They should shorten NFL games.

[The Crowing Rooster]

I don't like the idea of shorter games at all. Why cant people leave the game the way it is.

[Canadian Bills Fan]

I was just watching the Michigan State v Purdue game and it came down to the last 60 seconds. Almost every basketball game comes down to the last few seconds.

 

Same with NFL games. There's always that last drive, the onside kick with 45 seconds left, the quick passes and out patters to stop the clock during the "two minute drill".

 

So why play for 45 minute halves? They should cut it down to three 15 minute periods like hockey. Or even two 20 minute halves. It would make sense as follows:

 

1) We could spend more time with our families and pets

2) Less commercial timeouts would mean less advertisers and, logically, lower ticket prices

3) Less injuries - players would be exposed to less "field time" so they wouldn't be injured as severely

4) More intensity during the last minutes of a shorter period or half

 

Thoughts?

 

 

This alone is the reason why the NFL would never do this

 

 

 

 

CBF

[BringBackFergy]

We already have less football. About 10 or 15 years ago, the NFL changed the timing rules to make commercial breaks 90 seconds long rather than 60 as they had been. Yet the 60 minutes of official time still fits into 3 hours of clock time. I have a life so I've never done the math, but this must mean there are fewer plays being executed during the course of a game.

 

I have a lot of VHS tapes of old Bills games from the 80s and 90s, and they're fun to watch for a lot of reasons. To the point of this train, commercials were over with quickly, so you didn't lose track of the game. Also bathroom breaks were quicker so you didn't miss anything, unless you had your VHS going. Beyond that, it was so nice to have the Bills be dominant. For another, the game was so much different. Schemes that coaches have developed to take parts of the field away from the other side, weren't invented yet, and the game was much more wide open. The skills of the current players, and their size, strength, and speed, are all better than before, and the game is also more precisely controlled. But I miss the old schoolyard style, lining up and taking shots.

Why do you think the NFL slowed the game down int he first place? Bathroom breaks were quicker back then. But the fans who were over 80 or who had a walker couldn't get back to their seat on time. So they lengthened the bathroom break timeouts to account for an aging fanbase (doubt me? look it up). So my proposal goes a step further...keep the longer bathroom break timeouts for the aging fanbase AND shorten the game for those fans who have difficulty with short term memory. Again, does it really matter what happened at 6:34 of the first period? What really matters is what happens in the last two minutes of the game.

 

So by condensing the game into multiple short periods you are addressing multiple needs:

1) Excitement, excitement, and did I say EXCITEMENT

2) Gram and Gramp have more time to use the bathroom and get situated in their seat before the next period starts

3) More revenue means cheaper seats

4) Player Safety

 

It's a win, win, win, win

[Mr. WEO]

OK, I understand your point. Yes, this will cut down on injuries and will create more urgency, but why not use the timing system as they do in World Cup soccer. The referee holds the time and no one really knows how much time is left...the ref can basically give a little extra time to the team with the ball if he feels there were to many delays, etc.

 

The innings ideas would work if we set a max time per inning (like maybe 3 minutes per). Once again, 3 minutes per inning, two innings per period, 15 minute break between periods, and automatic 2 minute break between plays would still give all the naysayers their 5 hours of football fun, would keep the players safe and still create excitement in the game.

I don't think I ever said that.

 

No but you posted it.

Edited March 14, 2016 by Mr. WEO

[SRQ_BillsFan]

Why play the game at all?

 

Just have IBM Watson play a simulated game against whatever the Microsoft equivalent is. That way we can still keep time and have the stats.

 

No one gets hurt and we can even watch a "Madden like" game on TV.

[The Poojer]

i think they should cut the season in half...2 games each against your division foes, then have a series of playoffs where AFC division winners and 2nd place finishers play their Conference opponents in a round robin double elim style tourney, then move on to the Super Bowl.

[SRQ_BillsFan]

This may come out as a bit biased but...

