NFL TV TALKS&POSSIBBLE CHANGES IN 2006

glad to see you found your way over skins guy.i would love for a 20 game season in the nfl.i love march madness,and baseball too but adding to the nfl schedule would solidify its place as the usa's most popular pro sports league.though the other legues try,they will never be more popular ever than the nfl.

I really like the idea of adding another primetime game on Thursday nights!

I like the idea of rotating Thanksgiving games so it's not just the Lions and Cowboys ever year. But I'm not sure I like the idea of a Thursday game every week. If you start adding too many games during the week I think it takes away from what makes the NFL so special, that each weekend of games is an event. All football fans spend the week getting pumped for Sunday afternoon. I don't think it would be as successful if you missed a game but knew you could catch another a couple of days later

I like the idea of rotating Thanksgiving games so it's not just the Lions and Cowboys ever year. But I'm not sure I like the idea of a Thursday game every week. If you start adding too many games during the week I think it takes away from what makes the NFL so special, that each weekend of games is an event. All football fans spend the week getting pumped for Sunday afternoon. I don't think it would be as successful if you missed a game but knew you could catch another a couple of days later
The flip side to that arguement is that it allows fans a chance to watch more games, and perhaps allows a better chance to see their team on TV without spending hundreds of dollars for DirecTV and Sunday Ticket. Say for example I'm a Cardinals fan (I know, I know...). It would be next to impossible for me to see a Cardinals game on TV in Delaware without going to a bar or shelling out some cash. But, if there is a Thursday game, two early Sunday games, a late Sunday game, a Sunday Night game, and a Monday night game, then mathematically, I've got to bump into the Cards at least once, don't I?

By the way, I know there aren't any actual Cardinals fans. They are a myth, like competitive balance in baseball.

I agree. I know they at least had a string of about 2-3 weeks where they had Thursday Night Specials, what happened to that? The only " Special " thursday game this year, was the opener. I think even if you just throw a few Thursday " Specials " around, it would be beneficial. I ultimatley think I'm gonna be getting the Ticket this year, so I dont have to go run around bars to find the skins.

the upcoming 2004 season will be my 5th year of nfl sunday ticket.to be honest,i do'nt know who i ever went without it.i got to see a good game every week,regardless of what was on locally.if you love watching great football,there is no way you can't get it.if i depended on my local channells i would have to watch the panthers and the game of the week
most of the time.that is whyCABLE TV STINKS

BrudLee:

You have most of the arguments nailed down for why the NFL wants to think about these changes. Do you work in the broadcasting business?

The NFL thinks putting the Super Bowl and at least one week of playoff games in Feburary is a great idea because of the ratings sweeps in that month. However, the networks might not be nearly as enthusiastic since they will only get the Super Bowl once every three years and so they could get slaughtered in the ratings two thirds of the time. And February is a slow month for sports "stuff" anyway. What the NFL probably wants to do is to have the "open weekend" in the playoffs coincide with the Daytona 500 so that they don't lose viewers there. That is the only sporting event in February that is even close to being competitive with the NFL. The Iditarod starts in February; that could be a problem... ;)

The starting time issue for MNF is also a ratings issue. On the East Coast it would be ideal to start the games at 8:00 and have them end before midnite. That's a benefit for TV viewers and a REAL benefit if you are actually going to one of those games. However, 8:00 Eastern Time is 5:00 Pacific Time and so people from California and Oregon and Washington are just getting out of work at that time. The NFL and the networks are not pandering to these people due to some sense of entitlement out west. The NFL and the networks realize that if they are in their cars stuck on a freeway somewhere, they are not in front of their TV sets. And that makes for lower ratings and lower ratings makes for lower advertising rates and lower advertising rates makes for lower bids for the rights to to MNF. This is a money issue pure and simple.

The suits at the NFL love the idea of Thursday Night Football. Most of the coaches hate it. Guess who will win that tug of war.

Someone wanted to know why the NFL did not consider Friday or Saturday Night football. The reason is the Congress of the United States. There is a reason why NFL games don't appear on Saturdays until mid-December and that is NCAA football. The Congress got upset when the NFL put a game on Saturday about 40-50 years ago and it competed with college football. Basically, Congress said that they would consider that to be predatory and might have to demand some anti-trust sanctions against the league. In passing they also mentioned how Friday nights were traditionally "reserved" for high school football and that the NFL should not consider that move because the Congress would take the same dim view of that. Bottom line: If you want Friday/Saturday Night NFL Football, write your Congressthing.

You want to know who is more in favor of Thursday Night football than anyone - but you won't hear a peep out of them? The Sports Books in Las Vegas would love this. If the Cardinals and the Chargers were on Monday night - by accident of course - it would handle at least twice and probably four times as much money as that game would handle on a Sunday. Only the premiere games can do as big a number on Sunday as they do on MNF. so the books would love another exclusive national game because there are LOTS of goofs out there who can't watch any game without having a bet on it. Generally, those goofs are also called losers.

The best way for a team to have good TV announcers is for the team to win. The Redskins used to get Summerall/Madden all the time; now they are lucky not to have Jerry Glanville in the booth. You'll hear the best announcers when you are one of the best teams. Makes no difference what network has the games, you just need to follow the old Al Davis adage: Just win, baby.

Finally, my idea - which I sent to the NFL and to ABC/ESPN in a letter last Fall - seems not to be in the package yet. I think there should be a Thanksgiving Night game. I'd pick a traditional rivalry within a division so that the teams are guaranteed to play each other every year and then put that game on Thanksgiving Night and rotate the home team. I got back a nice form letter from the NFL; I never heard from ABC; ESPN said that they got lots of people sending in ideas but that they found mine intriguing and would consider it as part of their long term programming strategy. Translation: IF it ever happens, it will be their idea.

I agree with the Thursday night games. More football on tv is always a good thing. I'd rather leave the season alone though. Playoffs after Christmas is like another Christmas present!!!
I was stationed on the east coast for several years and hated the late start times (hardly ever saw the end of a game, unless it was the Skins of course). Now I'm usually on west coast time (AZ) so I love the start times. To give you guys a break though, why couldn't they move the start time to 8 and show the game on a 1 hour delay out here so it starts at 6. As long as they wouldn't cut anything from the telecast.

Finally, my idea - which I sent to the NFL and to ABC/ESPN in a letter last Fall - seems not to be in the package yet. I think there should be a Thanksgiving Night game. I'd pick a traditional rivalry within a division so that the teams are guaranteed to play each other every year and then put that game on Thanksgiving Night and rotate the home team. I got back a nice form letter from the NFL; I never heard from ABC; ESPN said that they got lots of people sending in ideas but that they found mine intriguing and would consider it as part of their long term programming strategy. Translation: IF it ever happens, it will be their idea.

That is a very interesting and very intriguing idea, which I like very much. I mean think about it, who really goes out on thanksgiving night. You spend the day with your family, watch the ball games and just go home or maybe to the occasional friends house. No matter what, ussually your going ot be infront of a tv. Thats a really good idea, imo, plus its one more game to pull in monster ratings for the NFL.

having a game like that would be awesome in every since of the word.if they do that,i hope they put it on one of the networks as opposed to just cable,so everybody can have a chance to see it.