If I were commish of...Football

[Saintsfan]

Having considered Baseball a little while ago, its time to think about what needs changing in Football.

* A new CBA, to ensure the future of the current revenue sharing arrangements and salary cap.

* Commit to staging Superbowls in cold weather venues every 4 or 5 years. Just seems a bit unfair that good football cities like Chicago or New York never get a Superbowl because of the weather, and the game can be made more interesting by differing weather conditions.

* Stop fining big name players like Ocho Cinco (or whatever he is calling himself this week) for bringing some fun to the game. (By all means fine them for adopting stupid names though!)

* Get a team into LA by hook or by crook. Either let the Jags move or have an expansion. (If its an expansion, put a team in Toronto as well, or perhaps somewhere else if thats going to upset the CFL) to keep balance in the league.

* Not convinced about an 18 game schedule, but if you did it, you could use it as a reason to play more games in none NFL venues, like London and Mexico City. Would it be worth bringing the NFL to college football locales for a week?

* No more retro unis without good reason, and if there is a good reason, make teams wear them for a whole year rather than the odd game.

Your thoughts & comments?

[NJTank]

I like the idea of a 18 game season, and expand the playoffs to eight teams in each conference.

I like the idea of annual games around the world. Perhaps besides London, going to Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico and Spain.

Time to stop fining people who add spice like Ochocinco

(If its not taunting directed or a player or team or a cheap shot then its harmless. and fun.)

Stop putting dresses on QBs I understand protecting star players but it has gone too far.

Give the defense some advantage, the skill level of the offenses has increased, and QBs should no longer have an easy escape hatch, and must throw the ball to an eligible receiver if he tries to avoid a sack or its intentional grounding.

I agree Super Bowls in cold weather Chicago, New York even Green Bay would be awesome.

A team in LA is a must, and Toronto would be good too if you can find away. Not sure if expansion will be a good idea, and sorry Jacksonville the Jags need to go Hollywood. I don't think you are a Major League city to begin with its too close to Tamapa, Miami and Atlanta too.

Retro unis are good, but they are being overused. I say it should be limited to one home a year per team, with the exception of Thanksgiving which should be a league wide retro week.

If a team uses a challenge and a play is reveresed the team should get another challenge.

[slapshot]

If a team uses a challenge and a play is reveresed the team should get another challenge.

They already do...if the team wins both of its challenges it's awarded a third one.

[dfwabel]

Having considered Baseball a little while ago, its time to think about what needs changing in Football.

* A new CBA, to ensure the future of the current revenue sharing arrangements and salary cap.

* Commit to staging Superbowls in cold weather venues every 4 or 5 years. Just seems a bit unfair that good football cities like Chicago or New York never get a Superbowl because of the weather, and the game can be made more interesting by differing weather conditions.

* Stop fining big name players like Ocho Cinco (or whatever he is calling himself this week) for bringing some fun to the game. (By all means fine them for adopting stupid names though!)

* Get a team into LA by hook or by crook. Either let the Jags move or have an expansion. (If its an expansion, put a team in Toronto as well, or perhaps somewhere else if thats going to upset the CFL) to keep balance in the league.

* Not convinced about an 18 game schedule, but if you did it, you could use it as a reason to play more games in none NFL venues, like London and Mexico City. Would it be worth bringing the NFL to college football locales for a week?

* No more retro unis without good reason, and if there is a good reason, make teams wear them for a whole year rather than the odd game.

Your thoughts & comments?

The new CBA is a need, everything else seems to be a want.

[NJTank]

If a team uses a challenge and a play is reveresed the team should get another challenge.

They already do...if the team wins both of its challenges it's awarded a third one.

Im saying if the first challenge is won they should get a third challenge, and if they miss aanother they should get a fourth.

[infrared41]

* Commit to staging Superbowls in cold weather venues every 4 or 5 years. Just seems a bit unfair that good football cities like Chicago or New York never get a Superbowl because of the weather, and the game can be made more interesting by differing weather conditions.

No way. Do you have any idea how cold it is in Chicago in early February? No one wants to sit in 10 degree weather and watch two warm weather teams stumble through a football game. The Super Bowl works just fine at the sites it's already playing.

* Stop fining big name players like Ocho Cinco (or whatever he is calling himself this week) for bringing some fun to the game. (By all means fine them for adopting stupid names though!)

What's the difference between a goofy name and a goofy TD dance?

