How close are you to being done with the NFL?

[Hossage]

I am pretty much done with the NFL. The rules have become ridiculous, the penalties randomly enforced, the level of play gets worse every year, the coaches seem identical, the announcers are way over the top, it has become a betting league, the sportswriters constantly spew filth to the masses, it just seems like a big pageant of mediocrity.

 

I love football. I have played it and lived it. I was a wrestler, too, but I pass on WWE or whatever its called. i am almost there with the NFL. I have enjoyed the UFL games more than the NFL games this year, if I am honest.

 

Let me know how you feel, gentlemen.

[ajzepp]

[zazie]

I am pretty much done with the NFL. The rules have become ridiculous, the penalties randomly enforced, the level of play gets worse every year, the coaches seem identical, the announcers are way over the top, it has become a betting league, the sportswriters constantly spew filth to the masses, it just seems like a big pageant of mediocrity.

 

I love football. I have played it and lived it. I was a wrestler, too, but I pass on WWE or whatever its called. i am almost there with the NFL. I have enjoyed the UFL games more than the NFL games this year, if I am honest.

 

Let me know how you feel, gentlemen.

Bye

[swede316]

Actually Hoss makes some good points. Since I've been down under the last 5 years I've been playing Rugby. A much faster game (especially Rugby League). No commercials during the games on TV either!!! I think that's what's killing me with the NFL nowadays. Too many commercial breaks really slow it down. Still have the online NFL ticket and watch the games but just not into like I used to be (could also be the Bills sucking for the past 10 years too).

 

Referees suck in every sport.

[TheChimp]

I am pretty much done with the NFL. The rules have become ridiculous, the penalties randomly enforced, the level of play gets worse every year, the coaches seem identical, the announcers are way over the top, it has become a betting league, the sportswriters constantly spew filth to the masses, it just seems like a big pageant of mediocrity.

As I sat here nodding my head in agreement with everything you just said, I realized something wild. You just described ALL aspects of American popular culture. Simply replace "coaches" with "politicians", "announcers" with "talk radio pundits", and "sportswriters" with "the News outlets in general".

[jax bill backer]

I thought I would never say this but living in the Gateway of College Football I have come to the conclusion that the college game is way more exciting than the pro game..

[zazie]

I thought I would never say this but living in the Gateway of College Football I have come to the conclusion that the college game is way more exciting than the pro game..

Sorry, where is the gateway of college fooball?

[mead107]

Sorry, where is the gateway of college fooball?

I do know where the Westeren Gateway bridge is. Schenectady NY, I do not think it leads to college football.

[Kettle Creek Football]

I am pretty much done with the NFL. The rules have become ridiculous, the penalties randomly enforced, the level of play gets worse every year, the coaches seem identical, the announcers are way over the top, it has become a betting league, the sportswriters constantly spew filth to the masses, it just seems like a big pageant of mediocrity.

 

I love football. I have played it and lived it. I was a wrestler, too, but I pass on WWE or whatever its called. i am almost there with the NFL. I have enjoyed the UFL games more than the NFL games this year, if I am honest.

 

Let me know how you feel, gentlemen.

I know what you mean, but for me, it is still the most exciting sport to watch on TV. I can't wait until Xmas when Santa (my wife and kids) bring me my first Plasma/HD. Mind you, hockey, basketball, and even the Winter Olympics all will look pretty sweet on it, too. The World Cup will be on next summer, and the best thing about that is no play stoppage & thus, no commercials!

[first_and_ten]

I am pretty much done with the NFL. The rules have become ridiculous, the penalties randomly enforced, the level of play gets worse every year, the coaches seem identical, the announcers are way over the top, it has become a betting league, the sportswriters constantly spew filth to the masses, it just seems like a big pageant of mediocrity.

 

I love football. I have played it and lived it. I was a wrestler, too, but I pass on WWE or whatever its called. i am almost there with the NFL. I have enjoyed the UFL games more than the NFL games this year, if I am honest.

 

Let me know how you feel, gentlemen.

 

A few years back they changed the rule on plays that go out of bounds. They never used to start the game clock until after the snap of the football when a play had ended out of bounds. Now they place the ball and start the clock. This does not apply with less than 5 minutes to play in a half. So what was the point to this rule change? They claimed the games were taking too long. I say the real reason was money. Less football means more commercial time. Watching a game can be a painstaking display of endless commercials. I hate it. I now tape the game and begin wathing it about 30 minutes late, so i can fast forward thru the commercials.