 

Just put Buffalo in the super bowl every year and treat the 16 games as exhibition.

 

Sound fair to me.

[The Poojer]

 

This may come out as a bit biased but...

Just put Buffalo in the super bowl every year and treat the 16 games as exhibition.

Sound fair to me.

[The Real Buffalo Joe]

Another suggestion, taking player safety into consideration, would be to change over time to a game of HORSE between the Field Goal kickers.

[Beerball]

I'm curious about whether a faster game would benefit RexRob or be a further detriment to his ability to succeed. Less time means less opportunity for screw ups seems like a good idea, but, a faster game would mean RexRob would have to make quicker decisions. RexRob does not seem to have the ability to make quick decisions.

 

Thoughts?

[snafu]

How about whoever scores first, wins, and game over?

 

 

So all 53 players on the field at the same time? I'd watch that.

 

 

These two ideas are the best - as long as the field is extended to 300 yards.

Also, no clock and no timeouts.

[BringBackFergy]

Another suggestion, taking player safety into consideration, would be to change over time to a game of HORSE between the Field Goal kickers.

Isn't that basically what we have now in sudden death OT? I think this might be on the horizon. For instance, at the end of the third period, the QB's gather on the 50 yd line and they have to hit pie plates off a pylon on the goal line.

 

I still maintain that the games should be much shorter and get rid of all the repetetive "runs up the middle" and the "12 yard out patterns that usually miss". Condense the games into short, exciting 10-15 minute thrusts of energy and let the boring plays fall by the wayside. More excitement, more commercials and analysis, more rest between plays (2 mins mandatory or penalty if you try to put the ball in play before 2 mins). This all equates to player safety and longevity.

I'm curious about whether a faster game would benefit RexRob or be a further detriment to his ability to succeed. Less time means less opportunity for screw ups seems like a good idea, but, a faster game would mean RexRob would have to make quicker decisions. RexRob does not seem to have the ability to make quick decisions.

 

Thoughts?

Your premises is flawed. Just because the game is shortened to three 10 minute periods or two 20 minute halves, the play clock is expanded to 2 minutes in between plays. So Rex and Rob have plenty of time to discuss the plays and can review an assortment of comments (on TV, Facebook, Twitter and via text messages). All of those things would be permitted so they can make the best decision during the 2 minute play clock. I don't see how they would feel rushed. Maybe it's the overwhelming negativity most feel about Rex and Rob but I think they would Excel in this type of program. Go Bills!!

[reddogblitz]

I'm all for shortening the game. But by less TV timeouts which ain't gonna happen. So I'll go with my tried and true method. I TIVO the game and start watching it about 45 minutes to an hour after it starts. Then I can fast forward through all the commercials and half time and catch up close to the end.

 

I saw an NFL Films thing from the 60s and one of the players, Walt Garrison I think it was but maybe not said, "You go out there and lay it all on the line for 2 1/2 hours on Sunday". the game is now up to over 3 hours. They didn't add the length of the game. Just commercials which fortunately now I have the technology to take back.

 

Go BILLS !!

[papazoid]

an NFL game averages 11 minutes of action (snap to whistle) spread out over 3 hours.

 

get the Red Zone channel.

[PromoTheRobot]

The NFL would just fill it with commercials.

[KD in CA]

I'm all for shortening the game. But by less TV timeouts which ain't gonna happen. So I'll go with my tried and true method. I TIVO the game and start watching it about 45 minutes to an hour after it starts. Then I can fast forward through all the commercials and half time and catch up close to the end.

 

I saw an NFL Films thing from the 60s and one of the players, Walt Garrison I think it was but maybe not said, "You go out there and lay it all on the line for 2 1/2 hours on Sunday". the game is now up to over 3 hours. They didn't add the length of the game. Just commercials which fortunately now I have the technology to take back.

 

Go BILLS !!

