Thread: A 17 Game NFL Season..................

Originally Posted by MPBears68

I've wondered for a while if Texas would get a 3rd team somehow. It's the 2nd biggest state by population, is football crazy, and has 2 more big metro areas that could easily support an nfl franchise (SA & Austin).

FL & CA both have 3 teams each and NY does too (although northern NJ adds to the fan base of the NYC teams). I would think the state of Texas could easily support a 3rd team and piss JJ off in the process lol.

But what is the market size? That is all the NFL cares about.

San Antonio Market size I believe is 36, 37 last year and growing, but the size is top 10 and growing. It's also only about 1.5 hrs from Austin(austin's market size is 47th). so if you put it on the north side of town you automatically draw in that crowd also.

But the SA market size is one below Cinci, is above Jacksonville, Memphis, Buffolo, and is only 5 lower then KC. It could, if they wanted to, support an NFL team. But it would have to be a move(not a expansion) and it would have to be a team on the upswing ala NBA Thunder.

Reduce Preseason to 2 games, make a 17 game season, with the 17th played randomly through out the season (except for the last 3 weeks, which are playoff contention games, so home field advantage and rivalry games are more important). 17th could be at the random non-NFL stadium sites like suggested, that still leaves each team with 8 home games. Instead of even revenue split, have slightly more money go towards the winner of said game.

Originally Posted by Jimmors

Reduce Preseason to 2 games, make a 17 game season, with the 17th played randomly through out the season (except for the last 3 weeks, which are playoff contention games, so home field advantage and rivalry games are more important). 17th could be at the random non-NFL stadium sites like suggested, that still leaves each team with 8 home games. Instead of even revenue split, have slightly more money go towards the winner of said game.

Random June Pipe Dream

I would love, as a purely selfish NFL-loving fan, to see an 18 game RS although I know it isn't likely to happen anytime soon, if ever.

I don't blame the NFL owners one bit for wanting to expand their (very successful) business and tap additional demand. I can also understand why the established, vet players (who hold the most sway in the NFLPA) don't want to agree for longevity reasons. Both sides are simply pursuing their perceived best interests and would have to come to an unlikely agreement. I'll make the case anyway just for fun.

The preseason games are a meaningless and an uneconomic joke. They generate a fraction of the revenue that RS games do and for good reason--they really are nothing more than glorified tryouts for the few players competing for the last couple of available roster spots on each team. Season ticket holders get charged full price for home games that are far from a "full product". Reduce PS games to 2 per team, 1 home & 1 away. That's enough to have the "game simulation" time for players on the bubble. There are serious injuries which occur to "surefire roster" players in these games too, not as much as in RS but it does happen and these games are meaningless to those players.

Start the RS on the 1st weekend in September (1 week prior to what is usual now). Labor day weekend is the traditional "last hurrah" of summer anyway so what better way to usher in fall than have opening day that weekend?

Build in a 2nd bye week for each team to make the full RS 20 weeks long with 2 weeks off.

Expand each roster slightly to account for the additional demands of a longer year. Say 53 --> 55 for the regular roster and maybe 8 --> 10 for the practice squad. Teams who successfully maintain a "deep bench" will be able to rest key starters a bit more whenever possible just like baseball and basketball teams do down the stretch.

20 weeks would push the end of the RS into about mid-January and the playoffs/SB into about mid-February. So what? February has to be the deadest of months in American sports. The NBA and NHL playoffs are far off, the NCAA BB tournament isn't until March, and MLB & the Masters isn't until April. There really isn't much exciting going on in February so the NFL playoffs would have no trouble continuing to draw big TV audiences.

Eliminate the Pro-Bowl game and instead just announce/honor the all-star player selections as part of the SB pre-game. No one gives a crap about the Pro-Bowl, fans or players, anyway and it is even less purposeful than PS games are. I can't imagine it generates much revenue for the league after expenses.

Random nonsense concluded lol

If they were you definately need to greatly increase the teams rosters. You could never have 1 rb, probably need a minimum of 3, which means increasing cap and min salaries b/c the guys on the bench are going to see more playing time.

I also think you'll need to add in a 2nd bye week just to keep guys fresh.