Do You Favor An 18-Game Schedule?; Tim Benz Zings Roger Goodell

Posted on February 4, 2011 by adam

Roger Goodell spoke to the media on Friday and gave what was essentially a state of the NFL address. As part of it, he continued to discuss the desire of the NFL to go with an 18-game schedule, and claimed that it’s what the fans want to see. We know the players are opposed to it, and I have to admit, I haven’t encountered many — if any — fans that want to see it happen. I’m not sure who, outside of the league, really wants to see this thing happen.

Here’s Goodell’s comment: “We started this with the fans. The fans have clearly stated that they don’t like the preseason. We have a 20-game format, 16 regular season games and four preseason games, and the fans have repeatedly said the preseason games don’t meet NFL standards. And that is the basis on which we started this 18-game concept, taking two low-quality preseason games and turning them into two high-quality regular season game.”

Now, perhaps it’s just me, but nothing in that quote says the fans want to see an 18-game schedule. The only thing I see is that fans don’t like preseason games. As a fan and a season-ticket holder, I can say the thing that bothers me the most about preseason games isn’t necessarily the preseason games themselves, but the fact they cost the same as a December game against, say, the Baltimore Ravens.

Whatever. I was just curious to see what Steelers Lounge readers had to say about the possibility of an 18-game regular season. Rock the vote, or something.


——

In other news, and also from Rog’s press conference, Tim Benz had an opportunity to ask the commissioner if he would have any problem potentially handing the Super Bowl MVP award to Ben Roethlisberger or James Harrison, given everything that’s happened over the past couple of months. Now, we like to make fun of Tim Benz around these parts (well, I do, anyway), but I have to tip my cap. This is pretty awesome (video via @xmasape)

Related posts:

  1. Check That: Roger Goodell Is a Lousy Politician, Too
  2. Roger Goodell: Definitely Not the Smartest Guy in the Room
  3. James Harrison, Dirty Hits, the Media, Roger Goodell and NFL Safety
  4. Bye Week Randomness: More Steelers Pass D, 18-Game Schedule Stuff
  5. Big Ben Could Ask Goodell for 3-Game Suspension
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  • countertorque

    Adam,

    It sounds as if you’re saying that you’re being overcharged for preseason games (which I completely agree with), but that otherwise, you think the current schedule is ideal. So, if the ticket price for preseason games were reduced, you would not want to change anything about the current schedule. Is that right?

    It sounds to me like most fans are saying they don’t want the 18 game schedule because they don’t think it would work. They are worried that the quality of the games would drop for a variety of reasons. I totally understand that concern and I share it. But, in my mind, saying “I don’t think that would work,” is different from saying “I don’t want that.”

    • Anonymous

      Your last lines explain why government spending never gets cut.

  • Anonymous

    I absolutely HATE roger Badell… See what I just did there?

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  • deljzc

    I’m really confused why season ticket holders complain about the price of INDIVIDUAL tickets. You aren’t buying individual tickets. You never have and the price PER TICKET never really factored into your decision to buy or not buy. I don’t know one season ticket hold that says my tickets this year are X per game. It is ALWAYS about the TOTAL for the season. Doesn’t matter if it’s $750 for the season or $1200 for the season. That’s the total you are paying and that will NEVER go down even if they eliminate preseason games. You are paying for a PACKAGE of games. 2 preseason and8 regular season and quit thinking about the price per game or what’s written on the ticket when you get it. All that is meaningless.

  • Randy Steele

    If the debate is between a 16-game regular season plus 4 pre-season games versus an 18-game regular season plus 2 pre-season games, do you honestly believe that football fans will choose the current 16 game + 4 format?

    The debate has gotten too complicated and too infused with various flavors of moral outrage. Stop making nonsense.

    Look, the owners are certainly not going to settle for fewer games than either of those two options offer. So the choice is simple: Do you want more pre-season games or regular season games?

  • http://www.steelerslounge.com/ ryan

    More preseason!

    Now I’m just being difficult but I’m tired of Rog saying, “THIS IS WHAT THE FANS WANT!” Well, where are the data that say that? Did he ask the same two-dozen non-Steelers he asked about Big Ben’s punishment? My guess is the NFL has done no research into what the fans want, just like there was no research into whether the haphazard punishments they passed out earlier this year would a) work or b) be a deterrent.

  • josh

    FYI – they just released this very poll. Fans disapprove of 18 games. And I don’t want 18 games because it won’t work. It also reinforces the notion that they want more finesse, softer style of play so they can have more games.

    http://abcnews.go.com/m/story?id=12829151

  • EasyLikeSundayMorning

    I absolutely do not want more regular season games. I’d prefer this add another bye week for 16 games over 18 weeks. Add 4 Saturday games after the college regular season ends. I’d even add a seventh seed and add a playoff game to each conference and only give the one seed a bye. That would add a bunch of high-revenue games without putting much more stress on players’ bodies. And it would preserve all the symmetry of the 16-game season.

  • Dean Keaton

    I do not want an 18-game season at all, primarily because it will undoubtedly shorten players’ careers. If Hines had played in 18-game seasons his whole career, he would not even be on this Steelers team, and so it will be with other future players. My other objection is that I’m ready for the season to be done at 16 games, I feel a little relief that I can have some more time on my hands to do other things when it is over.

  • Mike L

    I think many fans are so excited to have the regular season start they are quite disappointed with the preseason. When asked during the preseason many fans will say they would rather have game sooner (right now). As the topic has progressed and players have given their opinions, fans have supported the players. The problem is short sightedness, of wanting more without looking at the ramifications.

  • steeler fan in cowboy country

    Godell is nothing more than a liberal politician…like his dad…running the NFL and it shows in most of the decisions and comments he makes. He is a GIANT dillweed!

    • Cols714

      What makes you think he is a liberal?

  • Warriorblitz

    18 games = bad idea. Roger = douchebag.

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