The NFL product as a whole- where do you rank it?

[LongLiveRalph]

These are tough times to be a Bills fan, no doubt. However, I'm looking for your opinion on the product of NFL football taken as a league. We always hear how "It's the true national pasttime," "the most powerful sport of all time," etc. etc.

 

I am in the camp that the product is on a slow decline, AS A WHOLE. Here is a brief timeline of my recent football-related experiences, which influence my reasoning:

 

1. I moved from Buffalo to Florida in 2006. I am still a Bills season ticket holder, however I watch most of the games each Sunday at a friend's house on the DirecTV ticket. This was downfall #1 for me. My friend would set up 3 TV's in his living room, and we would watch a bunch of games (he's a NYG fan) with the Bills and Giants usually on two of the TV's. The other TV would show a game that was the "marquee matchup" or a game that we had bet on. I was appalled by the lack of action, and the amount of time that all three games were at commercial at the same time. It was less and less enjoyable as the weeks went on.

 

2. I stopped betting before last season (2008). I had a down year in 2006, then a bad year in 2007, I lost about $2200 overall on pro and college football in '07 (I never bet any other TV sports.) Anyways, I just decided that it was a waste, I wasn't really enjoying watching the games (maybe because I was losing more than winning had something to do with not enjoying it) so in fall of 2008 I booked a fishing trip to Cabo for $1800 and said "There goes the gambling fund." That trip was a BLAST and I haven't made a bet since. However, at the same time, it has made it VERY difficult to even consider watching a Arizona-Houston 4pm game.

 

3. Somewhere along the line, picking up 23 yards and getting 2 first downs, then throwing the ball out of bounds on 3rd down and punting it away started to qualify as good quarterbacking. I don't know if it's because I learned my football in the 1980's and 90's (I'm 31 years old) and grew up with Kelly, Marino, Elway, Montana, Fouts, Favre, Young...And those are just the all-time greats...Even the "so-so's" were solid...Kosar, Moon, Cunningham, Everett, Aikman, and guys like that. I could be completely wrong, but it never seemed like there were as many Kyle Bollers, Trent Edwards, Alex Smiths, JaMarcus Russells out there, where a completed 12-yard pass is a miracle from the heavens. The "game management" theory became all the rage in 2001 with everyone's favorite Super Bowl champion analyst, Trent "54% completions" Dilfer. What Jeff Hostetler proved in 1991 all the sudden rang louder in 2001...You don't need a league MVP at quarterback to win the Super Bowl...So everyone tried the concept. I also realize that defensive schemes and blitzing have gotten much more complicated and made QB a more difficult position to play, but the rules have also changed to help the QB's and WR's. I don't know...It just seems to me that 80% of the league plays the "conservative, don't turn it over, throw it away, lets try to win 17-13" game. Granted, if it's the Bills, I'm on the edge of my seat. If it's Panthers-Rams, SNOOZE!

 

4. The oversaturation of coverage. ESPN is great and horrible all at once. I won't bash them here, I just simply change the channel. But everything HAS to be rapid reaction. Best game ever? Biggest choke ever? Best pass ever? Are the Chiefs done? Are the Broncos the AFC favorite? And on and on. 24/7. On ESPN, and ten other channels. And all over the radio. It's too much and it wears me out.

 

5. Rookie salaries for top-10 picks. They make more guaranteed money signing their name than Bruce Smith made in his whole career. I have a feeling this is going to change though, thankfully.

 

6. The new stadiums are great. The seat licenses are disgusting and will ruin the game. It's my opinion, but that's how I feel. Quick story- my friend was at the Jets-Pats game in week 2, his brother won bidding on some tickets at a charity auction. They were 45-yard line, about row 20. They had four seats, and they were right next to a man and a woman. The man and woman actually had 6 season tickets, they put up 4 of them for the charity auction, and kept 2 for themselves. So my friend was chatting with them. They have been Jets season ticket holders for 30+ years, and have upgraded when possible, to basically where they are now, some of the best seats in the house. When the Jets move to their new stadium next year, in order to keep their 6 season tickets at that location (45-yard line row 20) they would've had to pay $293,000 for seat licenses. That's right, $48,000 per seat, AND THAT'S JUST FOR THE RIGHT TO THEN PAY FULL PRICE FOR YOUR 10 GAMES!! Frankly, that makes me sick to my stomach.

