Fan ideas on how to improve the NFL -- Peter King's latest FMIA column

[NoHuddleKelly12]

20 minutes ago, C.Biscuit97 said:

My platform for becoming president is the Monday after the Super Bowl is a national holiday called America Day. Also, we are searching for better cheese to be American cheese. We can do so much better as country.

 

C.Biscuit97 ‘24

Invade Holland, plunder the Gouda! (These campaign slogans write themselves) 🥴

[sherpa]

2 minutes ago, Freak-O said:

This isn’t an idea. It’s an observation or a complaint.

 

OK, here's the solution.

Knock off the ref's constant announcements during the game, especially the challenge plays.

Two officials have mics.

The ref tells the other one to make these stupid announcements that everyone knows about anyway.

The ref gets the challenge, goes to the tent, rules and relays the ruling.

The way it is now is bizarre.

[Ned Flanders]

52 minutes ago, Gugny said:

Either play the Super Bowl on Saturday or make the Monday after the Super Bowl a national holiday.

Just move Presidents' Day to the Monday after the Super Bowl.  I remember as a kid, we got Lincoln's birthday AND Washington's birthday off, then the feds combined the two and the current holiday now seems to be closer to Washington's birthday.  Let's remember Abe also and put it more in the middle of the month, closer to the Super Bowl.  

[Cash]

1 hour ago, Logic said:

Respectfully, I don't hate the idea.

I agree that it would improve player health and keep long-standing NFL records in tact.

The only real negative I see -- and it's a considerable one -- is that, as noted by the person who submitted it, it would deprive fans who go to the games of the ability to see their favorite players sometimes. Imagine shelling out tons of money months in advance for tickets to a big time Bills game, only to find out the week before that Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs would be sitting. Not great.

 

1 hour ago, JoPoy88 said:

King printed it because he himself proposed a similar moronic idea a few years back. I vividly remember Tasker’s reaction to it on the radio - it was basically what you just said.

I’m sure starting QBs around the league would be super pumped to play in games without their healthy starting left tackle (for example.) very good for the “health” of those guys.

 

Yeah, I agree with Logic that the idea doesn't sound terrible at first glance - or at least it seems like there are some positives there.  But there would probably be some SERIOUS unintended consequences.  As JoPoy points out, the QB and probably 3-5 members of the O-line would likely be a package deal, depending on the team.  Even if that's the only starters sitting, the game in question becomes a rip-off for the fans.  National TV games would still have all the stars playing for sure.  (Whether officially or unofficially, the NFL would make sure of that.)  So if you buy a ticket to a non-national game, that means you have a very realistic chance of not seeing either your teams' stars or the opponent's stars.  Would people keep going to those games?  Probably yes, at least in the short term.  Would they still feel like an Event, the way games do now?  I think probably not.

 

I think the "play 16 out of 18 games" proposal would be fun for like 3 years while coaches figured out how to handle it, but once it got solved, the solution would ultimately be a worse product than what we have now.

[Long Suffering Fan]

48 minutes ago, C.Biscuit97 said:

My platform for becoming president is the Monday after the Super Bowl is a national holiday called America Day. Also, we are searching for better cheese to be American cheese. We can do so much better as country.

 

Pepper Jack cheese.  Get behind that and I will vote for you.

[RoyBatty is alive]

46 minutes ago, Freak-O said:

This isn’t an idea. It’s an observation or a complaint.

 Jauronamo disagrees with you, he thinks it is a summary of the current situation.

[sherpa]

1 hour ago, Gugny said:

Either play the Super Bowl on Saturday or make the Monday after the Super Bowl a national holiday.

 

They aren't going to move it to Sat.

As I mentioned, Sat night is the major revenue producer for this thing, and Sat screws the thing up.

 

Corporate jets arrive Friday.

Some events take place Friday night, but few.

Saturday and Saturday night is where all the money is, and a game on Sat screws that up.

NFL and the host city would lose a fortune.

 

By the way, here's the Sat NCAA basketball sched the day before this year's Super bowl.

 

Think the NCAA would mind?

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/schedule/ALL/20220212/

 

[Gugny]

Just now, sherpa said:

 

They aren't going to move it to Sat.

As I mentioned, Sat night is the major revenue producer for this thing, and Sat screws the thing up.

 

Corporate jets arrive Friday.

Some events take place Friday night, but few.

Saturday and Saturday night is where all the money is, and a game on Sat screws that up.