* Get a team into LA by hook or by crook. Either let the Jags move or have an expansion. (If its an expansion, put a team in Toronto as well, or perhaps somewhere else if thats going to upset the CFL) to keep balance in the league.

Why? Show me how getting a team in LA helps the league at all right now. What does it bring to the table? The NFL has survived 14 years without a team in LA. All that's happened is the league is bigger than ever.

* Not convinced about an 18 game schedule, but if you did it, you could use it as a reason to play more games in none NFL venues, like London and Mexico City. Would it be worth bringing the NFL to college football locales for a week?

No. It would be pointless. Let's take a look. Ohio State draws 100,000+. The Buckeyes played to a sold out Cleveland Stadium this season in The Patriot Game or whatever it's called. The Browns play to empty seats; in Cleveland. Do you really think The Browns would draw in Columbus?

* No more retro unis without good reason, and if there is a good reason, make teams wear them for a whole year rather than the odd game.

What constitutes a good reason?

Those are my comments.

[Saintsfan]

Infrared, let me go point by point on your comments.

First off, sure minus 10 is damn cold, but its the Superbowl, and why not let people from proper football cities host the game? I am not sure that staging the game in sterile permasun places is really working that well? Why not at least give it a try in a couple of cold weather venues?

I was kind of kidding about the name thing! (Maybe a smilie would have helped there!)

Its obvious the NFL wants a team in LA, so just do it, and see if it works or not was really my point. I am not entirely convinced its a sure fire winner, but if the league wants it, do it and find out if it works rather than having it as an elephant in the room for every team in a marginal NFL location.

I am not convinced about the college venues idea, but its never been tried, and if you are going to have 18 games why not use the 2 extra games to spread the message of the NFL around a bit. Its gotta be worth trying for a round of fixtures for a year or two?

A good reason for retro unis could be an anniversary, or maybe to salute a former star, or something like that. But a team would have to get permission from the NFL.

[Seadragon76]

Here's what I would do.

First things first. A new CBA must be created before anything else can happen. This needs to add a Rookie Limit for Salaries, a strong and comprehensive plan on dealing with Concussions and an emphasis on playing games at home in the States. I understand the need to get the game out to Europe, but if NFL Europa failed because Europeans weren't into American Football, then why try to expand out there?

The next step is make sure that the Jaguars stay in Jacksonville. A move to Los Angeles would be great for that city, but it would ruin the geographical order of the divisions. No way in hell would Kansas City move to the AFC South to accomadate the new Los Angeles team. Once that is all taken care of, the next step if to find an owner that is willing to put in the time and effort to keep the Jaguars afloat in Jacksonville.

If they are going expand the schedule to 18 games, then the formula needs to change to add two more teams the schedule.

[The_Admiral]

Saintsfan has no clue what he's talking about; what else is new.

Commit to staging Superbowls in cold weather venues every 4 or 5 years. Just seems a bit unfair that good football cities like Chicago or New York never get a Superbowl because of the weather, and the game can be made more interesting by differing weather conditions.

I hate populist cold-weather-super-bowl rabblerousing so much. It's perfectly fair that Chicago will never get a Super Bowl, and you know why? Because they play in a dump, a shiny renovated half-billion-dollar dump, yet implausibly a dump all the same. It's the smallest stadium in the league. It's built on below-grade landfill, which means that the sod never fully takes and so the grass is always dead and brown and slippery. They can't install FieldTurf because the Park District doesn't want to lose precious soccer exhibitions. The concourses aren't even much better than they were before the renovation. Plain and simple, it's a bottom five NFL stadium. This is all disregarding the fact that the Chicago lakefront is a miserable place to be on a Sunday night in February. People aren't going to pay Super Bowl money to freeze their asses off in the subzero wind chill. I mean they're right on the lake. Do you know what "cooler by the lake" means? Do you know what lake effect snow is? Have you ever even been to a Great Lakes city in April when there are still bitter cold winds coming off the lakes, to say nothing of February? Good lord.

If Chicago really wanted a Super Bowl, they would've built a 90,000-seat retractable-roof palace, but they were equal parts unwilling (da Bears can't play indoors!) and unable (Reinsdorf/Wirtz wouldn't let a dome steal all their big-ticket United Center acts). At the very least they could've built a respectable piece of architecture like the Packers did, and they couldn't even do that. They don't deserve a thing.

[infrared41]

Infrared, let me go point by point on your comments.