 

7. One home game in Toronto. I understand it, but I HATE it. Not right. And it all stems from the NFL being a corporation and a bottom line, rather than a sport for the fans. Like I said, I understand. I just don't like it.

 

Those are my off-the-cuff reasons. I've really found in the last three years or so that I'm enjoying the games less and less. Obviously, the struggles of the Bills drag me down. But still, I've ALWAYS been a fan of the game, and would watch three on Sunday and one on Monday. Now, not even close. The announcers annoy me. The commercials annoy me. The weak strategies, coaches, and games annoy me. And more than ever, the off-the-field stuff regarding revenues, salary caps, seat licenses, etc. etc. are making me wonder about this game. The league really needs to watch out if they do go into a lockout.

 

The league is quickly becoming a corporate TV show rather than a sport, and I for one don't think the NFL is the all-powerful and all-knowing league. I didn't watch one second of football last weekend and it was, without a doubt, a much more enjoyable Sunday than sitting on a couch watching commercials and Chris Berman's verbal expectorations.

 

If you read my ramblings this far, I'm interested in how you view the NFL as a product.

[Chalkie Gerzowski]

These are tough times to be a Bills fan, no doubt. However, I'm looking for your opinion on the product of NFL football taken as a league. We always hear how "It's the true national pasttime," "the most powerful sport of all time," etc. etc.

 

I am in the camp that the product is on a slow decline, AS A WHOLE. Here is a brief timeline of my recent football-related experiences, which influence my reasoning:

 

1. I moved from Buffalo to Florida in 2006. I am still a Bills season ticket holder, however I watch most of the games each Sunday at a friend's house on the DirecTV ticket. This was downfall #1 for me. My friend would set up 3 TV's in his living room, and we would watch a bunch of games (he's a NYG fan) with the Bills and Giants usually on two of the TV's. The other TV would show a game that was the "marquee matchup" or a game that we had bet on. I was appalled by the lack of action, and the amount of time that all three games were at commercial at the same time. It was less and less enjoyable as the weeks went on.

 

2. I stopped betting before last season (2008). I had a down year in 2006, then a bad year in 2007, I lost about $2200 overall on pro and college football in '07 (I never bet any other TV sports.) Anyways, I just decided that it was a waste, I wasn't really enjoying watching the games (maybe because I was losing more than winning had something to do with not enjoying it) so in fall of 2008 I booked a fishing trip to Cabo for $1800 and said "There goes the gambling fund." That trip was a BLAST and I haven't made a bet since. However, at the same time, it has made it VERY difficult to even consider watching a Arizona-Houston 4pm game.

 

3. Somewhere along the line, picking up 23 yards and getting 2 first downs, then throwing the ball out of bounds on 3rd down and punting it away started to qualify as good quarterbacking. I don't know if it's because I learned my football in the 1980's and 90's (I'm 31 years old) and grew up with Kelly, Marino, Elway, Montana, Fouts, Favre, Young...And those are just the all-time greats...Even the "so-so's" were solid...Kosar, Moon, Cunningham, Everett, Aikman, and guys like that. I could be completely wrong, but it never seemed like there were as many Kyle Bollers, Trent Edwards, Alex Smiths, JaMarcus Russells out there, where a completed 12-yard pass is a miracle from the heavens. The "game management" theory became all the rage in 2001 with everyone's favorite Super Bowl champion analyst, Trent "54% completions" Dilfer. What Jeff Hostetler proved in 1991 all the sudden rang louder in 2001...You don't need a league MVP at quarterback to win the Super Bowl...So everyone tried the concept. I also realize that defensive schemes and blitzing have gotten much more complicated and made QB a more difficult position to play, but the rules have also changed to help the QB's and WR's. I don't know...It just seems to me that 80% of the league plays the "conservative, don't turn it over, throw it away, lets try to win 17-13" game. Granted, if it's the Bills, I'm on the edge of my seat. If it's Panthers-Rams, SNOOZE!

 

4. The oversaturation of coverage. ESPN is great and horrible all at once. I won't bash them here, I just simply change the channel. But everything HAS to be rapid reaction. Best game ever? Biggest choke ever? Best pass ever? Are the Chiefs done? Are the Broncos the AFC favorite? And on and on. 24/7. On ESPN, and ten other channels. And all over the radio. It's too much and it wears me out.

