18 Game season may be here real soon

[MikeO]

NFL Network was talking about this last night citing NFL sources and Mike Francesa on his WFAN NYC radio show had sources from the other end as Francesa was citing NYC Super Bowl committee members as his sources, that 18 games is coming. The NFL has told the NEW YORK SUPER BOWL COMMITTEE to have 2 plans for their upcoming Super Bowl. 1) The one they currently have with the week off between the Championship games and the Super Bowl. 2) Also prepare as if there is no week off as well. The NYC committee is now putting that together. (they would start the season a week earlier and use the week off at the end as another week to make up the 2 games at least for the first year)

They were told this because Roger Goodell and the NFL Owners are prepared to make a huge and downright silly financial offer to the players this offseason to flip 2 preseason games and make them regular season games. According to both reports the players  have been dead set against this, but that this offer will be so crazy financially and downright silly money being thrown at them that it will be tough for the players to say NO to this. It has to be collectively bargained but the offer the owners are going to make they feel an offer that will just be insane so they feel strongly its going to get done. And they expect the first year of the 18 games to be in 2 years, the year with the NYC Super Bowl.

[Landshark]

If you add two more games to the schedule, who would they be against?

[MikeO]

If you add two more games to the schedule, who would they be against?

No idea they will figure something out. There has been the idea floated of doing it like they do it now for those random 2 games each year, having it depend on where you finish inside your division. Finish 3rd in your division you play the 3rd place team in the AFC South or whatever.

So, the teams that finish in 1st and 2nd place will play the 1st and 2nd place team in another division.  And the 3rd and 4th place doing the same. And there was a notion of teaming the 1st and 4th place teams and the 2nd and 3rd place teams as well in the same type of thing. So not to make it totally unfair to the teams finishing 1st or 2nd. Something along those lines

I would guess its something like that.

[Landshark]

No idea they will figure something out. There has been the idea floated of doing it like they do it now for those random 2 games each year, having it depend on where you finish inside your division. Finish 3rd in your division you play the 3rd place team in the AFC South or whatever.

So, the teams that finish in 1st and 2nd place will play the 1st and 2nd place team in another division.  And the 3rd and 4th place doing the same. And there was a notion of teaming the 1st and 4th place teams and the 2nd and 3rd place teams as well in the same type of thing. So not to make it totally unfair to the teams finishing 1st or 2nd. Something along those lines

I would guess its something like that.

Possibly.  But I'd like to see each team designate a "rival" from the other conference, and have those two games be a home and home.  In other words, I'd love to see the Dolphins play the Bucs twice a year.

[Frimp]

Possibly.  But I'd like to see each team designate a "rival" from the other conference, and have those two games be a home and home.  In other words, I'd love to see the Dolphins play the Bucs twice a year.

That would be cool.

[Spider-Dan]

I had thought about this, and (under an 18-game schedule) I'd rather see the -place games removed and just have every division play two other intraconference divisions.

In other words, instead of:

AFCE x6
AFCW x4
NFCE x4
AFCN-3rd x1
AFCS-3rd x1

it would have been:

AFCE x6
AFCW x4
AFCN x4
NFCE x4

It has the advantage of all division teams playing the same opponents.

[masterfins]

If they expanded to 18 games, I would think they would add in another bye week and expand the roster size, to account for the inevitable injuries.

[fyo]

If they expanded to 18 games, I would think they would add in another bye week and expand the roster size, to account for the inevitable injuries.

Expanding roster sizes is going to be a tough sell (to the players) without a corresponding increase in salary spending -- in addition to whatever extra would be needed to get the 2 more weeks of football through.

[MikeO]

If they expanded to 18 games, I would think they would add in another bye week and expand the roster size, to account for the inevitable injuries.

bye week, no

roster size, yes

And expect to have a MLB form of "DL" system so a guy can miss a chunk of games but not have to go straight to IR where they are out for the whole year