Extending the football season to 17 or 18 games

[fyo]

You and I disagree here then. The whole point of sports is to play within the rules given, build the best team you can under those rules, and win. Scheduling as a point of "evening the playing field" is no where near the top of the purpose of sports as far as I am concerned.

You're quoting completely out of context and twisting what I'm saying to mean the exact opposite.

Let me be perfectly clear: Schedules for competing teams should be as close to the SAME as possible. If you're competing against each other, the rules need to be the same. If one team has to play a bunch of tough opponents, while the other gets cakewalks, then you might as well let one team have more men on the field.

I'm NOT saying scheduling should be used to "level the playing field" - which is what happens now, since teams that did well the previous season are matched up against (2) opponents who did equally well, whereas teams that did poorly are matched against (2) other teams that did equally poorly.

What I am saying is that the rules, and that includes the schedule, should be the same for everyone. THAT is the point of sports.

Your notion that teams facing tough schedules should just suck it up and that "life isn't fair, why should a sports league be" is, to me, frankly idiotic.

[Phishfan]

And I think your points are idiotic as well. No one gets all cakewalks while the other gets all tough games and you know it. How do you propose that you guarantee everyone plays the same schedule? The only way possible is to play ever other team once giving a schedule that is way too large. Get over it. Things are as fair as it gets so just play the games.

[fyo]

Things are as fair as it gets so just play the games.

I think you're missing the point of this whole thread. Let me remind you: "Extending the football season to 17 or 18 games".

Teams compete primarily with other teams in their own division. With the current scheduling rules, 2 games each season are NOT in common with the other teams within the division. When discussing an extension of the season, it's perfectly reasonable to discuss whether such an extension should INCREASE the inherent unfairness or DECREASE them.

As I pointed out in my proposal, it would be perfectly possible to completely eliminate differences in scheduled opponents (although not necessarily any home/away differences) with a season 18 games long. This wouldn't require "playing every other team once" (which would be 31 games - and isn't actually correct, since this would also ignore home/away differences), but simply the 2 extra games that were the topic of this thread, lest you forgot.

So, no, things are not "as fair as it gets".

If any of my points still seem idiotic to you, I would be happy to explain them further - or you could perhaps enlighten me and point out WHY they are idiotic.

[Dphins4me]

  I'm 100% against it.

[bsfins]

My concern is SOME players really need the full time to get ready for the season,some early season games are horrible to watch because they don't have thier timing quite right...I like the idea of MORE FOOTBALL! I think we'd have to addd roster spots,and allow more practice time (non Voluntary) in the offseason...

[MaineDolFan]

I don't like it at all, for several reasons.

17 games, if it winds up here, - who gets the extra home game? 

Who has the extra travel?  I remember a couple of years ago when Seattle had a pretty good team but has this ghastly schedule on the east coast.  By the time the playoffs came you could tell they were tanked.  I think they played all but one of their road games beyond St. Louis that year.  Adding another roadie to Philly?  New England?  Any additional games should be within reasonable travel distance.  Anyone that has sat on a plane from the east coast to San Fran or Seattle can testify to how brutal that travel is.

18 games and overseas travel.  From what I hear the commish, in all his wisdom, wants to have something like upwards of 10 overseas games a YEAR.  Screw that. 

I say to keep the schedule at 16 games AND eliminate two pre season games.

[fyo]

17 games, if it winds up here, - who gets the extra home game? 

If it goes to 17, they've talked about "neutral venue" games. That would make stunts like London a neutral venue game instead of, say, a Dolphins home game. We're not talking about shipping 16 games overseas, of course. The vast majority would stay in the US, but be moved to a neutral venue to give fans there a chance to see "their" team (or just *any* team) without traveling.

I don't really like the idea, but that's what they're talking about.

With regards to scheduling, a lot could be done to give teams less travel distance and fewer back-to-back road games. That's all up to the owners, however, and since it hasn't changed, they don't appear to have a problem with it. They could easily mandate a change to the way the schedule is made or even rework the divisions to give shorter travel times.

[Pats2006]

Do it more football.  Also sick of seeing people getting hurt during the preseason when those games mean nothing.  Would just make it harder for players to land starting jobs.

[YoFuggedaboutit]

I just thought of something.  If they extended the NFL season to 17 games, it could work in this scenario:

Quit playing the teams in your division twice, and instead play another division in the opposite conference.  Keep the same number of preaseason games. 

For example:  The Dolphins would see the Jets, Pats and Bills only once a year instead of twice, and would play two divisions in the NFC each year instead of one. 

This would ensure that every team plays each other at least once every three years.

As for whether the extra game is a home game or not, the top two teams in each division have the extra game on the road, and the bottom two have it at home to create parity.   

[bsmooth]

I am all for the extra games. I would rather lose a valuable player in a game that counts instead of a meaningless pre season game.

[BingeBag]

Why not add another week of the playoffs letting more teams in?