 

5. Rookie salaries for top-10 picks. They make more guaranteed money signing their name than Bruce Smith made in his whole career. I have a feeling this is going to change though, thankfully.

 

6. The new stadiums are great. The seat licenses are disgusting and will ruin the game. It's my opinion, but that's how I feel. Quick story- my friend was at the Jets-Pats game in week 2, his brother won bidding on some tickets at a charity auction. They were 45-yard line, about row 20. They had four seats, and they were right next to a man and a woman. The man and woman actually had 6 season tickets, they put up 4 of them for the charity auction, and kept 2 for themselves. So my friend was chatting with them. They have been Jets season ticket holders for 30+ years, and have upgraded when possible, to basically where they are now, some of the best seats in the house. When the Jets move to their new stadium next year, in order to keep their 6 season tickets at that location (45-yard line row 20) they would've had to pay $293,000 for seat licenses. That's right, $48,000 per seat, AND THAT'S JUST FOR THE RIGHT TO THEN PAY FULL PRICE FOR YOUR 10 GAMES!! Frankly, that makes me sick to my stomach.

 

7. One home game in Toronto. I understand it, but I HATE it. Not right. And it all stems from the NFL being a corporation and a bottom line, rather than a sport for the fans. Like I said, I understand. I just don't like it.

 

Those are my off-the-cuff reasons. I've really found in the last three years or so that I'm enjoying the games less and less. Obviously, the struggles of the Bills drag me down. But still, I've ALWAYS been a fan of the game, and would watch three on Sunday and one on Monday. Now, not even close. The announcers annoy me. The commercials annoy me. The weak strategies, coaches, and games annoy me. And more than ever, the off-the-field stuff regarding revenues, salary caps, seat licenses, etc. etc. are making me wonder about this game. The league really needs to watch out if they do go into a lockout.

 

The league is quickly becoming a corporate TV show rather than a sport, and I for one don't think the NFL is the all-powerful and all-knowing league. I didn't watch one second of football last weekend and it was, without a doubt, a much more enjoyable Sunday than sitting on a couch watching commercials and Chris Berman's verbal expectorations.

 

If you read my ramblings this far, I'm interested in how you view the NFL as a product.

 

 

Not a whole lot I can add, but I agree with pretty much everything you have typed. I have slowly weaned myself away from the NFL. It's a style over substance league. I do like when Chuck Bednarik rips the NFL for being a "pansy" league when running backs or receivers run out of bounds in dainty fashion instead of going for more yards if the opportunity presents itself...I'd go further with it, but I don't want to offend anyone...it's kind of a sissy league. the mascots should be different, maybe Strawberry Shortcake should be on the side of a football helmet.

[Frit0 Bandit0]

Too many teams, the player pool leaves alot of average players playing who wouldn't normally make a team

[BillsZubaz]

I agree with just about everything that is being said in this thread. It is a crying shame.

 

The rookie salaries are particularly disgusting!!

 

What are peoples thoughts on Free Agency in the NFL? I almost feel as though it should be reigned in to a degree...

[Andrew in CA]

I love it, I watch as many games as possible. Best sport in the country.

[rstencel]

I have found myself watching less and less games as well. When I cant see the Bills play, I find myself with the game on, and not really watching it. Becomes background noise almost. Not sure its that product is worse, maybe my memory is only of the good games from past.

 

I happen to love watching a good running game, and just don't see many teams run first and 3 straight downs much anymore. Allot run on first down, and 3rd and 1, but seems like the good portion of the league passes to setup run, and only runs to slow down the rush. And teams that try and run allot get allot of 8 in the box, forcing them to throw anyway. Shoot even Pittsburgh seems to be pass happy.

 

Pass game is great and exiting, when it is down field move the chains type. Not a big fan of the 3 yard dink and dunk style. Running the ball for same yardage make more sense to me, as O-Linemen love it, and defenses have to respect it and get beat down as game goes on. Most of the good backs need to get allot of carries and get stronger as game goes on, since they see the way defense defends thing, and defense gets worn down as well. Dink game just doesn't have same effect, and doesn't keep my interest as well. Not even going to mention the No-Huddle we are using now, as am not a fan at all.

