NFL Teams: Why so much transparency?

[SageAgainstTheMachine]

As I was watching the crawler on a couple of sports channels this morning at the gym, one of the top headlines was that Brian Hoyer would be the starter in Cleveland to begin the 2014 season, but that the team would be putting together short packages in order to get Johnny Manziel on the field.

 

I couldn't help but think about the Bills' highly publicized (not necessarily on a national level) usage of the no-huddle offense a couple of years back.

 

My question is, why the hell do NFL teams broadcast their intentions for player usage and offensive/defensive schemes? I know that the media will always be present at training camps, and that the Browns couldn't exactly hide who their starting QB would be. But what advantage does Pettine gain by announcing packages for Manziel? Would advantage did Chan Gailey gain by announcing the no-huddle? (Hint: The answer to that one is 'no advantage')

 

While teams still enter Week 1 with tricks up their sleeve, it baffles me that head coach show ANY of their cards ahead of time in a game of tactical advantages.

 

Why does this happen? Where's the spirit of the element of surprise. I realize that fans want to know EVERYTHING, but I'd gladly sacrifice insight into the team during pre-season if it meant knocking the Week 1 opponent on their butt.

[PromoTheRobot]

Answer: sports bettors.

[CodeMonkey]

One team having a surprise advantage over another does not generate revenue for the NFL as a whole. The NFL wants information put out that will get fans involved, get them excited for the upcoming season, and therefore buy tickets and merchandise. Team A winning week 1 because of a surprise tactic does not make the NFL money. Good PR does.

 

Same reason coaches are forced to talk to the press when a lot of them clearly do not want to.

Edited August 22, 2014 by CodeMonkey