NFL and the host city would lose a fortune.

 

By the way, here's the Sat NCAA basketball sched the day before this year's Super bowl.

 

Think the NCAA would mind?

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/schedule/ALL/20220212/

 

 

It wasn't meant to be a serious suggestion that I expect the NFL to consider.  Just my ideal.

 

It's not like the game ends at 3am ET.  As far as the kids who have school the next day ... big deal?  So they're a little tired.  For the adults who have to work the next day, if it's too much for you, then take some PTO.  

 

It's not like we don't know when these games are:

 

Super Bowl LVII: February 12, 2023 -- State Farm Stadium (Glendale, Arizona)

Super Bowl LVIII: February 11, 2024 -- Allegiant Stadium (Paradise, Nevada)

Super Bowl LVIX: February 9, 2025 -- Caesars Superdome (New Orleans, Louisiana)

 

 

[Apocalypse Nuts]

3 hours ago, Logic said:

Peter King solicited ideas from fans about how to improve the NFL. He received 766 submissions. He chose 30. Shameless plug: mine was one of them! Pretty neat. When I saw how many people submitted ideas, I figured mine hadn't been chosen. It was a fun to scroll down and see my name. At any rate, some of the ideas are pretty interesting. I've posted a few that I like below. There are a bunch more, some of which are terrible, but almost all of which are interesting. Give it a read!

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2022/07/11/fmia-guest-nfl-ideas-improve-peter-king/

 

17th Game Ideas

Tim DeLaney, Tempe, Ariz.

My idea is twofold: grow the game domestically/internationally and create a consistent and fair way to allocate the recently added 17th game.

Every team plays one neutral-site game (so eight home, eight road, one neutral-site).

Continue to schedule several international games: London, Mexico City, Munich, and let’s mix in some new locations each year such as Dublin, Barcelona, Sydney, Rio de Janeiro, Toronto.

Here’s the twist, and a way to connect with casual U.S. fans who may be college football fans first:

Schedule the remainder of neutral-site games in traditional college markets (with behemoth stadiums)—Lincoln, State College, Clemson, Tuscaloosa, Tallahassee, Baton Rouge, Norman.

Think of what the “Winter Classic” has done to bring charm and nostalgia to the NHL. Imagine the Steelers and Eagles playing for bragging rights in front of 107,000 at Beaver Stadium. Let’s play a salute-to-service weekend matchup between the Bills and Giants in West Point.


 

Move The Super Bowl To Saturday Night

Rob Jensen, Voorhees, N.J.

I know the old school fans will clutch their pearls at such a notion since it had been referred to as Super Bowl Sunday for most of my 50 years alive. But one thing we have learned in watching sports is that baseball has failed in making their most important games available to younger audiences. It makes no sense to me to hold the most important game in the season, and the parties that go along with it, on a school night. Having the game on a Saturday would make it more accessible to kids and the millions of us who have to get up early for work the next day.”



 

Give Ownership 10 Years To Win

Bill Miller, Savannah, Ga.

I grew up in the fifties in Detroit, with Bobby Layne and the Lions winning three championships during that decade. Unfortunately, in 1960, William Clay Ford bought into the Lions. Over the past 61 years, the Lions have won one playoff game. We have had William Clay running the team, then Billy, then a bunch of sisters, grandmothers and others. How many coaches and GM’s have failed in Detroit over this period? The common denominator is that the Fords picked them.

I have a proposal for a new NFL rule. If a team does not win a playoff game in 10 years, the team must be sold to another owner, or the NFL must step in and pick the next GM, similar to Pete Rozelle forcing the Giants to hire George Young as GM in 1979.

Cool idea, but it’s one lawsuit from one spurned owner away from being overturned.


 

Tickets For Deserving Kids

Hank Zellman, Ohio

The NFL could purchase a block of, say, 20 to 25 seats in every stadium for every game and provide those tickets to underprivileged kids who would never get to a game. Criteria of eligibility could be grades or community service.


 

Adopt A Red Card—Sort Of

Keith Heisler, Palos Verdes, Calif.

The NHL power play is one of the most exciting fixtures in sports. Instantly, the style of play changes. Teams implement offensive and defensive strategies the fans wouldn’t otherwise see. For two minutes (or five for a major penalty) the power play injects the game with a nitro boost of offensive opportunities.

