JeffDunne
TheBrownDog
If you haven't been keeping up with events out of the last owners meeting or comments from Roger Goodell, it's probably time you did.
The NFL is on the verge of some of the biggest changes seen in possibly decades and Roger is not only the architect but he plans to be the builder.
Recent article on what he's been talking about :
http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/canepa/20081025-9999-1s25canepa.html
It would appear the London games are now a fixed part of the schedule.
It would also appear from other comments that a 2nd game in England and/or a Germany/Spain game is possible from next year.
Other changes being proposed :
- 18 week regular season
- pre-season reduced to 2 or 3 games and a two week break before week 1
- games played in neutral venues like in LA
- more games played internationally
- Pro Bowl being moved to the weekend before the Superbowl
- Pro Bowl being moved to the host city of the Superbowl
- relocation/expansion teams in new cities including internationally
- playoffs rankings to be by W/L rather than the current divisonal winner/wldcard format. Even pooling both AFC/NFC teams has been discussed rather than the winner of each meeting in the Superbowl.
While I don't see most of these changes coming in next season and most will probably depend on the next CBA, some of these changes will happen and will have a major impact on the game.
Thoughts?
The NFL is on the verge of some of the biggest changes seen in possibly decades and Roger is not only the architect but he plans to be the builder.
Recent article on what he's been talking about :
LONDON – Roger Goodell wants to be a man of the world. Literally. The NFL commissioner would like his sport to go global, which is why he's here this week and why we're here this week and why the Chargers and Saints will play a game tomorrow on British lawn.
Goodell wants to internationalize professional football. Big, bigger, biggest.
In 2005, the NFL held its first regular-season game outside the U.S., in Mexico City. Goodell wasn't on the bridge then. After he took office, the Giants and Dolphins played here in 2007. Now a deal has been struck. For the next three years, regular-season games will be played in London, beginning with Chargers-Saints. Also this year, the Buffalo Bills will play a game in Toronto.
Goodell is a dreamer. He even can see the day when an NFL franchise is headquartered overseas, although, when I ask him, he seems to doubt the Chargers will be moving to London anytime soon.
It's ambitious. There isn't much buzz around London over Chargers-Saints, but the commissioner is convinced his sport can cross borders. This game was an instant sellout.
“The mayor (of London) told me we could have sold the stadium out 10 different times,” he's saying in a room in his London hotel.
But there's a catch to all this. The economy. It isn't good, not just in the United States, but here, there and most places. The NFL charges a lot of money for season tickets, which are purchased by working people maybe not as well off today as they were yesterday. It has several corporate partners, many of them not as pink as they were a year ago. TV network money, provided by sponsors, drives The League.
“We're certainly not resistant to this,” Goodell says of the economic downturn. “It's going to impact us in three buckets.
“First, how it affects the league directly. The good news is that the NFL is extremely well-respected and is managed properly, and by that I mean from a team standpoint.
“Second, our business partners. A lot of our business partners are going through difficult times. They have to be sensitive to what's happening now.
“Third, and most important, how does it affect our fans? If they have less disposable income, we have to be sensitive to that.”
Still, it's unlikely we'll see a rapid drop in ticket prices.
“Teams determine their own ticket prices,” he says. “The fact that we're 98 percent sold out indicates teams are making the right decisions.”
But, as Goodell knows, the real impact of the economic crisis on the NFL won't be known for a while. Season tickets for this season were sold before the crunch. The Chargers, for example, really don't begin their season-ticket drive until January.
But Goodell remains beyond bully on his game being a big deal overseas, and he can envision a team permanently placed beyond U.S. borders.
“You certainly can't rule it out,” he says. “We'll continue to feed the market and see how it develops.
“We're growing (overseas) and the facts support it. Last year's regular-season game here stimulated interest. There's a great deal of interest and we're following that interest. It gives us the opportunity to deliver more football to more fans.
“This game is going live on BBC. That's never before happened. Television viewership (in England) after last year's game went up 40 percent. The BBC will run the Super Bowl live this year (along with Sky Network), and that's extraordinary. Go to Mexico in the fall. It's like being in the United States.”
One way to make internationalization palatable is to shrink the preseason and add more regular-season games. It's no secret Goodell is a proponent of cutting back exhibitions. New Orleans, for example, is losing a home game.
“That's one drawback,” he says. “We've tried to be very careful, with a very limited number of games (overseas). If we limit the number of (exhibition) games to two or three, we can add another game (or maybe two overseas).
“I don't think the quality of the preseason is up to NFL standards. Talking to coaches and personnel, I don't think we need four preseason games. The two purposes of the preseason are to get players ready and to evaluate talent.”
Goodell says there are other ways, perhaps through spring games, or scrimmages, as they have on college campuses.
Alas, our chat eventually turns to San Diego, where the Chargers are trying to get a new stadium built. Goodell realizes that what was a tough sell may have just gotten tougher under this blistering economic sun.
“It's going to be challenging in this environment,” he admits. “Every community has its priorities. I agree, they're always tough (to get built), but we've had success getting them built.”
Except in California. Except in San Diego, Chula Vista, or wherever. But Goodell says he's willing to help any way he can.
“I'm always available,” he says, “but Deano (Chargers boss Dean Spanos) has been very aggressive, and we're very supportive.”
It's highly doubtful the Chargers will become England's Team. But don't be surprised to see an NFL club headquartered here one day, even though the majority of Brits speak soccer, rugby and even squash – when you can understand them.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/canepa/20081025-9999-1s25canepa.html
It would appear the London games are now a fixed part of the schedule.
It would also appear from other comments that a 2nd game in England and/or a Germany/Spain game is possible from next year.
Other changes being proposed :
- 18 week regular season
- pre-season reduced to 2 or 3 games and a two week break before week 1
- games played in neutral venues like in LA
- more games played internationally
- Pro Bowl being moved to the weekend before the Superbowl
- Pro Bowl being moved to the host city of the Superbowl
- relocation/expansion teams in new cities including internationally
- playoffs rankings to be by W/L rather than the current divisonal winner/wldcard format. Even pooling both AFC/NFC teams has been discussed rather than the winner of each meeting in the Superbowl.
While I don't see most of these changes coming in next season and most will probably depend on the next CBA, some of these changes will happen and will have a major impact on the game.
Thoughts?