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18 week season instead of 18 game season


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I was listening to the radio and they were talking about the NFL labor situation. One of the hosts said if the players and owners couldn't come to an agreement on 18 games why not make a compromise and just give each team 2 bye weeks and add a whole new week to the season.

 

Owners get a longer season that they can charge more for (Without having to pay the players extra seeing as its the same amount of games) and the players don't have to play in more games. You have 8 weeks where teams can get byes. Weeks 4,5,6,7 and 8 has 6 teams getting a bye. But you still have 11 games for Sunday afternoon and 1 for Sunday Night 1 for Monday.

 

Then weeks 11,12,13,14, and 15 start the byes again. Each week 6 teams get off 13 games still left on the plate. You also still have the first 3 weeks the last 3 weeks plus 2 weeks in between as full scheduled weeks.

 

Its also a good way to get less injuries. Give players more time in season to get healthy and rest head injuries. Hopefully by the time the playoffs roll around the rosters are a bit more representative of how the rosters start the season.

 

It made a lot of sense to me. It wouldn't interrupt the flow of the season that much and the owners would get more time to the TV deal and unlike the 18 game season you wouldn't have to pay the players more (Because you would have to compensate them for additional games played not really much compensation for an extra bye).

Edited by billsfan89
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I know folks hate bye weeks but it makes far more sense than playing 18 games. Create a TUE/WED game of the week and have 2 teams coming out of a bye play it. Maybe add a 3rd wild card team or add a wild card play-in round.

 

PTR

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I was listening to the radio and they were talking about the NFL labor situation. One of the hosts said if the players and owners couldn't come to an agreement on 18 games why not make a compromise and just give each team 2 bye weeks and add a whole new week to the season.

 

Owners get a longer season that they can charge more for (Without having to pay the players extra seeing as its the same amount of games) and the players don't have to play in more games. You have 8 weeks where teams can get byes. Weeks 4,5,6,7 and 8 has 6 teams getting a bye. But you still have 11 games for Sunday afternoon and 1 for Sunday Night 1 for Monday.

 

Then weeks 11,12,13,14, and 15 start the byes again. Each week 6 teams get off 13 games still left on the plate. You also still have the first 3 weeks the last 3 weeks plus 2 weeks in between as full scheduled weeks.

 

Its also a good way to get less injuries. Give players more time in season to get healthy and rest head injuries. Hopefully by the time the playoffs roll around the rosters are a bit more representative of how the rosters start the season.

 

It made a lot of sense to me. It wouldn't interrupt the flow of the season that much and the owners would get more time to the TV deal and unlike the 18 game season you wouldn't have to pay the players more (Because you would have to compensate them for additional games played not really much compensation for an extra bye).

 

Well, I wouldn't have a problem with that (though I think 17 weeks is plenty), but isn't part of the point of extending the season, to sell more tickets? You wouldn't really be selling more tickets. I also thought the owners wanted to do away with an exhibition game or two, and replace them with additional regular season games.

 

I know folks hate bye weeks but it makes far more sense than playing 18 games. Create a TUE/WED game of the week and have 2 teams coming out of a bye play it. Maybe add a 3rd wild card team or add a wild card play-in round.

 

PTR

 

I think part of what has made the NFL so successful, the owners used to make you want their product. Having Tuesday and Wednesday games, in addition to Sunday afternoons, Sunday nights, Monday nights, and a slew of Thursday night games, IMO, waters things down too much, and, the league may start suffering from over-exposure.

 

Wasn't the whole motivation for going to 18 games to cut out two embarrassing exhibition games?

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Exactly. They tried this one year, '95 or '96, and the NFL did'nt like it so they scrapped the two bye week season.

 

The owners wasnt 18 GAMES not 18 weeks.

I always thought the two bye weeks was in our first Super Bowl year..that was why there was only one week betweeen Conf.Championship and Super Bowl..but I could be wrong.

 

I don't want two bye weeks, but i also don't want 18 games. I thought Simmons did a great article on this last week, entertainig read if you have not read yet.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/110304

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Owners get a longer season that they can charge more for (Without having to pay the players extra seeing as its the same amount of games) and the players don't have to play in more games.

 

Ok so let me see if I have this straight. They don't lengthen the season, only add 1 bye week. So there would still be 8 home games played, for which each owner could charge, but the owners would make more money? Its the same # of games played now, so why would the owners make more money? Unless you mean they would get more money from the TV revenues. Which might work, but that would surely mean there would have to be a restructure of the current contract. The owners are gonna want more, because they are offering more. And seeing as there would be 1 more week of viewing I'm sure the prices of Sunday NFL ticket would go up to aliviate that.