[kegtapr]

I know what you mean, but for me, it is still the most exciting sport to watch on TV. I can't wait until Xmas when Santa (my wife and kids) bring me my first Plasma/HD. Mind you, hockey, basketball, and even the Winter Olympics all will look pretty sweet on it, too. The World Cup will be on next summer, and the best thing about that is no play stoppage & thus, no commercials!

 

I'd submit that college football/basketball are the most exciting sports on TV. You might get an NFL game once every few weeks that lives up to the hype, while there can easily be 3 or 4 a week in these other sports.

 

Frankly, I was done with the NFL about 5 years ago. I'm just a casual observer now, background noise for a lazy Sunday.

 

And winter olympics in HD.

[iinii]

Actually Hoss makes some good points. Since I've been down under the last 5 years I've been playing Rugby. A much faster game (especially Rugby League). No commercials during the games on TV either!!! I think that's what's killing me with the NFL nowadays. Too many commercial breaks really slow it down. Still have the online NFL ticket and watch the games but just not into like I used to be (could also be the Bills sucking for the past 10 years too).

 

Referees suck in every sport.

YOur point about commercials, is probably my biggest problem with the game. TV has taken over and changed it imo. Take all of those long commercial breaks out and make them play. I have believe they would have to trim down to not get totally gassed. After seeing Invictus trailers I want to see some Ruggers. I am still a fan though, but am waiting anxiously for the World Cup next year.

[iinii]

I'd submit that college football/basketball are the most exciting sports on TV. You might get an NFL game once every few weeks that lives up to the hype, while there can easily be 3 or 4 a week in these other sports.

 

Frankly, I was done with the NFL about 5 years ago. I'm just a casual observer now, background noise for a lazy Sunday.

 

And winter olympics in HD.

Yeah that Florida/Florida International game yesterday was just spell binding.

[KD in CA]

Good thread.

 

I'm not sure I'll ever be 'done' with the NFL, but I certainly feel myself drifting further away for a variety of reasons:

 

--Life is more demanding now (marriage, kid, etc.), so fewer Sundays that can be devoted to the couch and clicker. As kids grow, that will only become more pronounced. Who would miss their own kid's soccer game to watch the NFL?

--The reasons you mention; declining product on the field, over emphasis on the officials (and the corresponding decline in quality of officials), bias favoring marquee teams, endless stories about criminal behavior among players, etc.

--The Bills becoming a permanent doormat. I still get excited for the playoffs, but when I know with 100% certainty in August that Bills won't be challenging to be there, it diminishes the whole season. The upside is that when the Bills finally move away, the loss probably won't seem as hard.

 

And keggy is right about college being a more exciting game. A lot of people may not care what happens in a UCONN-ND game, but yesterday's contest was more exciting than any NFL game since the Giants-Pats* SB.

[May Day 10]

too many commercials

 

 

 

 

I enjoy college football 10x more

[silvermike]

As I sat here nodding my head in agreement with everything you just said, I realized something wild. You just described ALL aspects of American popular culture. Simply replace "coaches" with "politicians", "announcers" with "talk radio pundits", and "sportswriters" with "the News outlets in general".

 

I think this is most painful with "conventional wisdom" that neither coaches, politicians or either kind of pundit will challenge. There are always a bunch of fans/voters online asking their guy to be more aggressive and reject decisions that are traditional but don't make sense (crummy TV ads, punting on 4th and inches from midfield) and even though the ones who break the system are usually successful, the rest still try to pull them back down.

[kegtapr]

Yeah that Florida/Florida International game yesterday was just spell binding.

 

Swing and a miss...strike one. Way to pick the extreme example.

 

Colorado - Okla St?

LSU - Miss?

Oregon - Arizona?

Cal - Stanford?

 

Shall I go on?

[CodeMonkey]

YOur point about commercials, is probably my biggest problem with the game. TV has taken over and changed it imo. Take all of those long commercial breaks out and make them play. I have believe they would have to trim down to not get totally gassed. After seeing Invictus trailers I want to see some Ruggers. I am still a fan though, but am waiting anxiously for the World Cup next year.