First off, sure minus 10 is damn cold, but its the Superbowl, and why not let people from proper football cities host the game?

I am not sure that staging the game in sterile permasun places is really working that well? Why not at least give it a try in a couple of cold weather venues?

1. The simple answer is this. People will travel to Tampa or New Orleans without tickets just to be around The Super Bowl. Why? Because even if you don't get to go to the game you're still hanging out in Tampa or New Orleans. Cleveland is a "proper" football city. You know what there is to do in Cleveland in February? Not a -ing thing besides freeze your ass off.

The Super Bowl is more than just the game itself. There are a million other things going on during Super Bowl week. A large part of them, like travel for instance, require simple things like not worrying about 2 feet of snow and sub-zero temperatures. You're going to have to settle for the occasional Detroit or Minneapolis and like it. Until they put a roof on Soldier Field, The Super Bowl ain't coming to Chicago. I think they should put it in New Orleans and leave it there.

2. You're not sure the game is "really working that well?" Did you stumble on to WIllMorris' drug cabinet or something? We are talking about The NFL and The Super Bowl aren't we? It is the biggest sporting event in this country by a ridiculous margin. The game is viewed by a billion people every year. TV ads cost 2 million for a 30 second spot. Last year's game in Tampa was one of the best ever. My cousin was there (without a ticket) and he said there were estimates that 250,000 people were in town for the game and that there were as many people hanging around outside the stadium as there were inside the stadium for the game. If that's not "working well" then what is?

[The_Admiral]

why not use the 2 extra games to spread the message of the NFL around a bit.

I THINK NFL AWARENESS IS PRETTY HIGH.

The next step is make sure that the Jaguars stay in Jacksonville. A move to Los Angeles would be great for that city, but it would ruin the geographical order of the divisions. No way in hell would Kansas City move to the AFC South to accomadate [sic] the new Los Angeles team. Once that is all taken care of, the next step if to find an owner that is willing to put in the time and effort to keep the Jaguars afloat in Jacksonville.

So they should keep a team in a failed small market so that they don't have to move Kansas City out of its division, which they wouldn't have to do anyway? What kind of face-spiting nose-cutting is that?!?

[infrared41]

Saintsfan has no clue what he's talking about; what else is new.

Well we do need someone to fill the WillMorris spot in the NFL threads.

The Super Bowl "isn't working that well." We have a late breaking nominee for clueless post of the year.

[The_Admiral]

Weren't the last three Super Bowls like three of the highest-rated? Remember how the Bears-Colts one in Miami got kinda crappy because it was two Tampa 2 finesse defenses playing in the rain? System's broken. Move the Super Bowl to Hamilton.

[Brian in Boston]

The next step is make sure that the Jaguars stay in Jacksonville. A move to Los Angeles would be great for that city, but it would ruin the geographical order of the divisions. No way in hell would Kansas City move to the AFC South to accomadate the new Los Angeles team.

The San Diego Chargers and Jacksonville Jaguars will both be playing in Greater Los Angeles within 5 to 7 years. The Chargers will remain in the AFC West, while the Jaguars will swap conferences with their fellow 1995 NFL expansion team, the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers will fill the Jags' old slot in the AFC South, the Jaguars will be placed in the NFC West and the St. Louis Rams will move to the NFC South.

[DustDevil61]

While I'll agree that players like Chad Johnson Ochocinco Go Hachi (??...sp?) add some spice, I think that promoting this kind of behavior in your players (mainly, changing names at will) gives the impression to a lot of fans that the league is more interested in a show than an actual game, like what some people think of the NBA. Some players simply cross the line, and we've got to remember, that kids watch the NFL and, unfortunately, always look up to players as role models.

That doesn't mean I agree with all the fines Goodell is handing out...he is acting Sternish in that regard. If I were commish of the NFL, I wouldn't fine such outrageous players; I'd suspend them from the very thing they're often looking for...the camera. No personal interviews, press conferences, etc. for x amount of weeks, depending on how outrageous the behavior. That way, it isn't a serious offense, but spotlight seekers (off the field) are denied that spotlight for a time.

I'd try to keep the Jaguars in Jacksonville, but I'd be looking for a team in Los Angeles. If things don't turn around in Jacksonville soon, then I'd advise moving the team. Other teams like the Rams or Chargers could end up getting to Los Angeles before the Jaguars and would have less of an impact (alignment- and location-wise) than the Jaguars. I think something will happen with a little time, and would just keep an eye on the situation.

