An 18 game NFL season?
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An 18 game NFL season?
Jonathan Tamari
No Eagles draft picks signed today (at least not yet - though the team did make a roster move in releasing undrafted free agent cornerback Devin Ross) so I thought it would provide a good chance to talk about one of the more divisive issues of the off season: expanding the NFL schedule to 18 games.
The New York Times has a story today with some details of the idea, which boils down to this: the owners would like to ditch two of the league's meaningless (but full priced) pre-season games and replace them with regular season contests. This would pave the way for more money in the owners' pockets, with some of that cash presumably finding its way into players' paychecks.
The players, though, are not enthused and have some strong arguments on their side, namely that extending the season would increase the risk of injury in a sport where injuries are already prominent and potentially devastating. Before anyone jumps on the players as pampered millionaires, one of the most outspoken opponents is the Ravens' Ray Lewis, hardly a softie.
“I’ve been blessed to play this game for so long, but it’s time to start thinking about what legacy and impact changes like this will leave for the players of tomorrow and us after we retire,” Lewis said in a statement released by the players’ association, according to the Times. “I know our fans may not like preseason games and I don’t like all of them, but swapping two preseason games for two end-of-season games — when players already play hurt — comes at a huge cost for the player and the team.”
So what do fans think? Would you prefer more NFL action and being freed from paying for watered-down pre-season games? Are you worried about key players getting hurt if the season gets any longer? Is the NFL making a mistake by tinkering with the most successful product in American sports? Or are they smart for finding ways to keep growing revenue (read: making money)?
Have at it . . .
Comments (72)
YUP. More games for the best sport in America is a no brainer.
As much as we all love the NFL, adding two games is not a good idea. Injuries are inevitable in an extended season. Just think we've had big time injuries late in seasons (ie. Westbrook, Owens) that have impacted our playoff implications. Let's keep the schedule as it is.— JayDuce
from a fan perspective hell yeah i wanna see more meaningful football. from a player perspective hell no. contracts already not guaranteed and you're gonna add 2 weeks to an already brutal schedule?— MPatt24- The NFL should add the games and increase the roster on each team by 5 additional players for game day. More games more healthy bodies and more money for the starters. Win!! Win!!! Win!!! Television contracts will make more money.....— mthamess
- 18 games with expanded rosters. Coaches have to decide how to play their superstars. Do the best players play sparingly at first and increase play as the season wears on, or do emerging teams need to play their best guys 100% of the time. The NFL will be fine and the coaching game becomes even more interesting. The league needs to bump up minimum salary levels.— blood_green
- I say play the two extra games... Im sure there are many players whose season ended within a Pre-Season Game, remember Stewart Bradley? If they play later in the season, they might be more football ready and possibly prevent some of these injuries...— wawa44oz
I am all for an 18 game season. Better for the Fans and cut the preseason games to only 2. Get it done Roger Goodell.— briandawkins20- I think it is a bad idea. I don't want to see all the records broken because the seasons are now 18 games.— ChrisM
I know cornelius ingram would be in favor, it would be the only way he might actually see regular season action in the NFL.- 18 games over 20 weeks and expand the roster. give everyone two bye weeks,— usonis
- The preseason used to be 6 games. Back then players needed the time to learn and get in shape. The NFL is now a full time league. Two games may be enough but it will put more pressure on their performance in practice. Practice performance does not often seem to equate to game performance. More games give more teams a chance to make the playoffs as each game has a lesser contribution to the record. I suggest 3 exhibition games, 18 regular season games, and 2 bye weeks.— brentrn
- 18 games and expand the roster.— djack10
- keep the 16 game regular season, but have the preseason record count for something...like extra draft picks, playoff tie-breakers, and something else fan-related...like 20 free tickets to give to the fans per win in the preseason.— jonoodle