 

Don't forget the impact of all the over-officiating that goes on now. Challenges, replay, endless measurements, etc. In the old days you just lined up and played and everyone understood if someone caught a football or not.

[buffalonian]

Ref and TV timeouts have made NFL games nearly unwatchable. I still tune into every Bills game of course, but that has more to do with being a loyal Bills fan than an NFL fan. Whereas I used to also sometimes watch non-Bills NFL games on a Sunday or Monday, I now find them to be far too tedious and almost never do (despite having the Directv ticket). For a completely different experience, try watching an English Premiere League match; with two 45 minute halves, one 15 minute break, and no commercials, the action is constant and the game is over in less than 2 hours. It may seem impossible now, but the NFL is not building its fanbase for the future. Kids today do not spend 4 hours watching one thing on television and the NFL has made football seem slow paced and boring to them. The NFL will need to fix the interminable nature of its televised games or it will lose fans in droves one day.

[boater]

.......

 

1) We could spend more time with our families and pets

2) Less commercial timeouts would mean less advertisers and, logically, lower ticket prices

3) Less injuries - players would be exposed to less "field time" so they wouldn't be injured as severely

4) More intensity during the last minutes of a shorter period or half

 

Thoughts?

In order:

 

1. More time w/families = less time in the stadium buying NFL merchandise

2. Fewer commercials = lower league profits

3. Good point, but I think 1 and 2 will outweigh

4. Not sure > intensity would happen with professional players. Maybe with fans.

[BringBackFergy]

Ref and TV timeouts have made NFL games nearly unwatchable. I still tune into every Bills game of course, but that has more to do with being a loyal Bills fan than an NFL fan. Whereas I used to also sometimes watch non-Bills NFL games on a Sunday or Monday, I now find them to be far too tedious and almost never do (despite having the Directv ticket). For a completely different experience, try watching an English Premiere League match; with two 45 minute halves, one 15 minute break, and no commercials, the action is constant and the game is over in less than 2 hours. It may seem impossible now, but the NFL is not building its fanbase for the future. Kids today do not spend 4 hours watching one thing on television and the NFL has made football seem slow paced and boring to them. The NFL will need to fix the interminable nature of its televised games or it will lose fans in droves one day.

Yes, Yes, and Yes...but I say we still need a 2 minute play clock and longer timeouts, intermissions to allow coaches like Rex to gather his thoughts and analyze film from the opposing sidelines.

In order:

 

1. More time w/families = less time in the stadium buying NFL merchandise I see people getting chips implanted of their favorite team so the sideline playcalling and live action can be heard right in your own head. This will cost a bundle but revenue will skyrocket even if the game is only 30 minutes long. Every chip will be sponsored by a certain brand...like Progressive Insurance, so you have to listen to Progressive commercials for another 3 hours after the game.

2. Fewer commercials = lower league profits See #1 above. The internal NFL chip will make you listen to the commercials before you can get back to live action. The chip can be paused if you have to go to a wedding or something.

3. Good point, but I think 1 and 2 will outweigh

4. Not sure > intensity would happen with professional players. Maybe with fans. Shorter games would build excitement in the fan base and the players. If a RB knows he only has one shot at breaking a 80 yard run because the game is only a total of 20 minutes, he's gonna try even harder. The nice thing about the internal NFL chip for each fan, is when you watch him run into the wall of Olineman and Dlineman, fans can scream out loud and the chip in your head is calibrated and networked into each team. If you yell "run left...look at that hole they made for you!!" the RB can actually listen to your comments and quickly dart left in to the opening. It will create a more "reality based" game for the fans with excitement in a shorter time allotment. The internal commercials playing in your head for 3 hours during and after each game would be a fair tradeoff in my opinion.

[Chilly]

Because some of us like the analysts like Collingsworth and Phil Simms. If we shorten the gameplay but give a little more time to commentary it would make the game more enjoyable.

Does this seem enjoyable to you?

 

https://twitter.com/philsimmsquotes?s=09