Shorter Exhibition Season

[LitlBuck]

PD

NFL Insider: Goodell begins push to shorten preseason and add 1 or 2 games to regular season
by Tony Grossi
Saturday August 23, 2008, 10:59 PM

Commissioner Roger Goodell is beating the drums again for a shorter preseason and longer regular season. The reason to take the talk more seriously this time is that at least one powerful owner has fallen in line.
New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft told the Boston Globe, "The bottom line is that I think you'll see us going to 17 or 18 regular-season games in the future."

The reasons are obvious. The preseason has become an eyesore for the NFL and a bad joke on fans who pay regular-season prices to watch their team's starters play one quarter. Also, owners want to drum up more TV revenue, and adding to the regular season is the logical way.

The goal is to keep the total number of games -- fake and real -- to 20. Goodell said in Cincinnati earlier this month that the options are to go to 17 regular games and three exhibitions, or 18 regulars and two exhibitions.

Continued

I, for one, would be for the above proposal. They could weed out their bad players in two games and the starters only need about a one half game to get ready and that would also avoid a lot of injuries

 

[cincibuck]

The problem is that it's very difficult to tell the difference between a Bengal pre-season game and a real one.

 

[LitlBuck]

The problem is that it's very difficult to tell the difference between a Bengal pre-season game and a real one.

I'm not saying a word about the Bengals after watching the Browns three exhibition games:(

 

[cincibuck]

the difference being that the Brown's front office is trying...

 

[jimotis4heisman]

i have a thread somewhere but i think you see in the not so distant future two additional weeks in the season and one international game. 2 bye weeks, 16 games in the us, 1 international game....

 

[JCOSU86]

Can they really make personnel decisions based on 2 games?

 

[LitlBuck]

Can they really make personnel decisions based on 2 games?

I think they can. They see the majority of these guys every day in camp and, personally, I think the ultimate decision is for only about 3-5 guys that might do something special in an exhibition game but for the majority I think it is pretty cut and dry. Also, we can't forget about the money:(

 

[cincibuck]

Can they really make personnel decisions based on 2 games?

The bengals can't make personnel decisions based on three seasons, seven arrest warrants and Tarot Card reading, why should two weeks change that?