The NFL has an excellent product. I'm hooked for life, like a fish. It looks great on television, it sells like crazy and is super popular but there's still room for a lot of improvement.
I'd change 5 things.
First thing I would do is get rid of Thursday Night Football games.
Wouldn't a, "Saturday Night Main Event," game before SNL be better overall for the league, fans and advertisers? Wouldn't Saturday Night NFL games give us more reasons to party and have friends over? What's a better day to party and watch football, Thursday or Saturday? ULD. Um, like duh.
Thursday Night games are a diminished product. Sometimes I forget there's a game on. Players need more than 3 and a half days to recoup after Sunday. People want to see the best, and they're not getting it on a Thursday evening.
College football doesn't want the NFL to tread on their television territory, but so what? Most college games are over by 8:00 pm, and most college games aren't as interesting as a single NFL game and the preseason proves it. (NFL preseason HoF game got higher ratings than Stanley Cup Final and World Series...) I want to see the Bills vs. the Broncos in the steel cage match on Saturday Night Football, aka, "SNF"
SNF followed by SNL.
"Oooh yeh, Elizabeth!" Haven't watched television on a Saturday since GLOW, and those hot roller derby chicks.
2nd thing I would do is make the first 2 preseason games FUN, controlled scrimmages with some imagination to make them TV audience worthy. No pads, just helmets. Which quarterback can throw the longest ball? What offensive line can push a 3,000 lb (sponsored by) Ford truck 10 yards quicker than the other? Field goal kickoff competition. What team has the more accurate kicker? Punting competition - what punter can pin it inside the 5 the most? Wide receivers? 1 on 1 races. Who's faster? What team has the faster wide receivers as a group? Which QB can hit the bucket in the corner of the endzone most out of 30 throws each? The first 2 preseason games need to go.
Third thing I would do is implement full-time referees, and mandate helmets for them. How can the league's current crew of referees be their best after working 40+ hours all week at their normal jobs?
Most people are exhausted after working all week. The NFL is a multi-billion dollar business in a game of inches, but they hire part timers to make the most critical game time decisions? Huh? It just doesn't make sense anymore. Full-time officiating crews need practice and repetition to get better at their jobs, just like the players do, and just like us. The more we do something, the better we get at it with repetition. I also think NFL referees should be younger than the guys we see every Sunday. Nothing wrong with a head referee who is 62 years old like Ed Hochuli, or is there? The game is faster than it's ever been, 4.2 speed is the new 4.4, and aging sucks but it's reality. Why don't the refs wear SOME form of helmets? How in the hell has the NFL gone so long without a referee getting killed or seriously injured? Would full-time refs, wearing protective head gear be better at calling the game?
Fourth, I would invite more fan/viewer participation in the game experience. The NFL should be more interactive during the game with their fans. Online voting should be more encouraged. Did Brady make the first down? Was the receivers foot out of bounds? Did Lynch fumble the ball, or was his knee down?
"What Do You Think, Fans?" TM
Go to NFL.com and vote now. Viewer Voting Percentages (VVP's) will be shown by city after the following commercial break. 1 lucky voter will win a new truck.
Welcome back. Well, Steve it looks like the majority of the VVP's think he didn't get two feet down. 86% of, "Official," NFL voters do not think it was a reception. For only $14.99 per month, you can become an, "Official," NFL I-REF now by going to NFL.com and signing up today.
The fifth and last thing I would do is add 1 more regular season game for teams within playoff contention only. Kind of like a pre-playoff finale. The NFL is coming close to an entire division being decided by one game or less. 16 is an even number. 17 is odd, but much more decisive than 8-8.
I'd change 5 things.
First thing I would do is get rid of Thursday Night Football games.
Wouldn't a, "Saturday Night Main Event," game before SNL be better overall for the league, fans and advertisers? Wouldn't Saturday Night NFL games give us more reasons to party and have friends over? What's a better day to party and watch football, Thursday or Saturday? ULD. Um, like duh.
Thursday Night games are a diminished product. Sometimes I forget there's a game on. Players need more than 3 and a half days to recoup after Sunday. People want to see the best, and they're not getting it on a Thursday evening.
College football doesn't want the NFL to tread on their television territory, but so what? Most college games are over by 8:00 pm, and most college games aren't as interesting as a single NFL game and the preseason proves it. (NFL preseason HoF game got higher ratings than Stanley Cup Final and World Series...) I want to see the Bills vs. the Broncos in the steel cage match on Saturday Night Football, aka, "SNF"
SNF followed by SNL.
"Oooh yeh, Elizabeth!" Haven't watched television on a Saturday since GLOW, and those hot roller derby chicks.
2nd thing I would do is make the first 2 preseason games FUN, controlled scrimmages with some imagination to make them TV audience worthy. No pads, just helmets. Which quarterback can throw the longest ball? What offensive line can push a 3,000 lb (sponsored by) Ford truck 10 yards quicker than the other? Field goal kickoff competition. What team has the more accurate kicker? Punting competition - what punter can pin it inside the 5 the most? Wide receivers? 1 on 1 races. Who's faster? What team has the faster wide receivers as a group? Which QB can hit the bucket in the corner of the endzone most out of 30 throws each? The first 2 preseason games need to go.
Third thing I would do is implement full-time referees, and mandate helmets for them. How can the league's current crew of referees be their best after working 40+ hours all week at their normal jobs?
Most people are exhausted after working all week. The NFL is a multi-billion dollar business in a game of inches, but they hire part timers to make the most critical game time decisions? Huh? It just doesn't make sense anymore. Full-time officiating crews need practice and repetition to get better at their jobs, just like the players do, and just like us. The more we do something, the better we get at it with repetition. I also think NFL referees should be younger than the guys we see every Sunday. Nothing wrong with a head referee who is 62 years old like Ed Hochuli, or is there? The game is faster than it's ever been, 4.2 speed is the new 4.4, and aging sucks but it's reality. Why don't the refs wear SOME form of helmets? How in the hell has the NFL gone so long without a referee getting killed or seriously injured? Would full-time refs, wearing protective head gear be better at calling the game?
Fourth, I would invite more fan/viewer participation in the game experience. The NFL should be more interactive during the game with their fans. Online voting should be more encouraged. Did Brady make the first down? Was the receivers foot out of bounds? Did Lynch fumble the ball, or was his knee down?
"What Do You Think, Fans?" TM
Go to NFL.com and vote now. Viewer Voting Percentages (VVP's) will be shown by city after the following commercial break. 1 lucky voter will win a new truck.
Welcome back. Well, Steve it looks like the majority of the VVP's think he didn't get two feet down. 86% of, "Official," NFL voters do not think it was a reception. For only $14.99 per month, you can become an, "Official," NFL I-REF now by going to NFL.com and signing up today.
The fifth and last thing I would do is add 1 more regular season game for teams within playoff contention only. Kind of like a pre-playoff finale. The NFL is coming close to an entire division being decided by one game or less. 16 is an even number. 17 is odd, but much more decisive than 8-8.
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