But you forget, the TV networks would not be able to pay the ridiculous fees to the NFL without all the commercials. And the NFL would not be able to pay the ridiculous salaries to players and coaches without the TV revenue. And the NFL is a business first. So the quantity of commercials will never decrease ... though it may increase.

 

And that is a big reason you don't see much soccer on TV in the US. It is not a commercial friendly sport. And I can't see FIFA injecting TV timeouts into the game for the US TV networks like the NFL and even the NHL (to a much lesser degree) did.

 

I watch the Bills but that's about it for football for me, college or pro. And the constant commercials are a huge reason.

[Bmwolf21]

Yeah that Florida/Florida International game yesterday was just spell binding.

Probably as spellbinding as the Cleveland-Detroit game will be today.

[Kelso_Helmet]

As I sat here nodding my head in agreement with everything you just said, I realized something wild. You just described ALL aspects of American popular culture. Simply replace "coaches" with "politicians", "announcers" with "talk radio pundits", and "sportswriters" with "the News outlets in general".

 

you're onto something....literally all aspects of america culture

 

I am pretty much done with the film industry. The scripts have become ridiculous, principles are inconsistently demonstrated (e.g.,Roman Pulanski), the level of writing gets worse every year, the story lines seem identical, the reviewers are way over the top, it has become all about merchandising and mass production of blockbusters, the studios constantly spew filth to the masses, it just seems like a big pageant of mediocrity.

[evilcape]

NOT CLOSE AT ALL! rediculous. why do u come to websites like this. football is the greatest sport, game, mind-f uck there is. I actualy just woke from a dream when i was smashing into people on my high school football field. what a feeling. yes i understand what your saying about too many penalties and rules and such but the quality of athlete in the NFL and the art of deception that is football is more beautiful than a sunset.

[DCbillsfan]

I am pretty much done with the NFL. The rules have become ridiculous, the penalties randomly enforced, the level of play gets worse every year, the coaches seem identical, the announcers are way over the top, it has become a betting league, the sportswriters constantly spew filth to the masses, it just seems like a big pageant of mediocrity.

 

I love football. I have played it and lived it. I was a wrestler, too, but I pass on WWE or whatever its called. i am almost there with the NFL. I have enjoyed the UFL games more than the NFL games this year, if I am honest.

 

Let me know how you feel, gentlemen.

Everyone should get a DVR if you don't have one. That way you can do the honey do list, take your kids to their game, do leaves, etc. Come back into the house, crack a beer and power through the commercials, halftime, ridiculously long challenges, and still catch the 4th quarter live!

[OverdueBills]

I'd submit that college football/basketball are the most exciting sports on TV. You might get an NFL game once every few weeks that lives up to the hype, while there can easily be 3 or 4 a week in these other sports.

 

Frankly, I was done with the NFL about 5 years ago. I'm just a casual observer now, background noise for a lazy Sunday.

 

Guess I never realized it, but that's what my football involvement has morphed into also - casual observation. It's on as background noise as I go about the weekend chores. I'll stop by the TV, check the scores and move on for another hour or so.

 

May i'm just getting older or maybe I just haven't had anything to cheer for for about a decade now. If the Bills and Pats were both 7-2 and fighting for 1st in the division, then my interest level might "improve".

[filthymcnasty08]

AGREED! On all points:

 

NFL

Politics

The movie industry

 

Watch the introduction to either Sunday or Monday Night Football (with the exception of the Gifford intro which is usually awesome). They are simply over the top and gawdy. The one with Faith Hill is excruciatingly awful. Blasting the two helmets into outer space....embarassing.

 

Anything ESPN has become too much to handle....overproduced and disney-fied (The ABC announcers used to have to plug Dancing with the Stars during MNF). Sickening. Watching a tough man like Ditka perform like a monkey in their stupid fukng skits hurts me from the inside out.

 

Tiki Barber telling his team half way through his final season DURING A PLAYOFF DRIVE that he has to consider his TV career. Repulsive.

 

Monster rookie contracts

 

Guaranteed contracts

 

Endorsement $

 

Holdouts

 

Obsession with fantasy teams

 

Celebrity players/coaches with entertainment agents.

 

Michael Crabtree shouldn't earn more than a rookie minimum this season for missing camp. That should be a league rule.

 

Chest thumping and celebrating making a regular tackle, making a regular catch or any other regular positive moment. Everyone wants to be on the highlight reel.