I propose the NFL implements a power-play penalty where a team is required to play a man down for some period. For example, a helmet-to-helmet hit that knocks a player out of the game or into concussion protocol for a few plays. A 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty (and a midweek fine) doesn’t seem like fair compensation for an illegal hit that takes out a team’s star receiver. What if the team causing the infraction had to play with 10 players for one play or until the other team got a first down?


 

The Best Teams Should Pick Playoff Foes

Andrew Stathulis, Ann Arbor, Mich.

[Higher-seeded] playoff teams should get to draft their opponent in the first round. The current system tries to reward the highest seeds by giving them matchups versus the playoff teams with the worst records. But record is not a perfect indicator of how good a team is. We saw this in the NFC this past year. In the first round, the Dallas Cowboys, the three seed, got the San Francisco 49ers, while the Los Angeles Rams, the four seed, got the Arizona Cardinals. The Rams, the lower seed, had an easier first-round opponent. Giving teams the ability to choose which wild-card team they play in round one is a more reliable method of rewarding the highest-seeded teams the most.

Not sure how often this would come into play, but it does make sense to give the best teams their choice of first-round foe.



 

Another Idea For Game 17 
Matthew Rule, Portland, Ore. [It's me!]

Make the extra game special and buzzworthy, rather than just a regularly rotating non-conference opponent.

The slate of extra games should be hand selected by the league to draw interest and eyeballs, using specific themes and player matchups. Some games could feature area rivalries, with, for example, the Jets versus Giants battle for New York, Chargers versus Rams battle for SoFi. Another theme could be Super Bowl rematches … Patriots-Giants or Cowboys-Raiders. Using this method, the league could create opportunities for great matchups we otherwise don’t get to see often.

If they want Josh Allen versus Aaron Rodgers but the Bills aren’t slated to play the Packers until 2025, no problem! Maybe they want one more bite at the Brady-Belichick apple, but the Bucs aren’t scheduled to play the Patriots till 2025. The NFL would have the power to create 16 monster matchups each season, however they see fit. Imagine, in the midst of schedule release mania, looking to see what “special feature” games were on the docket each year.



 

The Birch 18-Game Season Plan

Larry Birch, Warrenton, Ore.

There would be 18 regular-season games and two preseason games. No player could play more than 16 regular-season games. At the beginning of the week, for that week’s game, teams must list their eligible players from a newly expanded roster. Ineligible players would have the week off and would not be allowed to practice with the team. This would make an interesting coaching strategy. Most teams would use their best players for strongest divisional opponents. 

This plan would do the following:

- Prolong playing careers. Players would have two weeks off, at least, plus the bye.

- Show what backup QBs can do in real games.

- Give more players a chance at an NFL career.

- Players with borderline injuries may be less likely to be pressured to play.

- The players’ 16-game season records would be comparable.

The biggest downside would be that fans would not always get to watch their favorite players in every game.

 

 

Great ideas all around.   I LOVE the powerplay ideas!!!!!  It really does make those potentially illegal and damaging hits take on a while new dimension.  

[sherpa]

4 minutes ago, Gugny said:

 

It wasn't meant to be a serious suggestion that I expect the NFL to consider.  Just my ideal.

 

It's not like the game ends at 3am ET.  As far as the kids who have school the next day ... big deal?  So they're a little tired.  For the adults who have to work the next day, if it's too much for you, then take some PTO.  

 

It's not like we don't know when these games are:

 

Super Bowl LVII: February 12, 2023 -- State Farm Stadium (Glendale, Arizona)

Super Bowl LVIII: February 11, 2024 -- Allegiant Stadium (Paradise, Nevada)

Super Bowl LVIX: February 9, 2025 -- Caesars Superdome (New Orleans, Louisiana)

 

 

 

I get what you're saying, but the Sunday thing is a major economic deal.

The two teams are not known until two weeks prior. That effects some amount of fan participation/travel.

Having two days of SB tourists, who are probably corporate and/or high spenders has a huge effect on the coffers of the host city.

Simple businesses like BBQ providers/beverage providers/charcoal vendors would be impacted across the country.

 

It has become that big of a deal.

 

The best solution is to move it an hour or two earlier, or take the Monday following as some kind of holiday by moving an existing one.

[Gugny]

5 minutes ago, sherpa said:

 

I get what you're saying, but the Sunday thing is a major economic deal.

The two teams are not known until two weeks prior. That effects some amount of fan participation/travel.

