NFL About to Jump the Shark?

[Rockstar Matt]

Why mess with a nearly-perfect regular season/post-season?

While football is my favorite sport and nothing is even close to it, I don't want to see more games added. I think because the NFL only has a 17 week season, that makes watching football even more special.

Because, there isn't a lot of games. It's not like basketball, baseball or hockey where you have 82 games per team and 162 games per team every year. Those sports have so many games to be played, the regular season isn't that special, especially since they last so damn long.

But, with the NFL, you only have 16 chances to watch your favorite team play, (excluding the playoffs). Since there is so few games, each game is that much more important and special. Plus, the NFL's post-season is the best in sports. Each team only having one shot to make it or to get sent home. I love it.

Football is so much fun to watch because we don't have it for the majority of the year. Only from September to February do we have it. Imagine if the NBA, MLB or NHL had a 16-game season. Every game would be intense.

For football, most of the off-season I can't wait for football to come back. And, because I'm so excited for the season to begin, that in itself, makes the regular-season perfect. To me, it feels like I just watched the Lakers beat the Celtics in the Finals and now we're already a month into the new season again?

The NFL needs to stick to a 16-game schedule over 17 weeks, because in this case, less is more.

[rainmaker17]

Which is exactly how NASCAR boned itself. They crown a champion, then they're out there a month later to do it all over again. To me, it's like a year-round tournament, which I don't find appealing.

[Mac the Knife]

Which is exactly how NASCAR boned itself. They crown a champion, then they're out there a month later to do it all over again. To me, it's like a year-round tournament, which I don't find appealing.

Yep. Same with golf - the "season" seems never-ending. Baseball, basketball and hockey seasons also are of such length that their absence from the sports scene doesn't leave fans with the same level of anticipation as is the case with the NFL brand of football.

That said, I'm still not opposed to an 18-game regular season if they can do it (1) without extending the seasons further into February, or even better (2) moving the Super Bowl back to January somehow - neither of which seem like the path the NFL intends to to pursue.

[Magnus]

I'm not going to weigh in on this topic. NFL can do whatever it pleases; I prefer the CFL.

1. I can actually afford to go to a game.

2. They play 18 games and don't complain about the "extra" ones that might cause injuries.

3. Shorter playoffs (even if it's only by one round).

4. Season finishes way before Christmas, and doesn't interfere with things like Sweeps week or what have you.

It also acts as an almost-perfect counter-balance to the TV schedule of the NHL for us Canadians; we get the NHL to cover our pro sports fix after the Grey Cup and until June if we watch the whole playoffs, and then right around the corner in July, the CFL starts again.

[ElwoodCuse]

the NFL is liable to have the same attendance problems they had in the 1990s once again....

The NFL already is having attendance problems, which they are mostly blaming on the economy. And not the fact that it costs a fortune to go to games and now that everyone has a giant HDTV they'd rather stay home to watch the game and eat their own food and drink their own beer.

A while back Jim Rome said wrt the NFL attendance woes: "It's because football is not the number one sport in the country any more--sitting on your couch and pigging out is."

Make no mistake, the NFL is incredibly poorly managed, but its place as a television behemoth means they can continue to screw things up without any consequences. 18 games? Sure. Arbitrary and illogical suspensions (or not) for on-field and off-field conduct? Why not. A possible missed season? Hey, we'll wait.

None of the NFL's screwups are going to convince a majority of this country to do something else with their Sundays.

[gueman]

Make the Super Bowl the day before President's Day. I'm an accountant so I'd never EVER even have a CHANCE of taking off that day because it's right smack in the middle of tax season, but for everyone else it should be a holiday.

Also, why not go for a compromise: 17 games. 8 home, 8 away, every team plays a neutral site game every year against a non-division opponent.

College stadium, London, Mexico City, Canada, whatever.

BINGO! I have been saying that for years...and the neutral site....Las Vegas. That should also be the home of a permanent Super Bowl Stadium Hotel and Casino. Each week there would be a game in Las Vegas, and the Super Bowl would be the Sunday before Presidents Day.

[BBTV]

Make the Super Bowl the day before President's Day. I'm an accountant so I'd never EVER even have a CHANCE of taking off that day because it's right smack in the middle of tax season, but for everyone else it should be a holiday.

Also, why not go for a compromise: 17 games. 8 home, 8 away, every team plays a neutral site game every year against a non-division opponent.

College stadium, London, Mexico City, Canada, whatever.

BINGO! I have been saying that for years...and the neutral site....Las Vegas. That should also be the home of a permanent Super Bowl Stadium Hotel and Casino. Each week there would be a game in Las Vegas, and the Super Bowl would be the Sunday before Presidents Day.

I'm not down with the whole President's day thing, but I've long been a proponent of "Super Bowl Stadium" in Las Vegas. It makes so much sense, with the only down side being that it's surprisingly cold in LV in the winter. For some reason I always thought it was summer all year round there, but I found out the hard way a few Decembers ago. A huge part of the reason that the NFL is so popular is because it's the best sport for betting, attracting bettors of all experience levels (I don't know too many average guys giving Vancouver 2 pucks over Winnipeg, but just about anyone would take the Browns and the points against the Jaguars. They should just embrace that, at least for the Super Bowl, and have it become the biggest goddam event that anyone has ever seen.