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Starters barely play 1 out of the four preseason games as it is now. Most of the games are played by second teamers and players that the teams want to evaluate. Regulars will have to play the 2 preseason games to get their team cohesion down and then have to play 18 games at full speed. It'll increase injuries, shorten players careers and make for games in high heat and/or low temps. Bad idea, bad idea, bad idea. And imagine an 18 game sked for bad team like the Lions? It'll seem like an eternity.— tpizza- Starters barely play 1 out of the four preseason games as it is now. Most of the games are played by second teamers and players that the teams want to evaluate. Regulars will have to play the 2 preseason games to get their team cohesion down and then have to play 18 games at full speed. It'll increase injuries, shorten players careers and make for games in high heat and/or low temps. Bad idea, bad idea, bad idea. And imagine an 18 game sked for bad team like the Lions? It'll seem like an eternity.— tpizza
- Regarding expanding the roster, here's what I don't get... as long as there's a hard salary cap in place, what's the point of having a limit to the roster at all? The logic behind it originally came well before any cap, and the idea was to prevent rich owners from buying up all the talent in the market. Now, when there's a limit each team can spend, why bother dictating how many people they can spend it on. If your whack-job coaching staff wants to pay 400 guys league minimum or whatever, go nuts. If they're talking about expanding the regular season, ditching roster limits makes more sense now than ever.— Coniglio101
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- "This would pave the way for more money in the owners' pockets, with some of that cash presumably finding its way into players' paychecks" Come on.... you know the players get 50%+ of the income, so if the owners make more money from the two games from TV, the players get even more. Adding two reg season games with more players on the roster would be great.... I can't stand getting ripped off for full price tickets to preseason games.— dennismithusa
- Dont fix something that aint broke people!— dbscu9934
- Cut the preseason games and don't add any regular season games.— cesegal
- too many games,more injuries and a waterdowned product,bad idea.— schmitty71
- Of course from the fan point of view 18 games is better. It will mean another game or two with Vick at QB though.— jimmyj
- I would consider adding another bye week.— Jonuda
- As a season ticket holder, I have trouble paying for the pre-season games. So I love this. They need to temper it with expanded rosters to help with injury factor. At least expanded for those first couple of games (like a final cut process).— eaglec35
With the miracles that Kolb "Mr. Clutch" Kolb will deliver this year we need as many games as possible to witness this greatest.- if its 18 games will the super bowl take place around the third week of February?? I'm all for more football, but these guys do need some time off to recuperate.— slickguy17
- 18 game season. I don't know when would the Super Bowl be played? March is the answer, then we have the Super Bowl competing with "March Madness" for our money, hearts and minds. However, you could keep that from happening by eliminating the present Wild Card games scenario, go back to the division leaders playing for the Conference Title not this long drawn out abortion that is now in place. As for increasing the roster? I say yes. Another 5-10 players would make the game safer, starters could get a little less playing time each game to keep them fresh. Maybe like the Pop Warner formula, you have to play every player on the roster every game.— drpfs
- Looks like Tamari finally got a real head shot and got rid of the one where is melon looked like a beach ball on a tooth pick. Congrats Tamari you actually look like a normal human being instead of Stewie Griffin!— EaglesBleedMoney
- injuries can come from taking a shower.. MORE GAMES PLEASE!!!— osi is hurt boohoo
- smells like greed to me. I have to side with the players on this one, without guaranteed contracts the additional games seems like a slap in the face.— gdeadwhale
- Usonis, I like your idea; 18 games, 2 bye weeks. The longer the season, the less I have to wait in between seasons. Regular season, from the last weekend in August, to the first week of January; playoffs for a month and the Super Bowl in February. Yep, that's it. I like it.
- Hey Philly.com!!! How can an idiot like DooDooFresh post 4 of the exact same stupid comments, and sometimes, I can't get one posted? What gives?
