On the surface it's simple. 18 game schedule, 2 more games that count, sign me up! Then you take a look at the whole thing and wonder if it really is a good thing or not. In an age where we think we need more of a good thing, bigger this, instant that its hard to look at something that is great and say giving us more would be a bad thing. The NFL owners appear to be set to vote on an 18 game schedule when they meet in Atlanta on August 25th. Rumor has it they have enough support to make it happen. I am leaning towards liking it but I do have many questions and from a wide range of angles, from simple time frame to level of play and even how it effects fantasy football. Keep reading...
The premise of the 18 game schedule is to add two games that matter and drop 2 preseason games. This is good news for season ticket holders who already have to purchase 10 games anyway, 2 of which were preseason games at the regular season price. Now it'll be 9 regular season games and 1 preseason game. Only 1 game to give away to friends of friends because you can think of better ways to spend your Thurs, Fri, or Sat night.
Q: Will camp still open in late July with preseason games scheduled 2nd and 3rd weeks of August and regular season starting 1st week of September or is all that going to change?
Season length isn't really an issue in the NFL, it currently runs Sept-Jan if this adds the month of February it isn't a huge deal. It would tie MLB for length at 6 full months for regular and postseason. The NBA currently goes 7 plus and the NHL 8 plus. If anything the NBA & NHL need to figure out how to condense the length of their seasons but that is another blog for another day.
Each team currently operates under a 17 week regular season, 16 games 1 bye week. This has worked well, I remember a season '96 or '97 maybe where the NFL experimented with an 18 week regular season, 16 games 2 bye weeks.
Q: If the regular season expands to 18 games will the NFL go to a 20 week regular season, 18 games 2 bye weeks?
Doing so would extend the season by 3 weeks, this goes with whatever the answer is to my first question. If you start the first week of September but tack on 3 weeks you push the Super Bowl back 2 weeks to the 3rd Sunday in February. Some people may balk at that idea but I say hang on folks, this is a good thing. Every red-blooded American who loves football and who has ever attended a Super Bowl party has either said or thought, the day after the Super Bowl should be a holiday. BINGO! If the Super Bowl is played on the 3rd Sunday of February then the Monday after IS a holiday, its President's Day! I'd say green light the 18 game schedule just for this reason alone and make the time frame work. This instantly revs up the Super Bowl hype machine to another level. Logistics of 2 byes could be something along the lines of 6 teams are off every week from week 5 to week 14 and the final 4 teams are off in week 15. No team can have their 2nd bye within 4 weeks of their 1st bye. So every team plays at least 4 games before a bye and then at least 4 more after the 1st bye and then everyone would play in the final 5 weeks of the season.
Most of the player reactions that I have heard or read seem to think 18 games is good for the fans, good for the owners, not so good for them. They say its too hard to stay healthy for 16 games, what is 18 going to do to their bodies. That's where the 2nd bye week may be essential for player health.
Q: How will 2 more games effect the level of play? Will it have the same effect on the game that expansion did?
I'm sure the NFLPA will weigh in on this too but rosters could be expanded from 53 to 55 and game day inactives could be left at the same number so 2 more players could dress each week. It would create 64 jobs and maybe prolong careers. I don't believe it will water down the play much if any at all. It would just give guys like Shawn Springs, who believes he can still play, a chance to stay in the league and not retire while there may be something left in the tank. At the same time, I issue the challenge to you to name 60% of the 2nd string QB's in the NFL right now without looking them up on depth charts. Those guys might see more time on Sunday if 18 games becomes the norm. What happens to teams like the 2008 Lions or 2009 Rams in an 18 game schedule? The stadiums were empty by the 12th game of those schedules can a team endure half a season worth of empty stadiums?
I have read where some people are saying "What about the record books?" The record books didn't stop the 12 game schedule from becoming 14 and the 14 game schedule from becoming 16. When QB's throw for over 5,000 yards it will not diminish what Marino did for those who are smart enough to understand he did it in 16 games. He also did it without a bye week, so there.
It's now time for the question(s) that most of us want answered but that no one has asked.
Q: How does this effect fantasy football? How do we structure our schedule? Do we add roster spots? Do we allow less playoff teams?
The players will tell you that they don't play the game for the fantasy stats and the coaches will tell you they don't care that your RB needed 2 more yards for 3 bonus points or that with one more catch from your WR you would have a 5 game winning streak. That is obvious every time a team kneels on the ball at the end of games or pulls starters when a game is safely out of reach. We all know, NFL owners included, that the evolution of fantasy football is what has helped to make the NFL the number one sport in the U.S. The NFL's website has its own fantasy game, they employ a fantasy blogger and all the TV networks show highlight packages with stats geared specifically towards fantasy football. People like Jason LaConfora, Adam Schefter, Chris Mortensen, and Jay Glazer all have the job they do because of fantasy or because of the gambling aspect. The NFL would rather not embrace the gambling side of it so they'll say fantasy. Does a fan who is only watching the game need to know what Jason, Adam, Mort, & Jay have to say? No! The fantasy players need that info. Seriously though, most leagues operate with a 13 game season and 3 weeks of playoffs or 14 weeks and 2 playoffs. What happens with an 18 game schedule and possibly 20 weeks? Do you just add 2 weeks to your fantasy season? It's not that simple, if you just add 2 then its 15 and 3 or 16 and 2. If the format of the NFL schedule is anything remotely close to what I outlined above weeks 15 and 16 could still include byes, maybe even 17. No one can play in a fantasy league where players will be on byes when the fantasy playoffs are going on. Does this mean less teams get in fantasy playoffs so they only cover weeks 18 and 19 to avoid all by weeks. Does 2 bye weeks mean fantasy rosters need to expand? Two of my leagues only allow for 13 spots and a 3rd is position specific(3 QB's, 4 RB's, 5WR/TE's 1 flexRB/WR/TE) if guys have 2 byes per season we will need more roster spots.
I feel like as I was writing this I have talked myself into believing an 18 game schedule is a good thing but if its constructed poorly it could be disastrous. I guess it makes for a good conversation until we know for sure.
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