some suggest pre-season games, others suggest a regular season game, still others seem to suggest both. I guess the New York Giants would have been the first team to ask to go back, as all they did was win the Super Bowl. Ironic to think, the team with the first pick and the team with the last pick in round 1 of the 2008 draft faced off in Europe. I wonder if the same fate will hold true for the Chargers & Saints? Somehow I doubt it. The Chargers & Saints were my 2007 pre-season Super Bowl picks. The Chargers almost got there, and instead of New Orleans, it was New YORK.....so not too bad...

As a fan of the NFL, I really should embrace the "bye" week more I suppose. It irks me when the standings are somewhat askew, and teams are 1 and a HALF games behind. They've had "bye" weeks since the 1990 season now, so I should be used to them. It gives us an extra week of football which is definitely a plus. As I recall, was it in 1992 or 1993 that they had TWO bye weeks? That didn't seem to go so well in my opinion. I guess, outside of fantasy football, my biggest gripe w/bye weeks are some teams who are coming off bye weeks are playing against teams who haven't yet had a bye. It seems to me, to be more fair, as the league after all is about parity, that the 4 teams or 6 teams who have a bye one week, should play each other the next week. Ideally, I'd have 4 bye weeks built into the schedule, and each bye week, 2 divisions get off. You could even make it so that they are divisions who are scheduled to play one another for interconference games. Using 2007 as an example, give the AFC East & NFC East a bye week, but the following week, those 8 teams play one another, this way both teams have had an equal amount of rest. One season, I seem to recall the Chargers played against 2 or 3 teams who were coming off of a "bye" and it seems inequitable to say the least. I'd have bye weeks take place during weeks 7 - 10, midway through the season, and well before the Thanksgiving week's worth of scheduled games.

On the same subject of bye weeks, I still am not a huge fan of having 2 weeks to wait before the Super Bowl is played. I understand and recognize how huge an event it is, and how it would take time for the Conference Championship winning teams to make arrangements for themselves and their families, etc., but still a two week period is practically half a month. Granted, 2 weeks is better than say 6 weeks, as they do w/NCAA football. I'd also still prefer and wish that the Super Bowl were always played on the last Sunday of January. 2001's season had extreme circumstances, thus forcing the game to be played in February. I recognize TV networks control a lot since they pay for this, and that February is a "sweeps" month too. I associate February with the Pro-Bowl, groundhogs, hearts, flowers & dead presidents, not with real football, although the Arena League starts this week I believe.

The flex-scheduling used for Sunday night games is brilliant. It is unfortunate that the powers that be are unable to implement a similar system for Monday Night games. I think maybe one or two Monday Night games were "must see" for me, since they moved from ABC to ESPN. I don't mind that they have 2 Monday Night games scheduled during Week 1, and I do like that they have tabled having a Monday Night Game during week 17. Those are brilliant moves on the league's part. I believe the flex-scheduling takes place around week 10 or 11 for Sunday Night games. I wouldn't mind seeing them implement that a bit sooner, around week 7, 8 or 9.

One person had a brilliant idea on here, about having teams being required to make forward progress with the ball during the last 2 minutes of the game, if they are already in the lead, otherwise, the clock would stop. Nothing's worse than a close game, and having the leading team up by 2 with 2 minutes left in the 4th quarter, the other team with only 1 time out left, and to watch the leading team simply take a knee. So whoever had that idea, that's nothing short of brilliant!

The "spikedown" of the ball by the Q/B isn't considered grounding. I feel it should be, but understand why they do that now, and it does add a bit of excitement and urgency to the game. I would recommend that doing so would stop the clock, but penalize the team 5 yards and/or loss of down when they elect to do so.