 

Cleveland, Oak, KC and Buf stadiums should be empty and sh-tty, mediocre matchups should have zero viewers.

 

G/Hip-Hop lifestyle - How much talent and money goes into these idiots that cant stop themselves from getting into trouble?

 

We have become an empty culture OBSESSED with celebrity. We mindlessly consumed the product and never demanded anything better...

 

Don't settle for the product if you think that they can do better. It's not on them, it's on us....they don't look like they need $.

[Cynical]

Swing and a miss...strike one. Way to pick the extreme example.

 

Colorado - Okla St?

LSU - Miss?

 

Aack.

I could have sworn Dick Jauron was coaching LSU based on the ending of that game.

 

Oregon - Arizona?

Cal - Stanford?

 

Shall I go on?

 

Nope. Great examples. You could include UConn - ND.

[Red]

Actually Hoss makes some good points. Since I've been down under the last 5 years I've been playing Rugby. A much faster game (especially Rugby League). No commercials during the games on TV either!!! I think that's what's killing me with the NFL nowadays. Too many commercial breaks really slow it down. Still have the online NFL ticket and watch the games but just not into like I used to be (could also be the Bills sucking for the past 10 years too).

 

Referees suck in every sport.

 

I will 100% agree that the commercials have become ridiculous.

 

I can remember back when the Bills were going to Super Bowls, and during a time-out on the field the announcers would give you a background story of a player, and it made for a much richer appreciation (atleast for me) of the players, teams, and games.

 

It was more interesting.

 

It has begun to madden (not John) me with how with every stoppage, every hangnail, we must be inundated with 2-4 commercials, that have been pounded into our brains over, and over, and over again from all of the SAME previous commercials that were just on the air 2 minutes earlier.

 

I know it's a business, blah, blah, blah, but the once interesting story of the individual players has been replaced with ads for GM and Miller Lite.

 

Thanks for the attempt at mind control, but my next truck will most likely be a Toyota and my favorite beer is Molson Canadian.

[Offside Number 76]

I am pretty much done with the NFL. The rules have become ridiculous, the penalties randomly enforced, the level of play gets worse every year, the coaches seem identical, the announcers are way over the top, it has become a betting league, the sportswriters constantly spew filth to the masses, it just seems like a big pageant of mediocrity.

 

I love football. I have played it and lived it. I was a wrestler, too, but I pass on WWE or whatever its called. i am almost there with the NFL. I have enjoyed the UFL games more than the NFL games this year, if I am honest.

 

Let me know how you feel, gentlemen.

 

I've felt this way for years. In a 3+ hour game, there are fewer than 10 minutes of actual action. Announcers are horrible. Commercials after a touchdown and then after a kickoff kill any flow there may have been. The officiating is inconsistent. The play itself has become boring--with a couple of exceptions, it's like the whole league has gone the way of the NFC East, circa 1989.

 

If it weren't for the Bills, I wouldn't watch the NFL at all--I'd stick to college ball. But, unfortunately, I'm a Bills fan.

[Thoner7]

I am pretty much done with the NFL. The rules have become ridiculous, the penalties randomly enforced, the level of play gets worse every year, the coaches seem identical, the announcers are way over the top, it has become a betting league, the sportswriters constantly spew filth to the masses, it just seems like a big pageant of mediocrity.

 

I love football. I have played it and lived it. I was a wrestler, too, but I pass on WWE or whatever its called. i am almost there with the NFL. I have enjoyed the UFL games more than the NFL games this year, if I am honest.

 

Let me know how you feel, gentlemen.

 

I feel you man. The penalties are just getting too muhc, and they seem to always work the Patriots way... no not seem, they DO always work the Patriots way. I honestly think the NFL is rigged.

[kegtapr]

NOT CLOSE AT ALL! rediculous. why do u come to websites like this. football is the greatest sport, game, mind-f uck there is. I actualy just woke from a dream when i was smashing into people on my high school football field. what a feeling. yes i understand what your saying about too many penalties and rules and such but the quality of athlete in the NFL and the art of deception that is football is more beautiful than a sunset.

 

Dial the testosterone down a notch, kiddo.