 

Guess saying not a fan of the evolution of the passing game taking away teams willingness to stick to the run. I miss watching the line battles, and the RB's skills on display for things other than sweeps, draws and traps that seem to make up the majority of allot of teams running games.

[murra]

Great Post!

[Guest three3]

it is declining. look at the games we have been exposed to so far this year, at least in the buffalo market. they have been horrid for the most part. especially the bills. the dolphins mnf game this week was great but otherwise the games have pretty much sucked in our market. so we would have to pay for the ticket for exposure to the good games. no thanks

[Marv Levy]

This is a great topic. I agree with your points especially 1, 4 and 5. There needs to be a rookie maximum and they needed it like 10 yrs ago. Some first rounder getting $20mil without even playing a single down?!

 

NFL will always be popular so I don't see a decline but you make some very good points. Especially the lack of action with 10,000 commercials thrown in to make it a 3.5 hr game. Horrible.

 

I'll leave it at this, for me personally, I like football, but I will always LOVE hockey more. The fastest and greatest sport to play and watch IMO.

[PushthePile]

I think the NFL is at it's best right now. I think some of the positions the NFL puts its officials in is unfair. It's unfortunate that a game can come down to an officials opinion of a play, especially when some rules are such a grey area. As for the entertainment, its unmatched. The NFL consumes most of my thoughts these days.

 

As for the toughness of the league? I don't understand what people are looking for. Players are bigger, stronger, and faster than ever. Some of these old-timers who crack on the league's toughness are way off base IMO. What will make some fans satisfied? Death on the field?

[EasternOHBillsFan]

Two different NFLs have existed- pre free agency and free agency.

 

I personally loved the old NFL with no free agency, where the rules were a lot less strict and players could be players.

 

This era is just not my cup of tea despite all of the success the NFL has had. Success does not mean quality, and from a quality standpoint I do not like it at all... it has been declining for years now.

[Chalkie Gerzowski]

it has been a marketing success.

[NewHampshireBillsFan]

These are tough times to be a Bills fan, no doubt. However, I'm looking for your opinion on the product of NFL football taken as a league. We always hear how "It's the true national pasttime," "the most powerful sport of all time," etc. etc.

 

I am in the camp that the product is on a slow decline, AS A WHOLE. Here is a brief timeline of my recent football-related experiences, which influence my reasoning:

 

1. I moved from Buffalo to Florida in 2006. I am still a Bills season ticket holder, however I watch most of the games each Sunday at a friend's house on the DirecTV ticket. This was downfall #1 for me. My friend would set up 3 TV's in his living room, and we would watch a bunch of games (he's a NYG fan) with the Bills and Giants usually on two of the TV's. The other TV would show a game that was the "marquee matchup" or a game that we had bet on. I was appalled by the lack of action, and the amount of time that all three games were at commercial at the same time. It was less and less enjoyable as the weeks went on.

 

2. I stopped betting before last season (2008). I had a down year in 2006, then a bad year in 2007, I lost about $2200 overall on pro and college football in '07 (I never bet any other TV sports.) Anyways, I just decided that it was a waste, I wasn't really enjoying watching the games (maybe because I was losing more than winning had something to do with not enjoying it) so in fall of 2008 I booked a fishing trip to Cabo for $1800 and said "There goes the gambling fund." That trip was a BLAST and I haven't made a bet since. However, at the same time, it has made it VERY difficult to even consider watching a Arizona-Houston 4pm game.

 

3. Somewhere along the line, picking up 23 yards and getting 2 first downs, then throwing the ball out of bounds on 3rd down and punting it away started to qualify as good quarterbacking. I don't know if it's because I learned my football in the 1980's and 90's (I'm 31 years old) and grew up with Kelly, Marino, Elway, Montana, Fouts, Favre, Young...And those are just the all-time greats...Even the "so-so's" were solid...Kosar, Moon, Cunningham, Everett, Aikman, and guys like that. I could be completely wrong, but it never seemed like there were as many Kyle Bollers, Trent Edwards, Alex Smiths, JaMarcus Russells out there, where a completed 12-yard pass is a miracle from the heavens. The "game management" theory became all the rage in 2001 with everyone's favorite Super Bowl champion analyst, Trent "54% completions" Dilfer. What Jeff Hostetler proved in 1991 all the sudden rang louder in 2001...You don't need a league MVP at quarterback to win the Super Bowl...So everyone tried the concept. I also realize that defensive schemes and blitzing have gotten much more complicated and made QB a more difficult position to play, but the rules have also changed to help the QB's and WR's. I don't know...It just seems to me that 80% of the league plays the "conservative, don't turn it over, throw it away, lets try to win 17-13" game. Granted, if it's the Bills, I'm on the edge of my seat. If it's Panthers-Rams, SNOOZE!