 

So in essence we the fans are getting screwed. We aren't going to be seeing more of our team, just more of football in general. And we will have to pay more just to see our team play the same amount of games, all because the owners want more money.

 

I don't think I'd be ok with this, if I'm gonna pay more, I'd want to see more of Buffalo. Bye weeks just aren't nearly exciting enough for me to fork over more money to not watch my own team play.

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I was listening to the radio and they were talking about the NFL labor situation. One of the hosts said if the players and owners couldn't come to an agreement on 18 games why not make a compromise and just give each team 2 bye weeks and add a whole new week to the season.

 

Owners get a longer season that they can charge more for (Without having to pay the players extra seeing as its the same amount of games) and the players don't have to play in more games. You have 8 weeks where teams can get byes. Weeks 4,5,6,7 and 8 has 6 teams getting a bye. But you still have 11 games for Sunday afternoon and 1 for Sunday Night 1 for Monday.

 

Then weeks 11,12,13,14, and 15 start the byes again. Each week 6 teams get off 13 games still left on the plate. You also still have the first 3 weeks the last 3 weeks plus 2 weeks in between as full scheduled weeks.

 

Its also a good way to get less injuries. Give players more time in season to get healthy and rest head injuries. Hopefully by the time the playoffs roll around the rosters are a bit more representative of how the rosters start the season.

 

It made a lot of sense to me. It wouldn't interrupt the flow of the season that much and the owners would get more time to the TV deal and unlike the 18 game season you wouldn't have to pay the players more (Because you would have to compensate them for additional games played not really much compensation for an extra bye).

 

I got the Fix, It's simple. Let the owners eat 2 Preseason games. Keep the 16 Regular season games and 4 Preseasons. Have it be a fan appreciation thing. The Owners pay for us fans. Fans get in for free. Simple. Makes the owners look less greedy and makes the fans happy and players happy.

 

That's all that has to be done. I don't get what the big deal is...

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I was listening to the radio and they were talking about the NFL labor situation. One of the hosts said if the players and owners couldn't come to an agreement on 18 games why not make a compromise and just give each team 2 bye weeks and add a whole new week to the season.

 

Owners get a longer season that they can charge more for (Without having to pay the players extra seeing as its the same amount of games) and the players don't have to play in more games. You have 8 weeks where teams can get byes. Weeks 4,5,6,7 and 8 has 6 teams getting a bye. But you still have 11 games for Sunday afternoon and 1 for Sunday Night 1 for Monday.

 

Then weeks 11,12,13,14, and 15 start the byes again. Each week 6 teams get off 13 games still left on the plate. You also still have the first 3 weeks the last 3 weeks plus 2 weeks in between as full scheduled weeks.

 

Its also a good way to get less injuries. Give players more time in season to get healthy and rest head injuries. Hopefully by the time the playoffs roll around the rosters are a bit more representative of how the rosters start the season.

 

It made a lot of sense to me. It wouldn't interrupt the flow of the season that much and the owners would get more time to the TV deal and unlike the 18 game season you wouldn't have to pay the players more (Because you would have to compensate them for additional games played not really much compensation for an extra bye).

They actually had two bye weeks per team a few years back, if I am not mistaken it only lasted for one year. It makes sense, but I think the owners are looking to keep the same number of total games, including preseason, but increase the gate take in by making two of the preseason games regular season games. They try to say it is for the fans, because nobody likes preseason games, but anyone can see through that BS line and know it is all about money. Two bye weeks would be good for the players, but as a fan, at least for me when they did it, it sucked.

 

I got the Fix, It's simple. Let the owners eat 2 Preseason games. Keep the 16 Regular season games and 4 Preseasons. Have it be a fan appreciation thing. The Owners pay for us fans. Fans get in for free. Simple. Makes the owners look less greedy and makes the fans happy and players happy.

 

That's all that has to be done. I don't get what the big deal is...

Your idea is the exact opposite of what the owners are trying to do. They are trying to change two preseason games to regular season games to increase the money taken in at the gate, and make fans want to pay to go to the game. If they let the fans in free, they are better off leaving it the way it is now.

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This is always an interesting topic. I love football, so naturally 2 more games sounds great to me. However there are several very negative aspects to this (Personally I don't see any real benefit to either side of adding a bye week).

 

-An 18 game season would change the game as we know it. In a league that is getting bigger and more violent, and where most players struggle to stay healthy all season already, adding two games would make staying healthy a rarity. Because of this rosters would have to be extended, and additional injury rules put in place. It would change the way teams draft, as they would have to put greater weight to a players durability. Of course it makes all historical season stats pretty much garbage. An 18 game season completely changes statics.

