Is Roger Goodell Good For the NFL?

Roger Goodell seems to be a double-edged sword for the league.

On his watch, the league has set humongous TV ratings records and since the bulk of the mone comes from TV, that has to be a big plus for him - - - even if he was not uniquely responsible for the soaring ratings.


Agree; though businesses exist to make max profits, over-commercialization has definitely made the music and film world much less tolerable.

The upcoming strike is more based around the last deal than what Goodell has done, to be fair.

I dislike many of the things Goodell has done/is doing. He has way too much power and at best he is reluctant to share it, at worst he seems like a power monger. He hands out fines with impunity and suspensions like they were after school detention slips. I think the Conduct Policy is a great thing but most of the time these players aren't charged with anything let alone convicted and he appoints an investigator and then decides on the punishment?

I also think the player safety/18 game season issue makes him a hypocritical joke. I also want the draft back on Saturdays.

Now having said all that you simply can't argue with the ratings/revenue under his leadership. So I think he might be good for the league but bad for the game as we know it, if that makes any sense!

Goodell is doing good things to get player conduct and head injuries under control, but I see him as being too cozy with the owners on the labor talks, especially with the way he has lobbied for European expansion and the 18 game schedule. His ability to drive consensus in the upcoming CBA talks will demonstrate his true leadership, and I would say that he's great for the league if he can broker an agreement without a work stoppage.

I dislike many of the things Goodell has done/is doing. He has way too much power and at best he is reluctant to share it, at worst he seems like a power monger. He hands out fines with impunity and suspensions like they were after school detention slips. I think the Conduct Policy is a great thing but most of the time these players aren't charged with anything let alone convicted and he appoints an investigator and then decides on the punishment?

I also think the player safety/18 game season issue makes him a hypocritical joke. I also want the draft back on Saturdays.

Now having said all that you simply can't argue with the ratings/revenue under his leadership. So I think he might be good for the league but bad for the game as we know it, if that makes any sense!

I agree 100%. He's out of control with all of his fines. A group of former players and coaches needs to be formed, and if someone appeals they should have the power to over rule Goodell.

And the whole Farve thing was so stupid. Sterger complains two years later and he's got former FBI guys doing this investigation, like it's a high profile murder case. Such as waste of everyones time and money.

Ratings were up about 30% if I recall, that's a pretty big boost

The 30% figure is the thursday night 1st round. I never saw anything reported about how they did on Friday starting it during rush hour and without the lure of the 1st round prospects to attract the average fan. The stretching out to 3 days and the rediculously early start on Friday is really my biggest problem. I can accept that the primetime first round is here to stay but why not a Friday night 1st round and then rounds 2-7 on Saturday? That way they get the 1st round in Primetime but the draft diehards who are responsible for making it an event in the first place still get their full Saturday of draft coverage. The 3 day setup now just infuriates me...

The big draw is obviously the first round, beyond that I'm sure the ratings fall off no matter what day it's on.

I personally don't have the patience to sit there for hours watching the draft. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE football, but I don't feel the need to watch the draft past the first round.

The 30% figure is the thursday night 1st round. I never saw anything reported about how they did on Friday starting it during rush hour and without the lure of the 1st round prospects to attract the average fan. The stretching out to 3 days and the rediculously early start on Friday is really my biggest problem. I can accept that the primetime first round is here to stay but why not a Friday night 1st round and then rounds 2-7 on Saturday? That way they get the 1st round in Primetime but the draft diehards who are responsible for making it an event in the first place still get their full Saturday of draft coverage. The 3 day setup now just infuriates me...

This sounds even better than the old system to me. Instead of 1 full day of the draft we would get Firday night plus Saturday all day. Why would they not want to do this?

I personally don't have the patience to sit there for hours watching the draft. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE football, but I don't feel the need to watch the draft past the first round.

I think a lot of people share that view, and I'm sure the ratings support that too.

Beyond the first round I'll check in here and there but I definitely don't park in front of the TV for hours on end. Not when it's so easy to just log on and get whatever info you need.