 

4. The oversaturation of coverage. ESPN is great and horrible all at once. I won't bash them here, I just simply change the channel. But everything HAS to be rapid reaction. Best game ever? Biggest choke ever? Best pass ever? Are the Chiefs done? Are the Broncos the AFC favorite? And on and on. 24/7. On ESPN, and ten other channels. And all over the radio. It's too much and it wears me out.

 

5. Rookie salaries for top-10 picks. They make more guaranteed money signing their name than Bruce Smith made in his whole career. I have a feeling this is going to change though, thankfully.

 

6. The new stadiums are great. The seat licenses are disgusting and will ruin the game. It's my opinion, but that's how I feel. Quick story- my friend was at the Jets-Pats game in week 2, his brother won bidding on some tickets at a charity auction. They were 45-yard line, about row 20. They had four seats, and they were right next to a man and a woman. The man and woman actually had 6 season tickets, they put up 4 of them for the charity auction, and kept 2 for themselves. So my friend was chatting with them. They have been Jets season ticket holders for 30+ years, and have upgraded when possible, to basically where they are now, some of the best seats in the house. When the Jets move to their new stadium next year, in order to keep their 6 season tickets at that location (45-yard line row 20) they would've had to pay $293,000 for seat licenses. That's right, $48,000 per seat, AND THAT'S JUST FOR THE RIGHT TO THEN PAY FULL PRICE FOR YOUR 10 GAMES!! Frankly, that makes me sick to my stomach.

 

7. One home game in Toronto. I understand it, but I HATE it. Not right. And it all stems from the NFL being a corporation and a bottom line, rather than a sport for the fans. Like I said, I understand. I just don't like it.

 

Those are my off-the-cuff reasons. I've really found in the last three years or so that I'm enjoying the games less and less. Obviously, the struggles of the Bills drag me down. But still, I've ALWAYS been a fan of the game, and would watch three on Sunday and one on Monday. Now, not even close. The announcers annoy me. The commercials annoy me. The weak strategies, coaches, and games annoy me. And more than ever, the off-the-field stuff regarding revenues, salary caps, seat licenses, etc. etc. are making me wonder about this game. The league really needs to watch out if they do go into a lockout.

 

The league is quickly becoming a corporate TV show rather than a sport, and I for one don't think the NFL is the all-powerful and all-knowing league. I didn't watch one second of football last weekend and it was, without a doubt, a much more enjoyable Sunday than sitting on a couch watching commercials and Chris Berman's verbal expectorations.

 

If you read my ramblings this far, I'm interested in how you view the NFL as a product.

 

More and more the officiating is a problem. The officials seem more and more intimidated by teams like NE* and the calls reflect that. With the relative parity in talent the refs can really take one team out of the game and that often happens. The emphasis on fantasy football is kind of weird. People have artificial rosters of players. The NFL likes that because then teams moving, bad officiating, and bad management of teams (like the Bills) don't really matter because you just pick new fantasy players and watch the games for that emphasis. Ticket prices in the major markets will completely price out the average fan fairly soon.

 

The NFL will go the way of the NBA to some degree. Less and less people will care. College football will probably again surpass the NFL in interest the way college basketball greatly surpasses the NBA in interest.

[birdog1960]

Way too many teams out of the running early every season. Makes for a lot less marquee matchups. I can't get over the feeling that I'm just watching one billionaire's ego fight against another billionaire's. I haven't bought Sunday Ticket in 3 years now and generally just watch parts of games (although I did watch every second of the Bills-NE game). Fantasy football keeps some interest in the losing teams but I don't think enough to make a difference. Unbridled greed, as evidenced by the seat licenses, is ruining the experience for many fans including me. I think people are finding other activities can be more satisfying than the NFL on weekends. I always argued that the NFL distilled the best talent and was superior to watching college ball but now I prefer the college game. Still considering going to the Bills-Titans or Carolina games this year but at this point I'm much more likely to go to a Virginia Tech game or 2 or even a UT game. In the last 5 years, I've enjoyed the college games I've been to much more than the pros. I'll bet, given the choice, many other long time pro fans (and maybe even bills fans) make this choice.

