NFL Talk - 2010-11 Season

[Thestral]

30% the other team never touches the ball? This isn't they win overall, it's they win on the first drive that many times. It's not the majority, but it isn't an insignificant number either.

I agree that 15 mins is normally too much, I just think both teams should have a reasonable opportunity to score.

If it was close to or over a majority, I might accept there's a problem. But that stat means 70% of the time both teams get to play offense at least once; in the sudden-death format, I think that's acceptable.

Both teams do have a reasonable opportunity to score. Force a punt or get a turnover. If your defense can't do its job, that's too bad.

Sudden Death is the problem.
Get rid of it. Then you don't have to worry about who gets the ball when.
5 mins is enough time to run several hurry up offenses and that how over time should be played. One Time Out.

It doesn't need to be an entire other quarter. This forces the teams to pass the ball more often than run...or if they feel they are a superior run team...bleed the clock and keep the other team off the field while you score.
Either way would make for incredibly fast finishes and amazing heroics

5 minutes? Single drives can easily take 5 minutes.

And what's more heroic than the knowledge that one big play is all it takes to lose - or win?

 

[Saquist]

5 minutes? Single drives can easily take 5 minutes.

And what's more heroic than the knowledge that one big play is all it takes to lose - or win?

I say suck it up.
We're about to go to an 18 game season. OT needs to be as quick as possible. 5min OT is the equivalent extreme as Sudden Death. The point is to get it over with with as few casualities a possible.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

We're going to go to an 18 game season? The season isn't long enough as it is? Are they going to start earlier or end later?

 

[SmoothieX]

^I didn't make it past halftime, got a nasty sore throat and head cold. Heard it was decided in the final minute or two.

 

[Timby]

We're going to go to an 18 game season? The season isn't long enough as it is? Are they going to start earlier or end later?

The owners are pushing hard for an 18-game season, which the NFLPA is steadfastly opposing. The owners' arguments are rather hilarious in general. "If we play more games, we all get more money. The players take all the risks, of course, but they get part of the more money!" Basically, they're putting forth a remarkably stupid argument used to justify shafting the players (which is the owners' collective goal during this round of labor negotiations).

"Hey, if you drop your percentage from 60 to 53 (or whatever), but we play more games you make more money anyway, so why complain?"

50 percent of 100 is less than 48 percent of 120. Idiots.

 

[1001001]

I think they could go to an 18 game schedule if they gave up preseason games.

They're useless.

 

[Trekker4747]

Eh, pre-seasons games are fairly useless. But, at the same time, most major sports do have pre-season games but when we're talking about game like football where injuries are common place and can put a player out for the season, or his career, having pre-season games strikes me as dumb. How many times has a good, valued, or critical player been taken out for regular-season games or for a season because of an injury suffered in the pre-season?

Expanding the regular-season and eliminating the pre-season would probably be the best option. More football would always be cool with me.

 

[Timby]

It's hard to call the preseason entirely useless, when you open training camp with 80 players, and you have to cut down to 53 by the beginning of the season, and quite frankly, the best way to evaluate players (especially when making a decision on one roster spot between three guys) is in actual game situations, not practice.

The regular season should stay the way it is, at 16 games, but the preseason shouldn't last four games.

Expanding the regular-season and eliminating the pre-season would probably be the best option. More football would always be cool with me.

You missed the part where the owners are fighting to reduce the overall percentage of NFL revenues that go to players, while simultaneously fighting to get a longer season, thereby royally fucking over the players.

 

[TheMurph]

The plan I've seen being bandied about for the longer season is to eliminate two preseason games and replace with two more regular season games.

 

[Skywalker]

I don't mind expanding the regular season (though I can say that, since I'm not a player and don't have to deal with the rigors of football), but not if it means the players get completely screwed over in their share of the revenue. If not for those players, the owners wouldn't be making nearly as much money as they are.

 

[Timby]

I'd be on board with eliminating two preseason games and keeping the regular season at 16. The plot of NFL owners to extend the regular season, while at the same time drastically cutting the players' share of the revenue pool, is nothing more than a blatant money grab (as vocalized by Panthers owner Jerry Richardson, when he said at the last owners' meeting in March 2010 that the goal for this round of negotiations was to "take back our league" and, with regards to the players, "force our deal down their throats").

The common argument is, "Well, if these injuries are going to occur to players no matter what, then they should occur in the regular season, not games that don't count," and while that's more than a bit morbid and callous, I can understand the point of view. That being said, with the wear and tear that a regular NFL season takes on players (keeping in mind that preseason games are really never played at full strength, with the entire playbook, etc.), there's no logical reason whatsoever to extend the regular season to 18 games. The owners want more hot dog and beer revenue, nothing more.

You cannot reasonably extend the regular season and at the same time slash the players' share of the revenue pool, and then turn around and say that it's good for the players, not when the average career of an NFL player is just three and a half seasons and the life expectancy drops two years for every season played.

 

[pork3]

I think they could go to an 18 game schedule if they gave up preseason games.

They're useless.

I guess the question is, useless for whom?

For coaches, I know BB being one of them, they've gone on record on saying it's valuable in terms of evaluating players that are on the fence and who might possibly make the practice squad.

I can see maybe getting rid of the 4th preseason game, but the first 3 are somewhat fun in terms of seeing the practice squad types etc. playing.

I love football, and I'll never get enough of it, but having 18 regular season games will likely take a toll on the players.
The only way around it is increase the game day roster size in addition to completely retooling the Injured Reserve rules (which need revising anyways), to make it fall more in lines with how baseball operates (I hate baseball btw...)

-Jamman

 

[Saquist]

The preseason game are useless for the fans (full price) but very useful for the team to make cuts by observing real game speed.

 

[archeryguy1701]

I'm split on the 18 game season. Getting more football that mattered wouldn't break my heart at all. I can see the player's point about the amount of abuse they take during the season and how they want to be able to play for as long as possible. But.... they make more money in a single season playing a freaking game than I'm going to make in my entire life working. Part of me wants to say that they can suck it up and deal with it.

 

[Trekker4747]

Well, certainly, if the expand the season to 18 games they need to give the players more money. If it's just so CEOs can count more piles of money, fuck it. Leave it at 16.

 

[Roger Wilco]

What if as a balance for expanding the regular season, the rosters get expanded slightly too? Sure the stars would often have to play 18x times anyway (if they can), but that could help a lot of those guys who work just as hard as the others but are just on the edge of getting a decent contract.

 

[Timby]

Then the owners' goal of reducing the players' overall share of the NFL revenue pool would be completely defeated. It won't happen.

 

[Dorian Thompson]

Colt McCoy took the Browns down the field to tie the game at 20-20 with 44 seconds left in the game!!!!

Cripes, I hope the Browns win the coin toss in OT or they don't have a prayer in that sudden death crap.

 

[tomalak301]

Colt McCoy took the Browns down the field to tie the game at 20-20 with 44 seconds left in the game!!!!

Cripes, I hope the Browns win the coin toss in OT or they don't have a prayer in that sudden death crap.

Well, it's another game where the Coin toss doesn't affect the outcome of the game. That's good at least.

 

[Dorian Thompson]

Jets miss the field goal!! Cleveland retakes possession on OT! Damn.....can NFL games still end in a tie? Times getting short in the overtime period.