 

-This would be harder for small market teams. Small market teams will have a harder time filling an entire extra stadium every year, while teams like Dallas would have an even bigger financial edge.

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Owners get a longer season that they can charge more for (Without having to pay the players extra seeing as its the same amount of games) and the players don't have to play in more games.

Can you explain this part of your post please? Why can owners charge more for the same amount of games?

Edited by ricojes
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They actually had two bye weeks per team a few years back, if I am not mistaken it only lasted for one year. It makes sense, but I think the owners are looking to keep the same number of total games, including preseason, but increase the gate take in by making two of the preseason games regular season games. They try to say it is for the fans, because nobody likes preseason games, but anyone can see through that BS line and know it is all about money. Two bye weeks would be good for the players, but as a fan, at least for me when they did it, it sucked.

 

 

Your idea is the exact opposite of what the owners are trying to do. They are trying to change two preseason games to regular season games to increase the money taken in at the gate, and make fans want to pay to go to the game. If they let the fans in free, they are better off leaving it the way it is now.

 

That works too. It was the whole paying for Preseason game thing that got them into bringing it up. Better off to just leave it alone...

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Can you explaing this part of your post please? Why can owners charge more for the same amount of games?

 

 

I think he means that the owners get two extra weeks of NFL advertising money, as well as more money from the networks for 18 weeks worth of programing.

 

To me, the worst thing about a longer season, is that many more really bad football games.

Sure it is fun to see the elite teams battling out, but why would Lions, Cardinals, Browns, Bills fans, etc, want two more weeks of agony added to their season? There have been lots of really bad games the last few years...as always.

 

I just think this is a very short-sighted stance that the owners are taking. ESPN polls, a few weeks back, showed that fans didn't really want a longer season, players don't want it...and I would bet that some of the networks don't want it either.

 

If they utlimately decide to go with a longer season, I can live with it, but I am not clamoring for it. I never really minded the 4 pre-season games, personally...I kind of like the rhythm of the off-season, pre-season and regular season as it stands right now...

Edited by Buftex
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The easiest, most obvious way to increase revenues is to increase the # of games on TV. Currently the NFL only shows 3 Sunday games at 1 or 4. Why the hell they don’t show 4 is beyond me. That would increase their revenues at least 20% for the 1 and 4 timeslot. I cant tell you how many times I haven’t watched a game because “O looks it’s the NFC East again…yawn” If there was a 2nd game in the 4pm slot on CBS, I prob would have watched it, but instead I raked leaves or mowed the lawn. Adding 17 games to the TV Schedule over the course of the entire season would instantly increase TV revenue, and wouldn’t cost the league a penny

 

I also think that starting Thanksgiving weekend they should start having Friday night games. The reason I use Thanksgiving is because most states HS seasons are wrapped up by then, at least the regular seasons are, and HS football dominates Friday nights in most parts of the country. I personally would love a Friday night game, way more than a Thursday night that’s for sure. That could be what, 6-7 more prime time games? Adding 23 games to the TV schedule could be huge. If you do the math (17 week season, 3 Sunday games, 1 Sunday night game, 1 Monday night game, per week, plus 7 Thursday night games a season) there’s 92 games on TV. My proposition increases the number of TV games by 25%.

 

Now lets look at the Owners 18 game schedule, with the same number of TV games per week that they show currently. You would only get between 10-12 more TV games per year, which is less than half with what I proposed. Sure you would lose the ticket revenue, but you would more than double the TV revenue (which is the big money maker anyways)

 

Now who exactly would be opposed to having more games on TV on Sundays? What about Friday nights? (not competing with college football like Thursdays) I think everyone would like that, players AND Owners.

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Can you explain this part of your post please? Why can owners charge more for the same amount of games?

I don't think it is that owners charge more, it is that more people will go to the games, advertisers will pay more since it is national TV not local announcers and TV, TV Ratings are higher. More people at the games equals more booze, souvenirs, etc. sold. Currently season Tix holders are forced to buy the preseason games, but many don't go, which means less booze, souvenir sales, etc. In one way or another, every single issue that the owners are disputing boils down to them getting more money, they are businessmen, that is what they do, and always will.

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I was listening to the radio and they were talking about the NFL labor situation. One of the hosts said if the players and owners couldn't come to an agreement on 18 games why not make a compromise and just give each team 2 bye weeks and add a whole new week to the season.