Before, I was stuck in the 70s, wanting to re-realign the divisions. The 8 divisions are about as close to perfect as they have ever been. Not 100% geographically correct, but there's certainly a reasonable understanding why they did not want to move Dallas out of the same division w/the Giants, Eagles & Redskins, likewise, not wanting to move the Dolphins out of the same division w/the Bills, Patriots & Jets. As far as Los Angeles not having a team, they've not had one since 1994, almost a full decade and a half now. They have USC, and the Rose Bowl game already. I don't know that LA necessarily misses having a team there. Before they had 2, an embarrassment of riches as it were, only to have both teams depart. Ideally for me, I would love to see the Rams back in Los Angeles again. This would help to renew the Ram/49er rivalry, and would not foul up the "Western" division at all. The team rivalries mean more to me for the most part than do the geographic rivalries. When the Colts left the AFC East, that was not a huge deal to me. They were transplanted from the old NFL into the old AFL anyway. Likewise, when the Arizona Cardinals left the old NFC East, that didn't bother me at all, as the Cardinals were perennial also-rans anyway. I still say I'd like to see the league honor the legends of the game, by renaming the divisions Shula (AFC East), Noll (AFC North), Unitas (AFC South), Madden (AFC West), Landry (NFC East), Grant (NFC North), Thorpe (NFC South) & Walsh (NFC West). This would make a team moving to a new city far less burdensome on the league having to re-align again. Someone else did mention that they wished they kept the term "Central" instead of changing it to North. I agree with that, but understand why the league chose to do it this way instead. Incidentally, most of you probably already know that the word "NEWS" comes from the 4 directionals (North East West South). Just a bit of trivia for those of you who maybe did not know that.

One thing that I don't think I addressed before was my desire to see the pros get rid of the 2-point play after a touchdown. That should be strictly for college in my humble opinion, especially since the kicking game in college is far more suspect than in the pros. When the NFL first adopted the 2 point conversion during the 1994 season, I embraced it, but "after further review", I've come to genuinely dislike it. A safety is worth 2 points, period.

Along the lines of scheduling, what I'd like to see, and I realize this too would be a bit of a stretch, would be to have week 1, week 15, week 16 and week 17 all be divisional games only. No interconference games, no intra-conference games either. It would be interesting to see how that played out, especially if there were still some divisional titles up for grabs with just 3 weeks to play. Make the teams play one another to earn it, not have to depend on the Bengals beating the Saints for example in week 17 for the Buccaneers to win the NFC South, for example.

Some have suggested having the Pro Bowl played the week before the Super Bowl. I'm inclined to disagree with that idea, mainly because any team members from the 2 Super Bowl teams would most likely not elect to play in that game anyway, due to fatigue and/or possible injury. Years ago they had a "consolation" game, the Bert Bell Award game I believe, played between the 2 second place finishers. Perhaps the league might explore doing that instead. So for example, this year's consolation game would be between the Chargers & Cowboys. The drawback with that would be what would the teams actually play for? In essence the losing team would theoretically get the 30th pick in the draft, vs the 29th pick. Another amusing idea I have would be to have the worst NFL team, the Dolphins, play against the college champions, LSU, to see who would win. That's something I'd tune in to watch.

Anyway, there are my long-winded, fleshed out ideas and notions for improving upon the NFL. The NFL is the most popular sport in the country, because they are doing constant and never-ending improvements to their game and their product. These are just some ideas I have to improve the game even more. I realize the 2 point play is probably hear to stay, just as the DH is in baseball's American League. I love that they have the defending Super Bowl champion host the first Thursday Night Game of the season. That idea is brilliant! I love the occasional Thursday night games. I love that they have a 3rd game now for Thanksgiving, although it's on NFL Network which many people cannot get or afford. Last summer my family & I left for a week trip to Florida. Before we left, NFL Network was free, when we got home, we had to start paying for it. It's $1.99 a month, and my Mrs. agreed, so that was good. I just wish NFL Network showed more "old time" stuff. I do have the Super Bowl I - XXX dvd set that my Mrs. got for me a few Christmases ago, and I watch them often! I also own the "Autumn Thunder" series, 10 cds of NFL films music from the 1960s - 2000s. Each disk has 18 or 19 tunes on it, so many of which are familiar. This is in addition to the CD I bought about 10 years ago, which has 18 tracks of music, and in-between each track, John Facenda talking about something. He was the best, and always shall be. He's been gone for almost 25 years now, and every time I watch the Super Bowl XVIII highlights, I get depressed, not only because I wanted the Redskins to beat the Raiders, but because I knew that was John Facenda's last piece of work for NFL Films. NFL Films is still awesome, but it's never been the same since Facenda passed away. I wonder if John ever realized just how beloved he was/and still is, by die-hard NFL fans such as many of you on here, not to mention myself.

Once more I thank you all for giving me the privilege to post on here. I really enjoy hearing from you all, and adore the artwork many of you make for different uniforms and logos. Nothing short of brilliant! The best site on the web, hands down!

Thanks & blessings to all,

Bill McD.

[BBTV]

Week 1-4 = play games against one division from the other conference.

