Coach55 Posted May 22, 2009 Posted May 22, 2009 The owners are in constant discussions to expand the season to 18 games, eliminating 2 preseason games. I have a better idea. The league should consider eliminating 1 preseason game and increasing the season to 17 games. Each team would then play 1 non-divisional game at an international destination (so each team would have 8 home, 8 road and 1 independent). 2 games would be played each week from week 4 through 10, with 1 game in week 1 and week 11. Each team that would be playing in an overseas game would be either coming off or going into a bye week to allow for the extra travel time. Adding an international game would help the league in so many ways: 1. It will increase league revenue by having a 17th regular season game 2. It will increase the NFL's world exposure (NFL Europe failed because the level of play sucked) 3. The players would enjoy the overseas game (many of the players have never travelled outside of the US and it would benefit them both socially and culturally) 4. It will allow US Expatriates to enjoy the world's greatest game live Just think you could have annual games in London, Paris, Berlin, Barcelona, Madrid, Mexico City, Prague, Rome, etc. Basically any major city that has a soccer stadium with capacity of 75,000+. You would need to contain to destinations less than 8-10 hours away (i.e. Asia wouldn't work unless it was 2 west coast teams).
mrags Posted May 22, 2009 Posted May 22, 2009 The owners are in constant discussions to expand the season to 18 games, eliminating 2 preseason games. I have a better idea. The league should consider eliminating 1 preseason game and increasing the season to 17 games. Each team would then play 1 non-divisional game at an international destination (so each team would have 8 home, 8 road and 1 independent). 2 games would be played each week from week 4 through 10, with 1 game in week 1 and week 11. Each team that would be playing in an overseas game would be either coming off or going into a bye week to allow for the extra travel time. Adding an international game would help the league in so many ways: 1. It will increase league revenue by having a 17th regular season game 2. It will increase the NFL's world exposure (NFL Europe failed because the level of play sucked) 3. The players would enjoy the overseas game (many of the players have never travelled outside of the US and it would benefit them both socially and culturally) 4. It will allow US Expatriates to enjoy the world's greatest game live Just think you could have annual games in London, Paris, Berlin, Barcelona, Madrid, Mexico City, Prague, Rome, etc. Basically any major city that has a soccer stadium with capacity of 75,000+. You would need to contain to destinations less than 8-10 hours away (i.e. Asia wouldn't work unless it was 2 west coast teams). I could get behind that idea. I especially like the thought about a non-divisional game, and either before or after a bye. That would just be too smart. To think the NFL is that intelligent is wishful thinking.
Coach55 Posted May 22, 2009 Author Posted May 22, 2009 Another thing you can do is have the Week 1 game be a rematch of the Super Bowl the year before.
bladiebla Posted May 22, 2009 Posted May 22, 2009 2. It will increase the NFL's world exposure (NFL Europe failed because the level of play sucked) Dude... There was nothing wrong with the level of play in NFL Europe. I've seen NFL Europe games that were better then some NFL games (Dolphins@Giants in London was waaaaaaaaaaaay below anything I've seen live in NFL Europe (bar 2 games in 10 years time). The issue with NFL Europe play level wise was that you basicly had 6 completly new teams each year with a very short preperation time, generating some startup issues. Round about game 4~6 the play level stabalized (read teams started with a simplified playbook and were utilizing their full playbooks around game 4~6 and especially the top 4 teams delivered a good standard of football. NFL Europe did not fail on fan support, nor did it fail for it's level of competition or the players and staff it produced. It failed because it was the love baby of Goodells predecesor and as every manager does you axe something to make a statement. In this case it turned out to be NFL Europe. NFL Europe never was a commercial success due to lacking TV exposure in Europe and not enough sponsor money because American based companies were not allowed to sponsor (if an American company wanted to sponsor; they were send to sponsor something/someone in the NFL). Bottomline NFL Europe was costing the NFL a net $10 mil per year (less then Goodell his salary). Given the amount of quality players and coaching NFL Europe produced I'd say it's laughable. Just take Warner his 52 million dollar contract he earned with the Rams after coming cold out of Amsterdam. $10 million to thoroughly evaluate 440 players and FO/coaching staff and or reposition players? Also you could ask where that 10 million went.... A very very large portion of that (round about 5 mil went to the European commissioner which is absolutly nuts given the fact that the argument to close it down was that it was costing too much money; without the London and later Frankfurt office the leaugue would have run break even to a minor loss with some teams like the Frankfurt Galaxy running a profit).
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