[WVUFootball29]

I would say as a whole the product is the best it has been. However there are a few problems that need to be address. Rookie contract being one. These astronomical contracts given to players who have yet to take a snap really hurt teams that are supposed to be improving by getting the high picks in the draft. Spending all that money on your first pick limits some of these teams from being able to go out and be players in the Free Agent Market as well. Small market teams really take a hit from this.

 

The style of play in college football is also hurting the NFL a bit. Right now, the offense du jour is the spread option, which in my opinion is leading to inflated college stats and creating a lack of football knowledge among the players, especially QBs.

 

With the size of the league there really needs to be a farm team system set up in the future. This will give marginal players a chance to learn the game and improve their talents and thus improve the league by keeping roster talent from depleting due to injuries. NFL Europe was a great tool for this, but did not produce the revenue and interest needed to keep it afloat. The UFL might possibly be able to help in this department, but the interest in it is currently lacking and there are few roster spots and the schedules coincide.

 

The NFL may want to create a small 6 to 12 team league that plays after the NFL season concludes located in fringe NFL markets that can't support a team.

[Andrew in CA]

I agree with WVU, the talent around the league is great, but the NFL could use some tweaks, namely in Top-10 draft pick pay. However, I'm surprised at the lack of enthusiasm for the league in this thread... it's the best sport being played at the highest possible level, no question! Personally, I love the NFL, and even if the Bills are out of it, I can be entertained by nearly any game. I don't think I can say that for any other sport, professional or amateur.

[stevewin]

Nice topic, great post. I would add

 

7.a) The NFLs desperation to "internationalize" the game to pad their pockets even further. The whole idea that a team in Mexico or Europe, and the fact they they are trying to talk about it as a real possibility in the future, is so disgusting to me - so stupid on so many levels. International games to me are when they've really started to jump the shark.

 

- The relentless pushing of "personalities" is just marketing (even when people get sick of hearing about Tom Brady - then they talk about being sick of hearing about him - and thus are still talking about the NFL) - but really it has become tiresome.

 

- Overall right now I think it is mostly teams like Buffalo with their incompetence on the field and seeming lack of even effort or emotion that is ruining the product on the field. I have to say though, that there still are teams/coaches who help to offset this by showing some imagination and getting players to actually play like they care. I *really* enjoyed the Jets/Miami game Monday night - two teams flying all over the place, coaches obviously knowing what they are doing and having a plan. It is exciting to see Singletary or even Mcdaniels be building organizations a 'right' way and see them get results. Of course then it gets depressing to see in comparison how many worlds away the crap product the Bills have is...

[LongLiveRalph]

I agree with WVU, the talent around the league is great, but the NFL could use some tweaks, namely in Top-10 draft pick pay. However, I'm surprised at the lack of enthusiasm for the league in this thread... it's the best sport being played at the highest possible level, no question! Personally, I love the NFL, and even if the Bills are out of it, I can be entertained by nearly any game. I don't think I can say that for any other sport, professional or amateur.

 

I was always that way when I was younger, I could watch any game. In my teens the Bills were still pretty good and I loved the league. Then, in my 20's, the Bills took a bit of a downturn, but I still loved the league and would bet on some games here and there, which often made games MUCH more exciting.

 

However, the last three years, I have just been disgusted by the PRODUCT. The athletes are the best in the world, no question. The 6-second action from snap-to-tackle can be incredible. But if you removed commercials, timeouts, injuries, and huddles, you're looking at roughly 12 minutes of actual action. And that gets stretched out over 3.5 hours. Like I said, I never truly noticed it until I was watching three games at once, and I was shocked at the amount of times all three TV's were on commercial (and hell, it was usually the SAME Bud Light or Chevy truck commercial too!)

 

As for the coaches, there are only 32 jobs in the world, it's a win-now league, and they all try to save their job by trying to NOT lose, rather than trying to win. 80% of the coaches seem to coach scared, and 80% of the QBs seem to get sucked into the "game manager" role. Couple that with Bill Walsh's West Coast offense of the 1980's, and what you're stuck with is 3-yard passes on 3rd & 8. It's unwatchable in most cases for me.