Week 5-7 = play your division

Week 8-9 = play your "same place in the standings" games from last season.

Week 10-14 = play games against one division from your conference (with the bye week included in here. It could be done so that teams only play teams that are coming off of the bye, but I don't think it's a big deal.)

Week 15-17 = play your other division games.

[leopard88]

I guess, outside of fantasy football, my biggest gripe w/bye weeks are some teams who are coming off bye weeks are playing against teams who haven't yet had a bye. It seems to me, to be more fair, as the league after all is about parity, that the 4 teams or 6 teams who have a bye one week, should play each other the next week.

One thing that I don't think I addressed before was my desire to see the pros get rid of the 2-point play after a touchdown. That should be strictly for college in my humble opinion, especially since the kicking game in college is far more suspect than in the pros. When the NFL first adopted the 2 point conversion during the 1994 season, I embraced it, but "after further review", I've come to genuinely dislike it. A safety is worth 2 points, period.

I agree on the first point. The fairest way to handle byes is for teams coming off of byes to play one another, as suggested.

I disagree with the second point. The 2-point conversion increases the likelihood of sizable comebacks. I think it also adds an interesting layer of strategy to the game. To that end, my preference would be to keep the 2-point conversion but eliminate regular season overtime. Make coaches decide whether to play for the win or the tie, which would make for exciting endings to games and intriguing playoff scenarios.

[SouthernWebb04]

Definetely a good write, and I can agree with most things said. On a side note, the clock only moving with forward progress was adopted by the AFL. Although, is three consecutive QB Sneaks better than 3 QB Kneels?

[leopard88]

On a side note, the clock only moving with forward progress was adopted by the AFL. Although, is three consecutive QB Sneaks better than 3 QB Kneels?

It is if the clock keeps moving any time the defense stuffs one of them. That would definitely add a little drama to the proceedings.

[The Nation]

I like your ideas. It is far more reasonable than some of the ideas in the other thread, i.e, All teams should play outdoors, or move X team to Y location, which was just stupid. Your ideas are at least reasonable, and feasible. Although I don't agree with everything you said, it is interesting, and can be taken seriously as opposed to the other thread.

Some of the things I'd implement is the bye week policy, I feel as though a bye week should be designated to an entire division. That is all 4 teams have that week off. It's only fair IMO. And for teams coming off a bye week to play each other.

I think drug testing should be more harsh. I.e. No Pro-Bowl, no awards, no playoffs.

I'd like each team to have a maximum of three uniform sets. Meaning a maximum of 3 permutations for uniforms. Unlike the Bengals who I believe can have 6 different uniform sets. A uniform set encompasses all three aspects of a uniform (jersey + socks + pants).

Pro Bowl teams should really be announced after the end of the regular season. It makes no sense to announce it with two more games left.

Off topic, but if a player misses a probowl due to injury, does that selection still count as a probowl appearance?

Another thing I find super annoying is after the end of a game, when all the cameras and photographers raid the field. It hinders celebrations, and coaches can't even shake hands properly. There should be some kind of restraint on this to allow the players celebrate unhindered.

But other than that...the NFL is well organized. They're always looking for ways to improve. This is very similar to the organization skills of UEFA/FIFA, both are well done as well.

[BB61]

I've got an odd idea that may keep games more interesting. It comes from the wonderful world of Rugby.

A few years ago, the IRB introduced a system for just about every major competition that would keep both teams playing for something even if the game was not in doubt. Instead of two points for a win and one point for a tie, like hockey pre-1999, they awarded bonus points if a team achieved one or both goals, which I'll translate for football:

Win = 4 points

Tie = 2 points

1 Bonus point if a team

-- scores four TDs or more, or

-- loses by seven points or less (OT included).

This would, I think, promote scoring on both sides of the ball (though it would benefit offensive minded teams more) and make the teams keep wanting to score even if they're behind or are in the lead by a ways.

I'm in the process of re-figuring the 2007 standings to see how it would've effected them had it been implemented this year. I'll let you know what I see.

[The Nation]

The NFL is an unique sport, in which teams that prides themselves with strong defense as its foundation are capable of winning a superbowl. I.e. Ravens 2000, Bucs 2002. With a point system like the IRB, it takes the initiative for teams to build strong defenses. Although it is still important, it forces a team to build players on both sides of the ball. Which I'm not a fan of, because I think it is interesting when seeing a team that has a heavily stacked defense, take on a team with a heavily stacked offense.