 

Owners get a longer season that they can charge more for (Without having to pay the players extra seeing as its the same amount of games) and the players don't have to play in more games. You have 8 weeks where teams can get byes. Weeks 4,5,6,7 and 8 has 6 teams getting a bye. But you still have 11 games for Sunday afternoon and 1 for Sunday Night 1 for Monday.

 

Then weeks 11,12,13,14, and 15 start the byes again. Each week 6 teams get off 13 games still left on the plate. You also still have the first 3 weeks the last 3 weeks plus 2 weeks in between as full scheduled weeks.

 

Its also a good way to get less injuries. Give players more time in season to get healthy and rest head injuries. Hopefully by the time the playoffs roll around the rosters are a bit more representative of how the rosters start the season.

 

It made a lot of sense to me. It wouldn't interrupt the flow of the season that much and the owners would get more time to the TV deal and unlike the 18 game season you wouldn't have to pay the players more (Because you would have to compensate them for additional games played not really much compensation for an extra bye).

I like the idea. I believe they did it once in the 93 season. While it might not make more money via ticket sales I would think it should make more money thorugh TV. Whenever the Bills are on a bye I don't just take the day off from watching football. I watch the next best game and I'm thinking most other people probably do too.

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Some good points being made in this post. My two cents:

 

1. Trading two preseason games for two regular season games is unpopular with the players because the starters would be playing a lot more snaps. In preseason games, these veterans play sparingly, so it is not an apples to apples comparison.

 

2. Coaches probably don't like the idea because they must make quicker decisions about who to keep and dump, as well as what plays the team can execute well.

 

3. Making the regular season longer doesn't really put a significant number of bucks in the owners' pockets unless there are more games played. So they will not agree to the idea. I believe owners feel they can push this concept through under the guise of responding to fan pressure to eliminate some preseason games (at full price) when there is little entertainment value in these contests. It's not going to work.

 

4. Sadly, I am weak, and would love to watch two more games played by each team. However, I can not support the move in good conscience because it would mean more injuries and increased numbers of players on Injured Reserved. (Heavens, we wouldn't want to have some other team break the hallowed records the Bills have set for guys on I.R. in a season.)

 

5. The macro picture would include shortened careers by our favorite (the best) players. It would spread the talent thinner throughout the league (like it did when they switched from 14 to 16 regular season games) and mean more boring non-meaningful games.

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I was listening to the radio and they were talking about the NFL labor situation. One of the hosts said if the players and owners couldn't come to an agreement on 18 games why not make a compromise and just give each team 2 bye weeks and add a whole new week to the season.

 

Owners get a longer season that they can charge more for (Without having to pay the players extra seeing as its the same amount of games) and the players don't have to play in more games. You have 8 weeks where teams can get byes. Weeks 4,5,6,7 and 8 has 6 teams getting a bye. But you still have 11 games for Sunday afternoon and 1 for Sunday Night 1 for Monday.

 

Then weeks 11,12,13,14, and 15 start the byes again. Each week 6 teams get off 13 games still left on the plate. You also still have the first 3 weeks the last 3 weeks plus 2 weeks in between as full scheduled weeks.

 

Its also a good way to get less injuries. Give players more time in season to get healthy and rest head injuries. Hopefully by the time the playoffs roll around the rosters are a bit more representative of how the rosters start the season.

 

It made a lot of sense to me. It wouldn't interrupt the flow of the season that much and the owners would get more time to the TV deal and unlike the 18 game season you wouldn't have to pay the players more (Because you would have to compensate them for additional games played not really much compensation for an extra bye).

 

IF IT AIN'T BROKE DON'T :censored: WITH IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!! :wallbash:

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IF IT AIN'T BROKE DON'T :censored: WITH IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!! :wallbash:

 

 

Dude, it is broke. While I do not agree that the extra bye should be in place for $ reasons, one cannot argue about the toll 16 games takes on a body in a 17 week span. To efficiently keep players healthier, better trained, and showcase more teams on national television the NFL can do one of two things: More byes and adapt IR rules to not permanently knock out a guy for the season for an infected hangnail, OR less games, and on different days of the week. We know which one the owners would pick.

 

While bye weeks are slow for the fans, it does a great service to the players as the body recharges a bit with the time off. That said, I think players should have approximately one bye for every 5 weeks of football aka 3 byes in the current set up and 4 if they wanted 18-20 games. The beauty of this is that it extends the season, and you will have more quality games as less players go on IR. If they wanted an 18 game season with adequate # byes, we would have 6 months of football :)

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I got the Fix, It's simple. Let the owners eat 2 Preseason games. Keep the 16 Regular season games and 4 Preseasons. Have it be a fan appreciation thing. The Owners pay for us fans. Fans get in for free. Simple. Makes the owners look less greedy and makes the fans happy and players happy.