[NJTank]

I personally look forward to an 18 game season. Think of it two bye weeks equal 20 weeks of NFL football, and 20 weeks of NFL Red Zone. I think what the NFL should do is if this happens play the Super Bowl President's Day Weekend so the next day is a National Holiday. What could be more perfect?

[Sport]

Which is exactly how NASCAR boned itself. They crown a champion, then they're out there a month later to do it all over again. To me, it's like a year-round tournament, which I don't find appealing.

I've been saying this for years. Nascar has what feels like a never ending season. Jimmy Johnson wins one year and the next week we're at the Daytona 500. At least that's how it feels.

What's the number one rule in show-biz (which is what pro sports is)? Leave em wanting more.

Can anyone think of how the scheduling would work? I think we all have the scheduling formula down now, but what's two more games going to do to the system they currently use?

[Quillz]

I know this would never, ever happen, but here's what I would personally like to see:

1) 18 game regular season played over 18 weeks. No preseason whatsoever, and the regular season is moved back to when the preseason normally begins. (This way we can return to a January Super Bowl.)

2) Allowing one more team from each conference into the playoffs. This would reduce the first-round bye to only the conference's top seed, which I think creates more of an incentive to come in first, because now the second place finishers have to play all three rounds.

[rainmaker17]

Make the Super Bowl the day before President's Day. I'm an accountant so I'd never EVER even have a CHANCE of taking off that day because it's right smack in the middle of tax season, but for everyone else it should be a holiday.

Also, why not go for a compromise: 17 games. 8 home, 8 away, every team plays a neutral site game every year against a non-division opponent.

College stadium, London, Mexico City, Canada, whatever.

BINGO! I have been saying that for years...and the neutral site....Las Vegas. That should also be the home of a permanent Super Bowl Stadium Hotel and Casino. Each week there would be a game in Las Vegas, and the Super Bowl would be the Sunday before Presidents Day.

I'm not down with the whole President's day thing, but I've long been a proponent of "Super Bowl Stadium" in Las Vegas. It makes so much sense, with the only down side being that it's surprisingly cold in LV in the winter. For some reason I always thought it was summer all year round there, but I found out the hard way a few Decembers ago. A huge part of the reason that the NFL is so popular is because it's the best sport for betting, attracting bettors of all experience levels (I don't know too many average guys giving Vancouver 2 pucks over Winnipeg, but just about anyone would take the Browns and the points against the Jaguars. They should just embrace that, at least for the Super Bowl, and have it become the biggest goddam event that anyone has ever seen.

Gotta disagree Vet. I like the rotating site for the game in the same way I liked the different logos for each individual Super Bowl. One site and a soul-less scheme every year would suck.

[BaltimoreFan]

Since we're talking about NFL changes we'd like to see, I'd like to add that the NFL should get rid of Thursday night football games (with the exception of Thanksgiving). The players don't seem to like the short rest and it doesn't seem like a huge revenue generator since not many people have NFL Network. The biggest thing that I miss, was before the Thursday night games, there use to be 3 NFL games on Saturday when college football was over. It was really cool to watch NFL football on a Saturday afternoon (and it was also close to the holidays which was nice). Now they only have Saturday night games. I really miss the afternoon game though.

[Mac the Knife]

Since we're talking about NFL changes we'd like to see, I'd like to add that the NFL should get rid of Thursday night football games (with the exception of Thanksgiving). The players don't seem to like the short rest and it doesn't seem like a huge revenue generator since not many people have NFL Network.

It'll be gone when the current TV deals expire. The Thursday night games were specifically shoehorned in for NFL Network telecasts. The new TV deals the NFL signs with the networks will open the door for Saturday night or Sunday games in all likelihood.

[BaltimoreFan]

Since we're talking about NFL changes we'd like to see, I'd like to add that the NFL should get rid of Thursday night football games (with the exception of Thanksgiving). The players don't seem to like the short rest and it doesn't seem like a huge revenue generator since not many people have NFL Network.

It'll be gone when the current TV deals expire. The Thursday night games were specifically shoehorned in for NFL Network telecasts. The new TV deals the NFL signs with the networks will open the door for Saturday night or Sunday games in all likelihood.

That's good. Like I said, I'd like to see the post-college season Saturday afternoon games return too.

[BBTV]

Saturday NFL > Thursday NFL. By a lot.

[Mac the Knife]

My ideal NFL world...

- Regular season begins the weekend before Labor Day.

- 18 regular season games over 18 weeks. None of this p***y bye week stuff.

- Keep current division alignments, but eliminate conferences - no AFC, no NFC.

- 8 division champs make the playoffs, plus 6 wild cards, regardless of division.

- #1 and #2 seeds get a first-round bye, the rest are seeded (#'s 3-14) and meet in first round playoffs, the only caveat being that in cases where two teams from among those seeded #3-14 are from the same division, they have to play each other. Further, if a division has three or all four teams qualify, they have to play among themselves until only one survives.

- Super Bowl in late January, with the Pro Bowl going to the ash heap of history.

[Quillz]

Mac, if you eliminate the conferences but maintain eight divisions, what are they called? West Division 1 and West Division 2? East Division A and East Division B? But I do like that it could open up a lot more Super Bowl matchup possibilities.