[KevinMcD]

Only thing I would do is to fix up the OT. I would have a version of the college overtime rules. Each team gets a possesion after a kickoff. If team a scores team b has to match or better team a. If they are tied at the end of session 1 they repeat. It is the same as the NCAA except it is kicked off, not given at the 25 yard line.

[chuckymack]

If they renamed the divisions, as you said, the AFC North would almost certainly be named the 'Brown Division', seeing as TWO of the teams in said division got their start with him at the helm.

[B-Rich]

.... Incidentally, most of you probably already know that the word "NEWS" comes from the 4 directionals (North East West South). Just a bit of trivia for those of you who maybe did not know that.

Common misconception / "urban legend" in the similar vein of "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge" being the basis of a much naughtier word.

The eytomology of news is that it refers to any new information or information on current events, which is presented by print or word of mouth (and now, by broadcast or over the Internet) to a third party or mass audience. You can check this in just about any major dictionary, online or print version.

Snopes entry on the subject:

Snopes entry on "NEWS"

[The_Admiral]

re: bye weeks

I always thought it would be fairest of all to play eight weeks, take week 9 off, and then play the next eight. There's already a missing Sunday Night Football and Monday Night Football on the schedule, but as great as this would be for competitive balance, I don't know if the networks, and America, would be able to handle The Week That Football Stopped. People might have to spend time with their families, rake leaves, and get off the couch! Worse, they might have to watch hockey!

I agree with ensuring-possession overtime. "They should've worried about scoring in regulation" is a fine piece of flippant snark for traditionalists, but we wouldn't find it fair if a baseball game terminated after the top of an inning, would we?

My problem with the memorial divisions is that if it's named after a coach or builder for a team in the division, it puts that team above all the others in its division, and if it's one for a team outside the division, it doesn't make any sense. Would the Eagles and Giants be thrilled about battling for the Tom Landry Division Championship? Wouldn't the Giants rather play for the Wellington Mara Division Championship? Both are perfectly acceptable. On the other hand, if you tried to avoid this, what if the Ravens were the George Halas Champions? That doesn't lead anyone to be offended that one team is more important than the other three, but it also doesn't make any sense at all. This sort of thing is best left neutral with the directionals.

I don't like that IRB thing. There shouldn't even be ties to muck up the process, let alone varying degrees of wins. Wins are wins.

Also, as for your "Dolphins vs. LSU" hypothetical, the Dolphins would murder LSU.

[BBTV]

The whole point of the bye week is to create an extra week of programming to sell to the networks. Shutting down for a week would defeat that whole purpose. Please don't think that the bye is intended to give teams a rest.

[jonkj]

So for example, this year's consolation game would be between the Chargers & Cowboys.

No Cowboys. The Giants beat the Packers in the NFC championship, and it still hurts.

[NJTank]

The Consolation Game was called the Playoff Bowl

Playoff Bowl

Vince Lombardi did not think too kindly of it

He called it "the ' Bowl', ...a losers' bowl for losers." This lack of motivation may explain his Packers' rare post-season loss in the 1964 game (January 1965) to the St. Louis Cardinals. After he lost that Playoff Bowl, he detested it. He fumed about "a hinky-dink football game, held in a hinky-dink town, played by hinky-dink players. That's all second place is?hinky dink."Lombardi said that he would never come back and had no intention of ever finishing second again.

[B-Rich]

Also, as for your "Dolphins vs. LSU" hypothetical, the Dolphins would murder LSU.

Not so fast. Let me give you a primer. Between 1934 and 1976, there was a little thing called the Chicago Charities College All-Star Game played between the NFL (later, Super Bowl) champion and a team of collegiate all-stars. Though the Pros won an overwhelming majority of those games, most were rather competitive and the College All-Stars won quite a few (the last was in 1963, when the college all-stars beat the NFL champion Green Bay Packers).

Now, note these were games played with (a) the NFL CHAMPION, not a 1-15 decimated doormat of a team, and played against ( a college ALL-STAR team, with lots of talent, obviously, but little practice time and NO team chemistry or joint experience.

Especially in this year's match-up, I'd go with the college team over the pro team.

[rams80]

Also, as for your "Dolphins vs. LSU" hypothetical, the Dolphins would murder LSU.