 

That's all that has to be done. I don't get what the big deal is...

If avg ticket price is $50 and the avg seating capacity is 68,000 then that would make a $6.8 million difference(2 games).

 

Take that to the Jerry Jones level with an avg ticket price of about $100 and 100,000 in seating and you're talking about a $17,000,000 difference.

 

The owners will make more money if you keep 20 overall games but change it to 18 regular season and only 2 preseason games. The 2 preseason games that are being changed to regular season games will sell more tickets and will draw bigger TV viewership which is a win win for the owners. Considering the above and the fact that fans have been bitching for years about paying regular game prices for the preseason games that amount to nothing more than an extended training camp and you can see why this is a big priority for the owners.

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I know folks hate bye weeks but it makes far more sense than playing 18 games. Create a TUE/WED game of the week and have 2 teams coming out of a bye play it. Maybe add a 3rd wild card team or add a wild card play-in round.

 

PTR

Ive been saying for years that they should add 2 more teams to the Play offs

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I know folks hate bye weeks but it makes far more sense than playing 18 games. Create a TUE/WED game of the week and have 2 teams coming out of a bye play it. Maybe add a 3rd wild card team or add a wild card play-in round.

 

PTR

 

I like the idea. Bye weeks drive the fantasy footballers crazy but who cares? Another week of football in the dead of winter is a nice diversion. Can't wait to watch Detroit vs. Carolina. They'll be lining up for tickets to that one!

:doh:

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Well, I think the players are way overworked as it is. 3 hours a week times 16 games,whats that? 48 hours of game a year. So I know of people, laborers who work 60- 70 hrs a week just to put food on the table for their familys(layin block,buildin homes,whatever.) However if you add in the Football players practice time and film study a week you might get 40 hours a week, right, a third of the year anyways.

 

So I think instead of asking for a longer 18 game season,they should decrease the length of it slightly. The average football players age of retirement is what, 35? So we definitely shouldnt want to over work them to awful much. So if they droped it to say 13 games a year with 2 byes a year that would give the guys plenty of time to rest up for the next match up. A 15 week season with only 2 pre season games and 2 byes===perfect.

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A lot of people are wondering how owners would make more money with a 18 week season instead of a 17 week one. Well the owners could charge more for TV packages by having a season that spans longer. Giving 18 weeks of programming is much more attractive than 17 as it spans longer (More weeks of programming means more commercials for the networks).

 

Now I did not know that they did try this before in 1993 and it wasn't deemed successful but I think that it could work again. A lot more injuries are occurring and the owners want to generate more money but the players don't want more games.

 

Its something worth looking into because if the sticking point is 18 vs 16 games I don't think that both sides are very willing to budge.

 

Well, I think the players are way overworked as it is. 3 hours a week times 16 games,whats that? 48 hours of game a year. So I know of people, laborers who work 60- 70 hrs a week just to put food on the table for their familys(layin block,buildin homes,whatever.) However if you add in the Football players practice time and film study a week you might get 40 hours a week, right, a third of the year anyways.

 

So I think instead of asking for a longer 18 game season,they should decrease the length of it slightly. The average football players age of retirement is what, 35? So we definitely shouldnt want to over work them to awful much. So if they droped it to say 13 games a year with 2 byes a year that would give the guys plenty of time to rest up for the next match up. A 15 week season with only 2 pre season games and 2 byes===perfect.

 

Don't compare NFL players to everyday people its just not an reasonable comparison. The NFL players work for a company that holds the worlds most valuable television property and the players are the ones people who tune into see.

 

The world of the NFL isn't comparable to the real world.

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There are too many games in too many sports as it is.. Cut out at least 12 NBA games, or you could cut out the first 40 as no one cares, what a horrible display that game has evolved to. Drop hockey to about 60 games so playoffs end when winter ends. 14 games for the NFL are enough, have the super bowl on MLK weekend or presidents weekend so we can all enjoy a three day weekend. Drop baseball to about 140 games and add about 10 double headers so teams actually have to work and think about who to start/rest. Let baseball season start in mid April and end in early September. Cut the salaries of these overpaid, under educated jocks to about 10% of what they get. Cut the revenue for the ultra rich owners accordingly and drop ticket prices by 25% and beer prices to no more $3. And let us drink all that we can to make up for their loss of revenue. Cut women's professional basketball altogether why waste time money on made up sports like this. Then with all that extra time, actually make your children go outside and play football, baseball, hockey and basketball so they are not so freaking obese and have half a chance to be able to walk through walmart when they are 35 and not ride in an obese cart.

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