- It would be stupid to increase the number of games. Drop the 2 preseason games and keep the regular season as it is. There will be way too many injuries and the end of season games will be bad as teams either will be out of the playoffs or in the playoffs and playing scrubs. Its a dumb idea.— libertyof76
- As long as we are thinking about this, why not make the games longer? I think there should be an extra 3 minutes in each quarter. Let's see what others think of that.— LAEagles
- How about they keep the season at 16 games and cut out the 2 preseason games? Oh wait, that will never happen, the owners will get less $$$.— ugluk
- Preseason tickets should be half price. The gate may or may not take a hit but the parking and concessions will absolutely grow for those two games. Expanding the roster to accomodate increased injuries in an 18 game season is counter-productive. An increased payroll will trickle down to the fans' pockets and watered down talent is not good for anybody.— cbecko
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- I'm not sure if the 18 game schedule would help the Eagles. With 4 preseason games, the Eagles still had problems getting plays in on time, and time outs were always badly used. Two less preseason games to learn and practice could be disastrous. Or was it the former QB here who could't get the plays down on time, and it will now be a moot point,as it won't happen as much with the new guy.— watsonmr
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- 18 GAME SEASON WOULD REQUIRE AN INCREASE IN ROSTER SIZE TO ABOUT 60 AND FINE TUNING OF IR RULES. A PLAYER WITH A SIGNIFICANT INJURY SHOULD NOT COUNT AGAINST THE ROSTER IF HE WERE TO MISS 8 GAMES OR SO. WILL NEVER HAPPEN. PLAYERS WILL NOT WANT TO SHARE ANY MONEY WITH EXPANDED ROSTERS. SB WILL BECOME A BATTLE OF THE 2 TEAMS THAT WERE LUCKY ENIOUGH TO STAY MOST-SIGNIFICANT-INJURY FREE, IF THAT ISN'T ALREADY THE CASE. CAN YOU IMAGINE LOSING YOUR STAR QB IN WEEK 1 AND HAVE TO ENDURE 4 MONTHS, ANYONE REMEMBER 1991 ??— gryphon69
- When would the season start? The week after Labor day as it does now, because te NFl does not want to compete wit summer. Then the season may run into late Feb. Get ready for a lot more vey cold and snowy games. If they do why not add a 3rd pre season game for the rookies and free agents only. Play them at neutral college stadium sites. It would help the coaches evaluate these players better.— borncynic
- Injuries are a part of the game for every team anyway so I don't see that as a valid argument against an 18 game schedule. The pre-season is a joke as is and rosters are pretty much set after the third pre-season game - Add the two extra regular season games.— PhillyTru
- The injury excuse is old and tired as this clown DooDooFresh. Injuries happen no matter what. You can't protect against them. Unless you just don't play. The team should be ready to go by the 3rd preseason game anyway and that is when it's being proposed the 18 regular season game begins.
Drop one preseason, play a 17th game, but play at a neutral site. Either college stadiums, or overseas. Add another bye week. Play the BCS game the week before the Super Bowl, after the New Year's bowls determine a plus 1. And visualize world peace.- Bring back the 14 game schedule shorten the pre season by 2 games that would be 16 games plus playoffs— jim17109
- if it ain't broke don't fix it just charge less for the pre season— jim17109
- just tell Ray they won't be added at the end of the season when players are hurting, but rather at the beginning of the season when they're fresh. then he'll buy in— raoool
- 16 Games is plenty. Just cut out the 2 pre-season games any way. By the end of week 16, it's pretty well established who should be in the playoffs and who should not. Seasons are already too long in all the major sports.— LarryAW
- 14 games to 16how many more injuries percentage-wise, was it increased in those last 2 games ?? Players are out for the season in non contact drills, so 16 to 18 makes sense, but only from a money perspective. As for listening to anything the representative from Murderers Row has to say ... it's all BS ...— AsValidAsYours
- Expand the season to 18 games. Start the season at least 1 week earlier and add a bye week. Expand the full roster to 58, game day roster to 50, bring the PS to 10. Everybody wins.— Unstable1
- Not only injuries and all that. It'll just dilute the season even further. 9-7, 9-6-1, make the playoffs even 8-8 can win you a division. Extra games will just make the regular season less important, then they'll want to add playoff games.— gothlete
- Its never ending. The player will want more money & then the owners will want more & it will be 20 games in 10 years. The players need to demand less money or they will be forced ro go to 18. The USFL did 18.— Norm3
- I think they should take 2 games off the schedule, not add two. You would have a much better product come playoff time. 16 games is too much. Greed is a wonderful thing when it comes to the NFL.— MB2009
- I don't like the idea at all. One of the things that I love about the NFL is that every game is like life or death. A win is huge. A loss is huge. Two more games doesn't sound like much but it makes every game a little less important. The NFL was worrying about teams resting starters the last 2 weeks before! Wait until teams start clinching in week 13 of an 18 game schedule.— bleedmidnightgreensection236
- Keep it the way it is. 2 games is not enough to give your players a game style start to get ready, and to evaluate what you have in the rookies and FAs.