I'd also try to renegotiate the CBA, and try to have a fair share of money coming into the smaller markets. I like the idea of limiting rookie salaries. I'll admit, however, that I don't know much about this kind of stuff.

Expanding the season to 18 games could also help with markets without an NFL team, wether in Europe or non-NFL markets in the states. Maybe you could have a game in nearby non-NFL cities (i.e., Memphis for Nashville, Milwaukee for Green Bay, Portland (OR) for Seattle, San Antonio for Dallas/Houston, Salt Lake for Denver, Sacramento for San Fran/Oakland) provided a given city has a reasonable football venue (preferrably college).

That's all I have off the top of my head.

[The_Admiral]

I've no interest in keeping the NFL in Jacksonville, seeing as Jacksonville doesn't particularly care about keeping the NFL, and appears almost resigned to the Jaguars' departure. Why do you guys want them to stay?

[dfwabel]

Nice to see that there has not been any thoughts of:

1- increasing the disability plans of the retired players. (While it is actually an issue for the NFLPA, you have to look at it and make it much more just a system).

2- the issue of concussions and if rosters needs to be increased.

3-Adjustment or elimination of the "blackout" rule.

Saying working on the CBA is moot as the owners have already opted out, so after the 2010 season, a NEW CBA will be required for the 2011 season. Since it already needs changing (as it will expire), then tell us how you would work with the owners in terms of creating a new one.

[IceCap]

1) Crack down on the sleeves vanishing league wide. I understand that players want to streamline their cuts to avoid giving opposing players something to grab onto, and that's cool. Just keep it within limits though. Enough of this almost basketball jersey look.

2) Stop fining Chad Ochocinco. Actually I would loosen the NFL's standards as a whole on this one, and use some common sense when dolling out fines. Well maybe I would have fined him for trying to bribe the ref with a dollar. Maybe a $1 fine.

3) Get the NFL into Los Angeles. The Jags can't survive in Jacksonville, so why pull a Gary Bettman and continue to try and fit a square peg into a round hole? Let the Jags move to LA along with the Chargers, move the Jags to the NFC, and juggle the divisions a bit. LA needs two teams.

4) While I agree that more teams in the Super Bowl location rotation should be included, I think it's downright silly to insist on putting the game in Pittsburgh, Chicago, or New York. The NFL is perhaps the most visible, most marketable league in the world. Its title game needs to be neutral. So with that said I would expand the Super Bowl location discussions so that more northern cities with in-door stadiums like Detroit, Minnesota, and Indianapolis could host it more regularly. I would also look at putting the game in other fair weather locations that don't seem to get it enough, or at all, like Carolina, Dallas, and the Bay Area. Expand the amount of cities that get to host the Super Bowl regularly, but still keep it out of unfavourable northern weather. Win-win.

Also, to add onto that, if Chicago and New York want to host Super Bowls they can build themselves new, in-door, stadiums.

5) I would do what I could to keep the Bills in Buffalo though. Unlike Jacksonville, Buffalo supports their team, and the team seems to be doing just fine financially in upstate New York. The only reason I see for them moving is that their owner's going to die. That's not enough of a reason to abandon a small, but potent market.

6) Not so much something that I would change, but it's something I would actively campaign to keep the same, and that would be to keep the CBA as is. The NFL is one of the most all around successful leagues when it comes to their finances. If I got the job as head honcho tomorrow I would have enough common sense to not mess with a good thing.

7) I would scale back on the "exclusive" NFL Network games. Not only because it's unfair to the fans, but also because letting the NFL Network get to big might rub those in the US government the wrong way when it comes to anti-trust legislation. So lets not rock the boat and keep the NFL Network from getting to big.

8) Maybe this is a Canadian thing, and I guess it goes hand-in-hand with the keep the Bills in Buffalo point, but I would keep the NFL out of Canada.

9) On the same note, I would limit international games to an annual pre-season "American Bowl" (like they used to). One game, in pre-season, in a foreign location. In a sport like football, where every game's potentially the game that makes or breaks your season, it's just not fair to ask teams to sacrifice a home game to play in a neutral site, potentially across one of the two major oceans. One international game in pre-season should be enough.

10) Invite the Commish of the UFL over, then spend the entire night talking about what a successful season this has been, and how the Super Bowl is basically a licence to print money. Then offer him a drink and ask "so how did you guys do?"

