12/21/24
August 15, 2006
Is the NFL Preseason too long?: Many people (and players) complain about the length of the Preseason. Is it too long? Should the schedule be shortened, or is it good for teams to give the backups playing time?
Baseball plays 162 games a year + postseason. Football plays what? 16 games in the regular season? Cry me a river...
posted by Drood at 12:38 AM on August 16, 2006
You're right. There should totally be 162 games in the NFL season. That would be awesome.
posted by fabulon7 at 12:51 AM on August 16, 2006
Drood, not only are you comparing apples to rutebagas, but you forgot to mention the exhibition season for both sports, and failed to remember that football has a postseason as well. On topic, would you want your first few games of the NFL regular season resembling pre-season games? The teams have to find out which rookies are gonna make it one way or another. I say 4 is a more likely number.
posted by mjkredliner at 02:43 AM on August 16, 2006
You know, Santa only works one day a year. To hell with Santa Claus, that slacking freak. 18 and 2 isn't a terrible idea, but you know the NFL Owners' Committee. Like Kevin Tresolini says, a longer regular season means a renegotiation of the CBA to pay the players for a longer year. If people are going to continue to pay for tickets to preseason games for which the owners in turn don't have to pay the players, then that money is all gravy for the owners, and there's no reason whatsoever for them to change that. Not gonna happen.
posted by chicobangs at 06:52 AM on August 16, 2006
I like the NFL 16-game season just fine. The criticism is what exactly -- that players could get hurt? that they need to get paid as if they are real games? None of the players play for the whole game or even most of the game. There is no rule that you have to play your key players at all. I don't even understand what the author means when he says preseason are made to seem like regular season games. Made to seem by whom? The fact that ticket prices are high? That's probably the only time that non-season ticket holders even get to see their team play -- at least in my area. I think it is much complaining over nothing. I like seeing the rookies and practice team players.
posted by bperk at 07:36 AM on August 16, 2006
Baseball plays 162 games a year + postseason. Football plays what? 16 games in the regular season? Cry me a river... You also don't see baseball players slamming into each other at full speed for three hours every game. The punishment those players take is one of the big reasons the season lasts for that long, any longer and we'd be seeing practice squad games instead of the real stars.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 08:22 AM on August 16, 2006
I totally agree YYM. The intensity of a football game dwarfs that of a baseball game. Outside from the occasional brawl, there isnt much physical contact in baseball. Thats also why pro football players often pass away at a younger age than athletes who play less physical sports.
posted by Kendall at 09:08 AM on August 16, 2006
Not only pass away, Kendall, but also retire early too. I love baseball, and by no means would I ever say that baseball players don't go through physical punishment (just playing 162 games a year is physical punishment), but that is nothing compared to a RB, S, OL, DT, or pretty much what any position player in football goes through. No baseball player retires at age 33 like a RB in the NFL does. I mean, most teams think a 33 year old RB is done anyways. Whereas a player in the MLB at 33 is just past his prime and still has at least 6-7 more years left (possibly, depending on the player).
posted by sublime4390116 at 09:22 AM on August 16, 2006
Four exhibition games is absurd. Two full games would easily be enough to figure out who's gonna make the team, with some inter-squad scrimmages mixed in to shake the rust off. As it stands, most key players barely see action in the preseason to avoid incidents like what just happened to Clinton Portis. It strains credibility to suggest that four games - equivalent to one quarter of the regular season - are necessary to sort rosters out. Season ticket holders are forced to buy tickets for all four games, players and coaches hate the preseason, and most of us fans are already amped for the real season to begin. I think the arguments against a four game preseason are much stronger than the arguments for it.
posted by Venicemenace at 12:17 PM on August 16, 2006
No reason why you couldn't have it both ways. Have 4 games, but have the rookies and say maybe 2nd and 3rd year players (and veterans that are backups maybe?) report sooner and play primarily in the first two games. Then in the last 2 games of pre season you could play more veterans to let them shake off some rust and maybe some of the more promising rookie projects that look like they might make the team so you get a chance to see them playing with the veteran talent. This would actually give more playing time to the young guys because no vterans would be in the first couple games, and shorten the pre season for the vets to help keep the injuries down.
posted by T.C. at 12:49 PM on August 16, 2006
The reason football players pass away at a young age,Kendall,is because they're already obese and after they retire become super obese.Hockey is a rough sport but its players live normal life spans.