- With an already injury prone team I would not like the season expended. However money talks and two more games means more money for the owners, so I see it as a future inevitability. They don't care what the players think and that will be obvious when they lock out next year.— Murrayag11
- no, keep it at 16 games.
- What was it Maurice Jones-Drew said? Something like, "If the owners and GMs will suit up for 18, then maybe we should do it." Ray Lewis says, "We're not machines." This is obvious stuff. The schedule already demands too much from these guys' bodies. Additional games shouldn't be up for discussion, even if the preseason is dropped. The season is already incredibly long, from a spectator viewpoint.— tacklinjoe
- I vote no. Then the playoffs become a war of attrition, where the it's not the best team that wins, but the team that has lost the fewest players to injury. Expanding the roster dilutes the talent pool. And then players will likely play a little softer knowing they have to conserve for a longer season. This is pure greed on the owners' parts. Don't mess with a formula that's working.— FKD215
- They aren't being swapped for 2 games at the end when everyone is hurt. They're being swapped for 2 games at the beginnning (replacing preseason games but RayRay isn't the brightest)when everyone is fresh. So, stop your whining and get on the field!
- 18 games a year is ok with me, every team has its share of injuries so Ray Ray can get over it.— Sportsterroy
- If they do it then the players cant break season records unless they do it in 16 games. I would cut the pre-seson games down to 2. In a few years the superbowl will be outside in Giants/Jets stadium in late February.— MIKEI
- Just give me two bucks and its all free. Stew bradley was hurt at "flight night". This 18 gm thing is just another reason there wont be football as we know it after this season. Nobody is talking about Demaurice Smith, the players assc. leader. he will become the most hated man in America. Sorry folks, football without the most exciting player in the league is gonna be a real stunner to this city.— Onlineps2beast
- I think it will be great. It means less (put me to sleep pre season) and more exciting season. I still don't like Andy but I will love the Eagle till the day I die. I wish they will go back to the old eagle style so my tattoo could mean something again.— I M Jim
- I like the idea of more meaningful football each year, but there are too many risks and draw backs. One thing most people forget about the preseason is it is used to evaluate mid and lower level guys on the roster. Taking away two games eliminates learning opportunities for younger players. How do the Eagles give Kolb game experience while he learns behind McNabb with only two preseason games per year. The starters would have to play a decent portion of both games to begin to get into a good rhythm and flow for the season. Also this gives the coaching staff harder job evaluating talent and the non-drafted/late draft pick player less time to make an impact and earn a job. All of these things are affected even before we look into the injury factor, scheduling, players’ contracts, and all the other hot button issues associated with the change. I like changes that are predicated on bettering the sport. I don't like changes predicated on increasing league revenue.— datbo215
- Strandman, starting the season two weeks early is the same as adding two weeks to the end. The season is two games longer. Whether the two games are added to the end, middle, beginning, or even one on the end and one at the beginning the season is still two weeks longer. Meaning at week 17 (whether week 17 happens in January or February) they still have 2 more weeks to play. It seems like "RayRay" isn't as dumb as you think.— datbo215
- Expanding the Roster isn't going to do anything.........so now each team is going to have 5 more bums on the team that won't get in the game anyway????.....i think they should leave it how it is...the NFL is not broke, stop trying to fix it.....the only people who want more games is the people who want more money,— tunde25798
- Two less pre season games and regular schedule.— CY
- I don't care about the players and their bodies and all that stuff, they are there for my/our entertainment. The league will figure out how to play these guys and adjust to the longer schedule. Bring on the extra games!— jbourne53
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