Too lengthen the season is a huge plus but I would suggest expanding the team roster from 60 to allow teams to have enough depth to allow players to handle the extra playing time. 

If I were a player I would tell the NFLPA to fight this. The NFL and Owners don't want to lenghten the season for the sake of the fans, they want to do it for the money it would generate (as if they don't have enough of it already).  So if i were a player I would demand I'm paid more for the extra week of work.  Or perhaps they could just give every team two byes and keep everyone happy.

The NFL first changed the length of the season in 1973. It didn't really overshadow the players of the past. The greats will always be great. Stats have been kept since 1932, and you still consider Jim Brown as a all time great. He played before the length was changed and is still considered great. Records are meant to be broken. Farve or Peyton don't stack up as all time greats of our era? Athletes will always get better. Physically our race gets stronger, faster, and better every generation. NFL needs to have more games and less pre-season. Die hard NFL fan.

Having a longer season makes sense, but I don't see why it cannot be done with adding another bye to the schedule.  There are 32 teams and most of them play on Sunday at noon.  If you take out the night games, there are still 12 games left to watch each week, 8 or 9 of which are playing head to head.  As a fan, I'd love to see some of the other matchups that I normally miss live each week.

Here in Nashville, pre-season is a joke.  The tickets carry the same price as a regular season game and the experience is heavily diluted.  The games are normally on Thursday or Saturday and don't carry the same traffic support.  Getting in and out if the stadium is much worse.  Also, about half of the concession stands are closed down making the lines horribly long.  I'd be ok with the ticket packages shifting some cost of the pre-season tickets into the other 8 games.  Make the pre-season games $20 and roll the difference into the rest.  I can never sell any pre-season tickets (I have extras) for what they cost, and I don't like asking for more than face value for the real games.

Adding 1 game to the schedule is going to cause issues with home vs away and 18 games is too many.  So maybe add 2 more byes and dump 2 games from the pre-season.  This keeps the season the same length, gives the players more down time during the regular season to rest and recover, and add value for the fans.  Just keep the "season ticket price" the same.  I don't mind paying more per game to make up the difference.

I agree with your basic premise; if its not broke, dont fix it.

But the players WILL BE PAID MORE for playing the two extra games. It is one of the biggest bargaining chips that the NFLPA has in trying to wrap up the new CBA with the owners. Believe me, the players are not going to play more and get paid the same. It will all be handled in the negotiations.   

Jetsfan10:

You're partially right. While I know how to change my oil, I pay to have other people do it. That's a luxury I get from having a high salary. And yes, I am ignorant when it comes to NASCAR. If I was interested in the engineering of cars, I'll watch Modern Mavels on the History Channel or something on the Discovery Channel. However, for sports I prefer watching athletes compete and not machines doing the work. I also don't appreciate horse racing but I'm sure you'll tell me how important understanding the development of horses is to enjoy the Kentucky Derby.

I know one person who actually watches the Daytona 500 at all. However, I know approximately 500 people (friends and co-workers) who watch the SB. Even my wife who doesn't care about football, gets excited about the SB. There's a reason ESPN jam-packs every broadcast in the 2 weeks leading up to the SB about anything and everything SB related. Ever wonder why ESPN plays ever past SB in the week leading up while the Daytona 500 barely gets mentioned?

So supply and demand affecting the price of SB commercials is one thing that is messed up? It's called Econ 101.

I know NASCAR is popular, but it just doesn't compete with football.

 MikeinMichigan -

I too would like to see how this would pan out in a practical setting.  They have a lot of odds and ends to sort out I think before this becomes a reality.  I don't think that the coaches would care one way or another about the lost preseason games (most are on record as saying they already know where their roster cuts are going by the end of the first preseason game), but it is a big player issue.  Rookies especially have a hard time adjusting to a 16-game season already... 18 will be even harder.  Statistically, there will be more injuries per season as well, not to mention exhaustion, which will put more emphasis on roster depth.  So do they add to the size of the active roster to compensate?  What about the way that Injured Reserve is handled... will that need to be revisited?  Imagine the Super Bowl being an offensive lineman's 22nd meaningful game of the season (18 regular plus 4 playoffs).  That will take a serious toll.

I'm sure they'll find a way to work out scheduling (it would be simple with 18 games... instead of playing one in-conference division plus the 2 variable games they have now, they could just play 2 full in-conference divisions.  17 games would be more complex I suppose).  I think the hardest thing they'll have to do with regards to this move is to convince the Union that it's a good idea somehow, and show that they can make necessary peripheral changes to offset the possible strain on player health.

 I love football and could watch it all year long, but aren't the pre season games the venue for coaches' evaluation of rookies and walk on prospects. Without them, we we loose some great ones here or there and end up with more of those great collegiate players who really can't cut it in the NFL. I am not a big fan of pre season games and I really don't watch them, but I always thought they had a solid purpose. I believe the gred factpr here is not in the best interest of developing the best talent. MHO

 But you failed to read was the fact that FOX pays more for NASCAR. NASCAR first of all won't let them show the biggest race of the year on cable TV. And the price of commercials for the Super Bowl is one thing that is screwed up with our economy, so bad example to allude to when trying to claim which is better. Yes, more ratings for the Super Bowl, but at the same time, FOX didn't spend $500,000,000 more to kill the ratings on another event.

And NASCAR doesn't lose; they both do. Most people that watch the 500 watch the Super Bowl. Most that watch both are going to watch the end of the race over the first quarter of a football game.

Redneck holliday huh? I go to school in Massachusettes and I know just as many NASCAR fans here as I do back home. The uninformed and ignornant person just can't quite understand the engineering of a racecar so they claim they can't watch cars go in circles. You are probably the type of person that can't change their own oil let alone make any other adjustments on their car so when it comes to aerodynamic drag and sway bar configurations, you are just a tad lost, but that's just my opinion.

"So extending the regular season makes sense. Unless, of course, you have a body that would have to handle 18 games."

really? thats the best reason they could come up with not to extend the season? im pretty sure for the multi million dollar a year every player is making, they can handle a "whole" 18 games. especially since they wanna shorten pre season, it is the same number of games! so they have to play a few extra quarters that they normally wouldnt have to in pre season? cry me a river... tell them to go blow out their competition in the 1st half and they can have the 2nd half off during the season too....