posted by sickleguy at 12:52 PM on August 16, 2006
Most players when playing are not obese. The clinical deffinition of Obese for men is 25% or more body fat (30% for women). Most players while active are very big yes, however they do not come anywhere near 25% body fat. The extra size even though not fat would contribute though most likely since the heart would have to work harder in someone that large. to your point however most do tend to get very much obese after retirement since they are not working nearly as hard to keep the muscle on and probably don't change their eating habits much from their playing days.
posted by T.C. at 01:20 PM on August 16, 2006
Have 4 games, but have the rookies and say maybe 2nd and 3rd year players (and veterans that are backups maybe?) report sooner and play primarily in the first two games. Then in the last 2 games of pre season you could play more veterans to let them shake off some rust and maybe some of the more promising rookie projects that look like they might make the team so you get a chance to see them playing with the veteran talent. If you're suggesting players need to shorten their preseason, I suspect the Players' Union would have a lot to say about that. And why don't the coaches & owners go with your practice model now? There's no reason why they couldn't. The only reason they don't that I can think of is that it doesn't prepare the veterans properly for the upcoming season. The reason the starters play a series or two in the early games is twofold: one, to get some reps in a game situation, and to work out new plays that are then broken down on tape during the rest of the week, to see who's fast enough to reach a hole, which linemen work well together as a unit, that sort of thing. Four weeks of that kind of preparation is a luxury no NFL coach has seen fit to relinquish.
posted by chicobangs at 01:55 PM on August 16, 2006
The reason football players pass away at a young age,Kendall,is because they're already obese The average life expectancy of an NFL player is 55 (22 years less than the average American). Not all players are obese, though I will say that a majority are obese (in clinical terms anyways). I don't think hockey has done a study, but I'd bet the life expectancy of its players is much lower than average as well.
posted by bdaddy at 02:41 PM on August 16, 2006
Please the preseason exists in the form that is does is to sell adds, there is no doubrt that the networks would extend it to six games or more if they could. The players are expendable.
posted by mystical symbols at 02:49 PM on August 16, 2006
I want to go back to the baseball's 162 games vs. NFL's 16 game season.....I can understand a NFL player is pretty beat up, but I'm sick of hearing about baseball players being tired and worn out at the end of a season. What about the guy doing construction or the roofer that put that new roof on your neighbors house in July. See my point. I don't have sympothy for the millionaire baseball players who stand in the outfield for 3 hours or whatever. But back to the topic I love the way NFL's seasons are...what I would really like to see is a couple more college football games maybe a playoff or one or two non-conference games
posted by sgtcookzane at 06:11 PM on August 16, 2006
I do believe they need preseason to see how their 2nd and 3rd string players do. So NO it is not too long. I want to see more Football, we are always having Baseball and Basketball on all the sport channels, why not Football? We are lucky if we see 3 games on a weekend and how many are played, and just because I live in Florida doesn't mean I want to see Tampabay games all the time. I am a diehard Steeler fan and I want to see them. I know I could get DirecTV, but been there and done that. Show more Football..................
posted by jsteelers36 at 07:01 PM on August 16, 2006
Okay, I see your point in comparing the Roofing and Construction guys to Ball players. But the ball players do a lot more than stand out in the field for 3 hours. They have to stay in condition during that span and all year around for that matter, the road trips and flying are mentally draining and phisically draining, and working in the middle of the summer standing in the middle of the sun during the hottest part of the day would be pretty tough anyway. Just ask any roofer or construction worker.
posted by kidrayter2005 at 07:35 PM on August 16, 2006
jsteelers...you just answered your own question (DirecTV) but somehow dismissed it as an afterthought. how interesting.
posted by urall cloolis at 07:37 PM on August 16, 2006
How many of you guys actually watch an entire pre-season game? I certainly don't. But I gather there are enough TV ratings to justify the coverage and the games. Its all about money. From a dollars standpoint, there is a 20 game season plus the playoffs. Season ticket holders are required to buy tickets for the pre-season. And in most cases, those pre-season tickets are given away to those who can't see tickets for regular season games. As long as the cash keeps flowing, nothing will change. But its sad that you have to pay full price for half of a product for 4 games. But if I am an owner, I am smiling at the demand of the market place.
posted by panteeze at 10:07 PM on August 16, 2006
Couldn't agree more with the 18 and 2 formula. It's long overdue.