 

For every Jets-Fins great game, you get 4 or 5 duds like Bills-Browns, NYG-Oak, Wash-anybody. I don't play fantasy, I don't place wagers...I have ZERO reason to waste 3+ hours watching commercials surrounded by crappy football played by two teams I couldn't care less about.

 

Every team copies every other team and you end up watching the same game, over and over.

 

I still follow it, I still like it...I just don't like the overall trend of the PRODUCT as a whole- meaning the game, media coverage, "corporatization" of the teams and fans, and the pompous attitude of the league itself. They give off an air of knowing that they have the people in the palm of their hand, and will F them out of every last penny if they can.

[macaroni]

IMHO (being the old fogey that I am) the NFL is going to H .. E .. double hockey sticks since free angency. Gone are the days when you rooted for a team because you liked the players. The owners have no loyalty to the players, the players have no loyalty to the team (or city), but we fans keep rooting for ..... ahhhh .... I'm not quite sure what we are rooting for.

 

With free agency came the astronomical wages, and in an attempt to "stand out" we have the pre planned "celebrations" for every touchdown, first down, compleated pass, defended pass, 2yard run etc. etc. etc. The players act like clowns to get air time to establish themselves as media darlings and increase their "star power".

 

As far as people saying that the number of teams dilute the talent pool ...... I say Bull Poop .... Lord Farve has been in the league for 19 years ... you can't make me believe there hasn't been at least 32 quality QBs come out of college between the careers of Farve and Sanchez ...... The teams just don't have to find them because we fans buy the crap like "we're rebuilding" .... "our hands are tied by the cap" ... "new O-coordinator" ... "new head coach" ... "new system" ... excuses are easier to make than teams are to build (especially when the fans are filling the stadium and buying the T-shirts anyway).

 

In years gone by you'd go to a ball game eat some peanuts and watch a good football game ..... now you go and see a bunch of big ol' fat guys shuckin and jiving doing the "I'm a zillionaire happy dance" between commercial time outs.

 

 

DON'T GET ME STARTED

[BuffOrange]

These are tough times to be a Bills fan, no doubt. However, I'm looking for your opinion on the product of NFL football taken as a league. We always hear how "It's the true national pasttime," "the most powerful sport of all time," etc. etc.

 

I am in the camp that the product is on a slow decline, AS A WHOLE. Here is a brief timeline of my recent football-related experiences, which influence my reasoning:

 

1. I moved from Buffalo to Florida in 2006. I am still a Bills season ticket holder, however I watch most of the games each Sunday at a friend's house on the DirecTV ticket. This was downfall #1 for me. My friend would set up 3 TV's in his living room, and we would watch a bunch of games (he's a NYG fan) with the Bills and Giants usually on two of the TV's. The other TV would show a game that was the "marquee matchup" or a game that we had bet on. I was appalled by the lack of action, and the amount of time that all three games were at commercial at the same time. It was less and less enjoyable as the weeks went on.

 

2. I stopped betting before last season (2008). I had a down year in 2006, then a bad year in 2007, I lost about $2200 overall on pro and college football in '07 (I never bet any other TV sports.) Anyways, I just decided that it was a waste, I wasn't really enjoying watching the games (maybe because I was losing more than winning had something to do with not enjoying it) so in fall of 2008 I booked a fishing trip to Cabo for $1800 and said "There goes the gambling fund." That trip was a BLAST and I haven't made a bet since. However, at the same time, it has made it VERY difficult to even consider watching a Arizona-Houston 4pm game.

 

3. Somewhere along the line, picking up 23 yards and getting 2 first downs, then throwing the ball out of bounds on 3rd down and punting it away started to qualify as good quarterbacking. I don't know if it's because I learned my football in the 1980's and 90's (I'm 31 years old) and grew up with Kelly, Marino, Elway, Montana, Fouts, Favre, Young...And those are just the all-time greats...Even the "so-so's" were solid...Kosar, Moon, Cunningham, Everett, Aikman, and guys like that. I could be completely wrong, but it never seemed like there were as many Kyle Bollers, Trent Edwards, Alex Smiths, JaMarcus Russells out there, where a completed 12-yard pass is a miracle from the heavens. The "game management" theory became all the rage in 2001 with everyone's favorite Super Bowl champion analyst, Trent "54% completions" Dilfer. What Jeff Hostetler proved in 1991 all the sudden rang louder in 2001...You don't need a league MVP at quarterback to win the Super Bowl...So everyone tried the concept. I also realize that defensive schemes and blitzing have gotten much more complicated and made QB a more difficult position to play, but the rules have also changed to help the QB's and WR's. I don't know...It just seems to me that 80% of the league plays the "conservative, don't turn it over, throw it away, lets try to win 17-13" game. Granted, if it's the Bills, I'm on the edge of my seat. If it's Panthers-Rams, SNOOZE!