Not so fast. Let me give you a primer. Between 1934 and 1976, there was a little thing called the Chicago Charities College All-Star Game played between the NFL (later, Super Bowl) champion and a team of collegiate all-stars. Though the Pros won an overwhelming majority of those games, most were rather competitive and the College All-Stars won quite a few (the last was in 1963, when the college all-stars beat the NFL champion Green Bay Packers).

Now, note these were games played with (a) the NFL CHAMPION, not a 1-15 decimated doormat of a team, and played against ( a college ALL-STAR team, with lots of talent, obviously, but little practice time and NO team chemistry or joint experience.

Especially in this year's match-up, I'd go with the college team over the pro team.

Unless you are prepared to contend that LSU is a collegiate All-Star team, the comparison stands.

I would also suggest that the Super Bowl Champion's talent and workout/practice regimen would work to overwhelm even a team of collegiate all stars.

[BBTV]

Also, as for your "Dolphins vs. LSU" hypothetical, the Dolphins would murder LSU.

Not so fast. Let me give you a primer. Between 1934 and 1976, there was a little thing called the Chicago Charities College All-Star Game played between the NFL (later, Super Bowl) champion and a team of collegiate all-stars. Though the Pros won an overwhelming majority of those games, most were rather competitive and the College All-Stars won quite a few (the last was in 1963, when the college all-stars beat the NFL champion Green Bay Packers).

Now, note these were games played with (a) the NFL CHAMPION, not a 1-15 decimated doormat of a team, and played against ( a college ALL-STAR team, with lots of talent, obviously, but little practice time and NO team chemistry or joint experience.

Especially in this year's match-up, I'd go with the college team over the pro team.

How many players from LSU are going to make an NFL roster? And they're going to beat a whole team of (crappy) NFL players? I just don't see it ever happening. It's not even worth discussing, though, because 1. it would never happen, and 2. exhibition football is just that - exhibition. The outcome isn't taken seriously.

[B-Rich]

Also, as for your "Dolphins vs. LSU" hypothetical, the Dolphins would murder LSU.

Not so fast. Let me give you a primer. Between 1934 and 1976, there was a little thing called the Chicago Charities College All-Star Game played between the NFL (later, Super Bowl) champion and a team of collegiate all-stars. Though the Pros won an overwhelming majority of those games, most were rather competitive and the College All-Stars won quite a few (the last was in 1963, when the college all-stars beat the NFL champion Green Bay Packers).

Now, note these were games played with (a) the NFL CHAMPION, not a 1-15 decimated doormat of a team, and played against ( a college ALL-STAR team, with lots of talent, obviously, but little practice time and NO team chemistry or joint experience.

Especially in this year's match-up, I'd go with the college team over the pro team.

Unless you are prepared to contend that LSU is a collegiate All-Star team, the comparison stands.

I would also suggest that the Super Bowl Champion's talent and workout/practice regimen would work to overwhelm even a team of collegiate all stars.

Rams80, I agree completely with your final point. That was what was happening during the last twenty or so years of that game's lifespan. An NFL championship team's "talent and workout/practice regimen worked to overwhelm even a team of collegiate all stars". But that's not the scenario given originally, nor was it the basis of Admiral's comment. It was a game betwen the college champion and the worst team in the NFL. I'd bet that in cerain years, this WOULD be more of a game, usually when there is a dominant team in the college ranks (94/95 Nebraska comes to mind, as does the late 80s early 90s U of Miami) or when there is a really BAD team in the NFL (I'd figure that the 1980 Georgia Bulldogs, with Herschel Walker, could've beat the 1-15 Saints, and that quite likely the 1976 Pitt Panthers, with Tony Dorsett, could've beat the 0-14 Tampa Bay Buccaneers). I see the Dolphins this year as being that bad.

How many players from LSU are going to make an NFL roster? And they're going to beat a whole team of (crappy) NFL players? I just don't see it ever happening. It's not even worth discussing, though, because 1. it would never happen, and 2. exhibition football is just that - exhibition. The outcome isn't taken seriously.

Vet, see above. Sometimes it's not the players/talent alone; it's also team chemistry and the team playing as a UNIT. I agree with you though, it would NEVER happen-- the NFL would never present one its teams a chance to sink that low (be last in the NFL AND lose to a college team) and college players wouldn't want to risk injury in a menaingless exhibition game.

Oh and for the record, last year (not even a championship year) LSU had FIVE players taken in the first round alone.