Roger Goodell Pries Door Open to 18-game Schedule Talk, Again
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
By Robert Neely
Featured NFL Writer
The 2012 NFL offseason, unlike the the 2011 version, is full of news about player movement, not lockout negotiations. But that doesn't mean league officials are sitting on their hands.
Instead, commissioner Roger Goodell continues to try to make his case for the league to expand to an 18-game regular season.
"People want more football. I think they want less preseason and more regular season, and that's the concept we're talking about," Goodell said on ESPN 1050 in New York (via Sports Radio Interviews). "We wouldn't add an extra two games without reducing the preseason, and we are not going to do it without the players' support."
"So we did that in the collective bargaining agreement instead of having the unilateral right, which we had. We determined that we were going to do this together."
Why is Goodell bringing up the lengthened regular season after tabling the issue in the collective bargaining talks last offseason?
It's because he and the owners he represents continue to see the gold at the end of the rainbow. More regular season games equals more television money, and it also solves the public relations issue of gouging season ticket holders for full-price tickets during lackluster preseason games.
It's because he and the owners he represents continue to see the gold at the end of the rainbow. More regular season games equals more television money, and it also solves the public relations issue of gouging season ticket holders for full-price tickets during lackluster preseason games.
Players, though, are more skeptical—and with good reason.
For one, the preseason ticket issue isn't their problem. Moreover, the minor gains they would see salary-wise with an expanded season pale in comparison to the risk of shorter careers that more gains provide.
For one, the preseason ticket issue isn't their problem. Moreover, the minor gains they would see salary-wise with an expanded season pale in comparison to the risk of shorter careers that more gains provide.
Goodell said that he believes the player safety initiatives instituted in the new labor agreement - things like fewer padded practices during the season and in training camp and stricter limits on organized team activities in the offseason - will alleviate player concerns and open the door to more games.
"We are going to make changes in the offseason and during the preseason and during the regular season to make the game safer," Goodell said. "If we can accomplish that, we'll look at the idea of restructuring the season and taking two preseason games away and the potential of adding regular season games. But I don't think that will happen until at least 2013 or 2014."
It will take more than one or two seasons before players have a handle on how the new workout limits change their bodies.
Still, Goodell is using the media to keep pressure on the players to consider the change for a longer season. He knows that most fans want more football, and he is playing to that emotion to help the owners get what they want.
The question is whether the players will play along. Until they do, a longer regular season is a dead issue - no matter how much the owners get Goodell to keep it in the public eye.
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