 

4. The oversaturation of coverage. ESPN is great and horrible all at once. I won't bash them here, I just simply change the channel. But everything HAS to be rapid reaction. Best game ever? Biggest choke ever? Best pass ever? Are the Chiefs done? Are the Broncos the AFC favorite? And on and on. 24/7. On ESPN, and ten other channels. And all over the radio. It's too much and it wears me out.

 

5. Rookie salaries for top-10 picks. They make more guaranteed money signing their name than Bruce Smith made in his whole career. I have a feeling this is going to change though, thankfully.

 

6. The new stadiums are great. The seat licenses are disgusting and will ruin the game. It's my opinion, but that's how I feel. Quick story- my friend was at the Jets-Pats game in week 2, his brother won bidding on some tickets at a charity auction. They were 45-yard line, about row 20. They had four seats, and they were right next to a man and a woman. The man and woman actually had 6 season tickets, they put up 4 of them for the charity auction, and kept 2 for themselves. So my friend was chatting with them. They have been Jets season ticket holders for 30+ years, and have upgraded when possible, to basically where they are now, some of the best seats in the house. When the Jets move to their new stadium next year, in order to keep their 6 season tickets at that location (45-yard line row 20) they would've had to pay $293,000 for seat licenses. That's right, $48,000 per seat, AND THAT'S JUST FOR THE RIGHT TO THEN PAY FULL PRICE FOR YOUR 10 GAMES!! Frankly, that makes me sick to my stomach.

 

7. One home game in Toronto. I understand it, but I HATE it. Not right. And it all stems from the NFL being a corporation and a bottom line, rather than a sport for the fans. Like I said, I understand. I just don't like it.

 

Those are my off-the-cuff reasons. I've really found in the last three years or so that I'm enjoying the games less and less. Obviously, the struggles of the Bills drag me down. But still, I've ALWAYS been a fan of the game, and would watch three on Sunday and one on Monday. Now, not even close. The announcers annoy me. The commercials annoy me. The weak strategies, coaches, and games annoy me. And more than ever, the off-the-field stuff regarding revenues, salary caps, seat licenses, etc. etc. are making me wonder about this game. The league really needs to watch out if they do go into a lockout.

 

The league is quickly becoming a corporate TV show rather than a sport, and I for one don't think the NFL is the all-powerful and all-knowing league. I didn't watch one second of football last weekend and it was, without a doubt, a much more enjoyable Sunday than sitting on a couch watching commercials and Chris Berman's verbal expectorations.

 

If you read my ramblings this far, I'm interested in how you view the NFL as a product.

 

Interesting take.

 

I totally disagree with #3. That's a product of rooting for what has become a pathetic franchise. The 10th-15th best QB's today are actually pretty good - better than they were 20 years ago. That you mention Everett and Kosar as marquee guys pretty much confirms that (not that they were bad). Some of the QB's the Pats/Jets/Colts trotted out against the Kelly teams were woeful; and Jay Schroeder was the opposition in the '90 championship game.

 

On #4 I could not agree more. It is painful listening to Around the Horn guys flip-flop every other day. It was painful listening to everyone spaz out about "the worst officiating I can ever remember" after a couple blown calls on wildcard round a few years ago. Really? Aren't you older than me? Do you not remember watching Bills-Dolphins and Packers-49ers in 1998?

It probably doesn't help that the Bills have never been good in this oversaturation era, when the internet and ESPN exploded at the same time.

 

I think you're right that it's not all-knowing but wrong that it's not all-powerful. Gambling is huge. Fantasy football is huge. Games once per week in an increasingly busier society is huge. Being a made for TV sport is huge. It is an empire that not even a lockout can stop.