Should the NFL expand to 18 regular season games?

[strahanfan92]

Same question on Sportscenter.

Vote.

 

[JayDizzle]

Nope.

Also, shorten the Preseason to two games so we can get to the Super Bowl earlier.

 

[strahanfan92]

Nope.

Also, shorten the Preseason to two games so we can get to the Super Bowl earlier.

Not gonna happen.

Personally, I love the Superbowl in February. As much as I want the NFL season to come earlier, I wouldn't want it to start any earlier then it does now. I like football in the cold and I like going to the games in the cold. But that's just me.

 

[Tailback U]

I don't think it should, but what I think doesn't matter. It's going to 18 games.

 

[Aso]

Preseason is more important than most people realize. Peyton Manning on NFL Total Access said that Jeff Saturday said that he wouldn't have made it in this league with only two preseason games. I think with only two teams will look really sloppy the first few weeks of the season more than they normally do and I think tons of teams won't be able to fully evaluate young talent and end up having to release players that with four games would otherwise make the roster.

 

[ralaw]

Much like the changes to the draft I think people will complain about it, but at the end of the day it has little influence on fans and if it does fans will just adjust accordingly.

It hurts the boarderline players in that they won't have as much game time to prove their worth, but I'm sure the players union will demand that rosters be expanded. I'm not sure how much 4 games really prepares the players as it is, as most teams don't (or rarely) even play their starters in the 1st and 4th game anyways. In 4 preseason games most starters only play a total 2-4 total quarters, and in a 2 game preseason they may play 2-3 quarters.

These guys are professionals, so they should be ready. There was a time when training camp was simply about getting guys in shape for the seaosn; however, guys these days are expected to come already in shape. Teams changed the purpose of OTAs and training camp from being mainly about getting in shape to learning the offense, getting timing down, etc.

 

[JOHNNYTHECLOWN]

Not gonna happen.

Personally, I love the Superbowl in February. As much as I want the NFL season to come earlier, I wouldn't want it to start any earlier then it does now. I like football in the cold and I like going to the games in the cold. But that's just me.

nothing beats Miami Dolphins coming to New England in January...any cold weather game is sick...


but anyway, i think they should, it's the only way they'd get rid of two preseason games

 

[Rayman]

Much like the changes to the draft I think people will complain about it, but at the end of the day it has little influence on fans and if it does fans will just adjust accordingly.

It hurts the boarderline players in that they won't have as much game time to prove their worth, but I'm sure the players union will demand that rosters be expanded. I'm not sure how much 4 games really prepares the players as it is, as most teams don't (or rarely) even play their starters in the 1st and 4th game anyways. In 4 preseason games most starters only play a total 2-4 total quarters, and in a 2 game preseason they may play 2-3 quarters.

These guys are professionals, so they should be ready. There was a time when training camp was simply about getting guys in shape for the seaosn; however, guys these days are expected to come already in shape. Teams changed the purpose of OTAs and training camp from being mainly about getting in shape to learning the offense, getting timing down, etc.

Rosters probably don't get expanded, but rather teams will be allowed to dress the whole 53 man roster, instead of the old 45 + emergency QB.

 

[NAHSTE]

Absolutely not. I'd be in favor of 14 games actually. These guys already put their bodies through enough for the sake of our enjoyment and for the profit of rich men.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

Preseason games are a waste of everyones time, why anyone would argue in favor of more preseason games is beyond my understanding.

I prefer 16, but at the end of the day two extra Sundays is a good thing, starting earlier is a great thing, and evryone will get used to it. The golden era of the NFL is over anyway, with MNF on cable, Thursday night games nearly every week, 3 Thanksgiving games, etc. You can't stop change, the league is too big to stay stagnant, its a business first.

 

[Primetime]

I'd love to have 18 games simply for my viewing pleasure. I'd like it to stay at 16 for the record books though, but I guess that's why they say records are meant to be broken.

 

[Houston]

Preseason games are a waste of everyones time, why anyone would argue in favor of more preseason games is beyond my understanding.

Preseason games aren't a waste of time to anyone in the teams organization....

 

[killgod]

more football = more gambling = more fantasy football

yes please.

 

[ralaw]

Absolutely not. I'd be in favor of 14 games actually. These guys already put their bodies through enough for the sake of our enjoyment and for the profit of rich men.

Seriously, though do you care about the athletes putting their bodies through enough?" They're paid very well for what they do.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

Preseason games aren't a waste of time to anyone in the teams organization....

Yes they are. Players hate them, fans don't care, and season ticket holders hate paying for them.

Two is plenty. The sloppy play argument would go away within a year or two, and nobody will notice. They used to play 6.

 

[killgod]

Yes they are. Players hate them, fans don't care, and season ticket holders hate paying for them.

Two is plenty. The sloppy play argument would go away within a year or two, and nobody will notice. They used to play 6.

Considering how teams practice with each other, 2 is more than enough indeed.

 

[killgod]

Seriously, though do you care about the athletes putting their bodies through enough?" They're paid very well for what they do.

Exactly.

I don't give a fuck if they end up brain dead crippled (a bit sad if that specifically happens...)

But at the end of the day, THEY PLAY PRO FOOTBALL FOR A LIVING AND GET PAID MILLIONS!

I'd be happy as fuck to be brain dead at 40 for a career in the NFL. :shot:

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

Seriously, though do you care about the athletes putting their bodies through enough?" They're paid very well for what they do.

Agreed, the compensation is more than fair.

 

[Houston]

Yes they are. Players hate them, fans don't care, and season ticket holders hate paying for them.

Two is plenty. The sloppy play argument would go away within a year or two, and nobody will notice. They used to play 6.

Players hate them? Believe it or not, not everyone is a NFL starter with a 6 year contract. For a ton of players pre-season is more important than the actual season cause if they don't perform during pre-season they won't even be there for the real season. Not to mention this process is very important to coaches when they have to evaluate players and decide who stays and go's.
Maybe a Tom Brady or a Adrien Peterson may not care, but that's a small percentage of NFL players...

Fans don't care? Then why are there people in the stadium watching the game?

 

[Aso]

Much like the changes to the draft I think people will complain about it, but at the end of the day it has little influence on fans and if it does fans will just adjust accordingly.

It hurts the boarderline players in that they won't have as much game time to prove their worth, but I'm sure the players union will demand that rosters be expanded. I'm not sure how much 4 games really prepares the players as it is, as most teams don't (or rarely) even play their starters in the 1st and 4th game anyways. In 4 preseason games most starters only play a total 2-4 total quarters, and in a 2 game preseason they may play 2-3 quarters.

These guys are professionals, so they should be ready. There was a time when training camp was simply about getting guys in shape for the seaosn; however, guys these days are expected to come already in shape. Teams changed the purpose of OTAs and training camp from being mainly about getting in shape to learning the offense, getting timing down, etc.

You make a good points except for part in the second paragraph when you talk about starting players, playing time. Starters usually play a series or two in the 1st preseason game and in the 2nd game a lot of starters play the entire first half while in the 3rd preseason game a lot of starters end up playing the entire first half and sometimes into the 3rd quarter. Coaches don't want to play their starters to play much if at all in the 4th game because they don't want someone to go down and then have very little time to prepare the next guy in line to start. So most starters usually look to get in about 5 quarters. I expect if there is 2 preseason games you'll get starters to play about half of the first game and none of the second. So you might go from 5 quarters of play to about 2 which IMO opinon will show to be significant for the first couple of games.