[TheChimp]

NOT CLOSE AT ALL! rediculous. why do u come to websites like this. football is the greatest sport, game, mind-f uck there is. I actualy just woke from a dream when i was smashing into people on my high school football field. what a feeling. yes i understand what your saying about too many penalties and rules and such but the quality of athlete in the NFL and the art of deception that is football is more beautiful than a sunset.

Brought a tear to my eye, it did.

[Circusboy39]

Can I add to the con that every game at least one player suffers some gruesome, season-ending injury and that by Week 5 like half the team on the field is backups? I'm not a fan of the fact that people get hurt so seriously and so often. That is of course except for those plays where someone grazes the QB and it's like a 15 yard penalty, or there's some inadvertent nudge on a pass play 30 yards down field, and so the offence is gifted 30% of the entire playing surface regardless of their ability to actually earn yardage on their own merits. Weak.

[Mr. WEO]

Swing and a miss...strike one. Way to pick the extreme example.

 

Colorado - Okla St?

LSU - Miss?

Oregon - Arizona?

Cal - Stanford?

 

Shall I go on?

Well, unless you attended one of those schools or are a gambling addict---who cares?

 

The NFL is the best sports entertainment available.

 

College football?? You guys might want to switch to the NBA or NHL.

[Chalkie Gerzowski]

We have become an empty culture OBSESSED with celebrity. We mindlessly consumed the product and never demanded anything better...

 

 

easiest chance to send the lemmings to a FEMA kamp is now. it's devoid of substance... NFL has become more of a not so necessary diversion... I think next year DVR is going to get quite the workout. I don't mind watching the games, but I'll do it on my schedule. Outside of the first 2-3 games I haven't watched a complete game all year.

[McBeane]

I'd submit that college football/basketball are the most exciting sports on TV. You might get an NFL game once every few weeks that lives up to the hype, while there can easily be 3 or 4 a week in these other sports.

 

Frankly, I was done with the NFL about 5 years ago. I'm just a casual observer now, background noise for a lazy Sunday.

 

And winter olympics in HD.

 

Well, if you compare the number of games between college football/basketball and the NFL I'm sure it would make the percentage of "exciting" games relatively similar. There are 32 NFL teams and something like 120 Div 1 Football teams and even more basketball teams are in Div 1.

[thr_wedge]

Probably as spellbinding as the Cleveland-Detroit game will be today.

 

Well that was a bad example...

 

I live in Austin, TX love my Longhorns, but still watch NFL.

[Sisyphean Bills]

But you forget, the TV networks would not be able to pay the ridiculous fees to the NFL without all the commercials. And the NFL would not be able to pay the ridiculous salaries to players and coaches without the TV revenue. And the NFL is a business first. So the quantity of commercials will never decrease ... though it may increase.

 

And that is a big reason you don't see much soccer on TV in the US. It is not a commercial friendly sport. And I can't see FIFA injecting TV timeouts into the game for the US TV networks like the NFL and even the NHL (to a much lesser degree) did.

 

I watch the Bills but that's about it for football for me, college or pro. And the constant commercials are a huge reason.

Well, if they ran commercials before and after every kick of the ball, like the NFL, soccer would take a very long time.

[Bmwolf21]

Probably as spellbinding as the Cleveland-Detroit game will be today.

 

Well that was a bad example...

 

I live in Austin, TX love my Longhorns, but still watch NFL.

Yeah, that really blew up in my face, didn't it?

 

The Browns can't do anything right, can they?

[kegtapr]

Well, unless you attended one of those schools or are a gambling addict---who cares?

 

The NFL is the best sports entertainment available.

 

College football?? You guys might want to switch to the NBA or NHL.

 

The NBA? Walk, walk, walk, dunk. Exciting stuff there.

 

So by your logic, if you haven't attended the school, then a good game can't be exciting. I don't live in New Orleans and I'm not a Saints fan. I don't live in Indy and I'm not a Colts fan. So apparently, the only team I can and should care about is the Bills. No wonder I don't care about the NFL anymore.

[kegtapr]

Yeah, that really blew up in my face, didn't it?

 

The Browns can't do anything right, can they?

 

The real example would be the Saints - Bucs. Number 1 team vs a bottom feeder. Same type of comparison as Florida - Florida Int.

[thewildrabbit]

THEY FIRED JAURON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I feel better already

 

Just the thought of the Bills making contact with Jon Gruden and Mike Shanahan about a head coaching position is exciting.

 

Change is coming, lets see what they do with it.