[BBTV]

* A new CBA, to ensure the future of the current revenue sharing arrangements and salary cap.

I don't really care about the CBA. Mostly because the team I follow would do very well in an un-capped / non-revenue-sharing system. Seriously though, yeah - what they have now is working, so they should really get a new CBA done to preserve all that they have now. I wish there was a way to eliminate all of the cap loopholes though. The fact that teams have "capologists" is really silly. It shouldn't be too hard to figure out how to structure a contract. Guys signing deals that they know they'll never see the end of is just plain dumb. Not sure of a better way to do it though.

* Commit to staging Superbowls in cold weather venues every 4 or 5 years. Just seems a bit unfair that good football cities like Chicago or New York never get a Superbowl because of the weather, and the game can be made more interesting by differing weather conditions.

Now this is just plain dumb. First of all, you aren't rewarding the "good football cities". It's not like if a Super Bowl was in Philadelphia, I'd be able to just go and buy tickets for it. You'd just have 70,000 tourists flooding your city for a weekend, and then complaining about how cold it was. The Super Bowl is an event. It's something people build long weekends out of, or even full week vacations. It attracts celebrities, and is a national spectacle. Nobody wants to go to Buffalo for the Super Bowl. Nobody. (not that Buffalo could support an event like that, but that's beside the point. Well, not really.)

Also, with all of the betting that happens on the SB (which the NFL is very conscious of), there's no way they want the outcome of the game (or even the point totals) affected by snow or other inclimate weather. The biggest spectacle of the year should be played in conditions that give each team the opportunity to play their best.

* Stop fining big name players like Ocho Cinco (or whatever he is calling himself this week) for bringing some fun to the game. (By all means fine them for adopting stupid names though!)

Fine them for adopting stupid names? That's simply stupid. Fine a guy for legally changing his name? The NFL can supercede US name changing decency codes? I agree that they should relax on players that celebrate and have fun without taunting.

* Get a team into LA by hook or by crook. Either let the Jags move or have an expansion. (If its an expansion, put a team in Toronto as well, or perhaps somewhere else if thats going to upset the CFL) to keep balance in the league.

I'm not sure that the people of LA are dying for a team, but Jacksonville is obviously a lost cause, so just put them there. Your Toronto suggestion doesn't sound properly researched, as the Skydome doesn't appear to be "NFL caliber" - they'd have to construct a whole new arena. Also, the number one thing the NFL has going for it is it's TV contracts. Throw a Canadian team into the mix, and that could complicate things a lot, as that market wouldn't have a FOX or CBS affiliate (unless they do - I'm not sure.) I can't imagine the networks would love this.

* Not convinced about an 18 game schedule, but if you did it, you could use it as a reason to play more games in none NFL venues, like London and Mexico City. Would it be worth bringing the NFL to college football locales for a week?

I couldn't care less about the international games. I really don't see the point - NFL has plenty of global exposure without dragging players halfway around the world. As for the college venues, I'm assuming you've never been to an NFL game in a modern stadium? I can't think of a single college venue that could provide the same experience as a modern NFL stadium, nor do the college venues have the facilities that NFL players are accustomed to. Again, there's no need to play a game in Columbus, or Tuscolusa, or Eugene. There is absolutely nothing to be gained.

* No more retro unis without good reason, and if there is a good reason, make teams wear them for a whole year rather than the odd game.

What's a good reason? Who decides this? It's a marketing / merchandising league. It's usually in their benefit to have more things to sell. As long as they're careful that they're not diluting their brands, they'll continue to do this. I'm not a big fan of the throwback uniforms, but I don't see the need to ban teams from having the option to bust them out.

[BBTV]

5) I would do what I could to keep the Bills in Buffalo though. Unlike Jacksonville, Buffalo supports their team, and the team seems to be doing just fine financially in upstate New York. The only reason I see for them moving is that their owner's going to die. That's not enough of a reason to abandon a small, but potent market.

I'd question the potency. It's a small market that's getting smaller every day. The area isn't exactly flourishing from an economic perspective, nor does it have a modern stadium that generates revenue like most of the other cities. In a league driven by revenue sharing, I'm sure the other owners can't be happy with the amount that the Bills contribute to the pot, and would welcome an opportunity to move the franchise to a city that's better able to support the team. Remember - support doesn't necessarily = fans attending games. I'll agree that the Buffalo fans are passionate, unfortunately, it doesn't matter.