[NFL] 16 or 18 Games?

[meStevo]

So... this is close to happening, owners overall agree with it, but probably will become tangled in the labor dispute/negotiation/rhetoric.

I could argue it both ways, but with the right structure, I am 100% for this. If I could have it all I'd expand it to 18 games, adopt the UFL and found additional franchises as a farm system for the teams. Increase the rosters several slots to around 60 to allow for more depth at positions that may need it due to injury and consider adding a late season bye week (1 between week 4-7, a second between 8 and 14, at least 4 weeks apart, no byes the first 3 weeks or last 4 weeks of the season.

There are some real issues labor will have with it... the game now is brutal, but not as bad as 'back in the day' when it was expanded to 16 from 14. The players didn't get 2 more game checks, instead their annual salary was divided by 16 instead of 14. Highly paid players were making ~$80k though (trying to remember the name of the HOFer on ESPN today talking about this). Players now play on better surfaces, have better equipment, from shoes to helmets.

Like I said, I could argue it either way, but I'm being selfish on this one, I want more football, the millionaires can find a way to play 2 more games. You could have a Super Bowl team that's played 21 games in a season + playoffs.

An article from the owners meeting this week - Commissioner says owners want 18-game schedule - latimes.com

 

[meathead76]

Yes

with an additional buy week

 

[Derwin0]

Yes, the preseason games are worthless as it it, replace them with meaningful games.

 

[Ramy]

No. Players careers are short enough as it is. A running back only has about 7 or 8 good seasons in him tops and that would be even further shortened.

 

[HD MM]

The obvious immediate answer as a fan would be Yes, but let's take a deeper look at all the negatives...

18 games is a long season. That's essentially TWO college football seasons! The wear and tear on each player will be insurmountable.

With just 16 games now, each game is meaningful. I can see a lot more games being meaningless if they add two more games to the schedule.

If we go to 18 games, does this mean we start the regular season earlier or end later? Snow cities will have the advantage.

If they go to 18 games, does the amount of playoff teams have to increase to keep teams on the outside looking in interested?

The easy answer is to just eliminate 2 preseason games and keep the regular season as it is. The NFL will never do that though.

 

[Ramy]

The easy answer is to just eliminate 2 preseason games and keep the regular season as it is. The NFL will never do that though.

If I am not mistaken, Goodell already stated that they would eliminate 2 preseason games if they did go to 18 regular season games.

 

[HD MM]

If I am not mistaken, Goodell already stated that they would eliminate 2 preseason games if they did go to 18 regular season games.

Yeah, but I'm talking eliminate 2 preseason games and keep the regular season at 16.

 

[Ramy]

Yeah, but I'm talking eliminate 2 preseason games and keep the regular season at 16.

Oh, that will never happen, you are right.

 

[cosmo_kramer]

Thinking solely how it would affect me, I'm for it, with conditions.

Adding 2 more games and another bye week would add three more games to the season for fantasy leagues and knockout pools. In the knockout pool I was in last year, three people survived through week 17 and had to split the money.

 

[HD MM]

Thinking solely how it would affect me, I'm for it, with conditions.

Adding 2 more games and another bye week would add three more games to the season for fantasy leagues and knockout pools. In the knockout pool I was in last year, three people survived through week 17 and had to split the money.

But will the quality of games suffer?

 

[cosmo_kramer]

But will the quality of games suffer?

The quality of my fantasy games always suffer.

 

[Jimbo]

Yeah, but I'm talking eliminate 2 preseason games and keep the regular season at 16.

I like this idea, although I think they will push for 18 and the players will eventually accept it.

I would go to 3 Preseason games.

I really don't want the Super Bowl to be in MARCH, it's bad enough that it's pushed back as far as it is.

SB use to be in the middle of Jan, now it's all the way out to Feb and maybe the middle of it soon.

Are they trying to make the SB the week of SWEEPS Week ?

I vote to keep it at 16 games.

 

[SandraC]

I agree with HD, there are ramifications to this.

Last I heard they were talking about starting the season the same time, just pushing back the regular season and playoffs. So you're talking two additional regular season games and possibly another bye week, bringing you to a late February Super Bowl. Seems strange to say that.

And what about training camps and pre-season, which would now have only two games? Which week is like this week, the only week that starters usually go into the second half? The first game or the last game? Can't be the last game, because right after that you have an 18 game regular season to contend with. So the first game? Will training camp be shorter with two less games? I can't imagine some of these colleges that teams use are available until late August.

That said, it boggles the mind that there used to be SIX pre-season games back in the old days. SIX!!!


Sandra

 

[Ramy]

I like this idea, although I think they will push for 18 and the players will eventually accept it.

I would go to 3 Preseason games.

I really don't want the Super Bowl to be in MARCH, it's bad enough that it's pushed back as far as it is.

SB use to be in the middle of Jan, now it's all the way out to Feb and maybe the middle of it soon.

Are they trying to make the SB the week of SWEEPS Week ?

I vote to keep it at 16 games.

As far back as I can remember the Super Bowl was the last Sunday in Jan until the last several years.

Sent from my Droid

 

[HD MM]

As far back as I can remember the Super Bowl was the last Sunday in Jan until the last several years.

Sent from my Droid

On Sirius NFL, they were hinting of it now happening during President's Day Weekend. That way, some would be off work on Monday and it would make Super Bowl Sunday Parties even more successful. Me? I still have to work that Monday.

I always selfishly wished the Super Bowl was on a Saturday.

 

[cosmo_kramer]

As far back as I can remember the Super Bowl was the last Sunday in Jan until the last several years.

Sent from my Droid

The first few Super Bowls were as early as the second Sunday in January:


XI - Jan. 9, 1977 - Rose Bowl, Pasadena 103,424
X - Jan. 18, 1976 - Orange Bowl, Miami 80,187
IX - Jan. 12, 1975 - Tulane Stadium, New Orleans 80,997
VIII - Jan. 13, 1974 - Rice Stadium, Houston 71,882
VII - Jan. 14, 1973 - Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles 90,182
VI - Jan. 16, 1972 - Tulane Stadium, New Orleans 81,591
V - Jan. 17, 1971 - Orange Bowl, Miami 79,204
IV - Jan. 11, 1970 - Tulane Stadium, New Orleans 80,562
III - Jan. 12, 1969 - Orange Bowl, Miami 75,389
II - Jan. 14, 1968 - Orange Bowl, Miami 75,546
I - Jan. 15, 1967 - Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles 61,946

 

[salsadancer7]

I voted YES.....WITH conditions:

- Eliminate 2 preseason games and add 2 more BYE weeks.
- Start training camp in late June/early July.
- And expand the rosters to 60 players instead of the 53.

 

[SandraC]

I voted YES.....WITH conditions:

- Eliminate 2 preseason games and add 2 more BYE weeks.
- Start training camp in late June/early July.
- And expand the rosters to 60 players instead of the 53.

Good luck getting the union to agree to moving training camp up to late June, especially with the season ending later.

Two more bye weeks could push the Super Bowl into March.


Sandra

 

[cosmo_kramer]

They should also go back to starting the season on Labor Day weekend. That's another week that has recently been added.

Plus, if you push the season out anymore, you'll be running into other sporting events, like the Daytona 500, and the Winter Olympics every four years....

 

[clapple]

It is not exactly the same game; but close. The CFL plays 18 games over 19 weeks. I think it will happen. Right now it is all about negotiations. Who gets what share of the money!