Having two days of SB tourists, who are probably corporate and/or high spenders has a huge effect on the coffers of the host city.

Simple businesses like BBQ providers/beverage providers/charcoal vendors would be impacted across the country.

 

It has become that big of a deal.

 

The best solution is to move it an hour or two earlier, or take the Monday following as some kind of holiday by moving an existing one.

 

I guess I just don't see the big deal.  The game's over by around 10pm.

[sherpa]

5 minutes ago, Gugny said:

 

I guess I just don't see the big deal.  The game's over by around 10pm.

 

No accident either.

It gets the home city another night of hotel occupancy, and probably a breakfast.

Move it two hours earlier, and that changes.

[Mr. WEO]

1 hour ago, RoyBatty is alive said:

Good in theory but you cant have a national holiday that effectively subsidizes one industry, the NFL.  Plus where does it end, what about after basketball, hockey baseball final games?

 

 

no one stays up for those.

[HOUSE]

Give HOUSE free tickets

[Royale with Cheese]

3 hours ago, 17islongenough said:

My favorite is that the 17th game should be a neutral site game.  It helps grows the game and doesn't put a team at a disadvantage with one less home game. 

 

The only issue I see with this is if lets say the Bills play in Munich for the 17th game.  They then have to play a 1st round playoff game the next week in LA.

In one week they'll experience jet lag in time zones with a 9 hour difference

[Mr. WEO]

38 minutes ago, sherpa said:

 

They aren't going to move it to Sat.

As I mentioned, Sat night is the major revenue producer for this thing, and Sat screws the thing up.

 

Corporate jets arrive Friday.

Some events take place Friday night, but few.

Saturday and Saturday night is where all the money is, and a game on Sat screws that up.

NFL and the host city would lose a fortune.

 

By the way, here's the Sat NCAA basketball sched the day before this year's Super bowl.

 

Think the NCAA would mind?

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/schedule/ALL/20220212/

 

 

why would the NFL care about  NCAA basketball?  

 

Also, only gambling addicts are watching a slate of NCAA games before conference championships or March Madness.

[cba fan]

1 hour ago, sherpa said:

 

OK, here's the solution.

Knock off the ref's constant announcements during the game, especially the challenge plays.

Two officials have mics.

The ref tells the other one to make these stupid announcements that everyone knows about anyway.

The ref gets the challenge, goes to the tent, rules and relays the ruling.

The way it is now is bizarre.

the ref has to confirm exactly what the coach wants reviewed. So i understand why they walk over.

 

But one ref can walk over to coach as review ref goes to the camera with hood to review. Then walk ref can radio over to review ref and relay what coach is challenging.

-------------------------------------------------------------

on related not i always find it odd coaches review if player made the first down. That they challenge if it is a first down. Why? If player does not make first down they lose challenge and lose timeout.

 

Why not challenge spot of ball was short of actual spot? That way if it clearly was marked short, yet was still not a first down, the ball can be moved to actual spot and team wins challenge, and does not lose a timeout even if first down not made.

 

at times ball is clearly marked short then review shows new spot was far forward but yet not a first down so team loses challenge when they actually should have won the challenge as ball was marked short originally.

[sherpa]

19 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

why would the NFL care about  NCAA basketball?  

 

Also, only gambling addicts are watching a slate of NCAA games before conference championships or March Madness.

 

Seriously?

Ever been to an ACC game on a Sat afternoon in Feb?

Think the Super bowl would have an impact?

 

Ratings are ratings, and ratings are money.

That's what all these contracts are based on.

 

They all compete but to some degree they do what is best for each.

Friday night is high school football, not college.

Sat is college football or basketball.

Sunday/Monday and to some extent Thurs. is NFL.

 

There are some Sat playoff games, but these schedules are not coincidences. 

They are media driven.

 

Edited July 11, 2022 by sherpa

[Gugny]

20 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

why would the NFL care about  NCAA basketball?  

 

Also, only gambling addicts are watching a slate of NCAA games before conference championships or March Madness.

 

Or ... I don't know ... College Basketball fans??  But don't let me stop you from judging people you've never met.

[DQW87]

I'd like to see one where you can't play a team not in your division more than 2 times in a row at their home stadium unless the 3rd one is a playoff game.  It gets a little ridiculous when you get theBuffalo vs. KC situation where one team always seems to be playing in the others stadium.  No one ever mentions this when they talk about the MaHomes vs Allen rivalry either.