Apr 24, 2013; New York, NY, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell interviews at the NFL Play 60 Youth Football Festival at Chelsea Waterside Park. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports
Today I am taking a break from all things Pitt...
Apr 24, 2013; New York, NY, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell interviews at the NFL Play 60 Youth Football Festival at Chelsea Waterside Park. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports
Today I am taking a break from all things Pittsburgh Steelers and instead I’d like to offer up ten ideas to make the NFL somewhat fun again. Some of the ideas range from the practical to wishful, but allow me to dream.
1. Goodbye Goodell. I am not a Goodell fan, I think he’s bad for the NFL no matter how noble his intentions. Since taking over for Paul Tagliabue, Goodell’s NFL can be best compared to the Soviet Union’s Iron Curtain during the height of the Cold War. While he’s not the worst commissioner in sports (Bud Selig is absolute garbage and David Stern lets the inmates run the asylum), Goodell talks one game and tries to play another. I’m a little (make that very) tired of his puffed out chest and I’m-the-sheriff attitude. How can you say you are all for player safety yet want to add two games to the regular season?
Solution? Give he and every commissioner in sports an eight year term and that’s it. If the President of the United States can only serve two terms, why should commissioners of major sports be different? Let Sheriff Goodell have his eight years and let him ride off into the sunset, tin badge, ten gallon hat and all.
2. Rotate the NFL draft site. Why does New York always get the fun? Do you really think the players care if they are walking on the stage at Radio City music Hall or town hall? Do what the NHL does and rotate the draft site every year so each of the 32 team cities get to host a draft. Pick a stadium, an arena or whatever. It’d be great fun for the fans. A simple venue works just as well, the draft doesn’t always need to be a cirque de soleil presentation. Besides, I’m sick of hearing the J-e-t-s Jets Jets Jets chant every year whenever gang green comes up to pick.
3.Move the draft to March. News that the 2014 draft will be moved to mid-May due to scheduling conflicts with the Easter Bunny came out yesterday and it’s a very bad idea. Anyone who thinks a May draft won’t be a permanent thing after 2014 obviously still believes there is an Easter Bunny. Back in the old days, the draft was in February. A May draft would mean more analyzing and over analyzing (and more Mike Mayock) and would screw up the NFL calender. Move the draft (Easter Bunny be damned) to March and keep it there. By then the college all star games and combine would be over and teams would have a couple of weeks to make their choices. I know this conflicts with Pro days, but who cares? Make the pro days a week after the combine. There, problem solved.
4.Make preseason games free.O.K., I don’t know how exactly the logistics would work, but one solution is include them for free for season ticket holders in their packages and offer the remaining seats at the games for the rest. And since they are free, they can not be sold for any monetary value on stubhub or ticketmaster. Face it, half the guys playing the pre season games won’t make the team, why force people to pay to watch in person?
5.Keep the pre season schedule as is. Four games, that’s all. First game should be all rookies, rookie free agents, free agents and backups. No starter should take the field in the first game. I don’t need to see Ben Roethlisberger take four meaningless snaps and call it a day. Second pre season game the starters should play a quarter. The third and fourth games they play a half.Yes, the risk of injury is there, but you risk getting injured walking across the street. Every sport needs a preseason to get into shape, run the offense and defense and work on timing, etc. I know most teams keep it vanilla in the pre season but for guys trying to make the team, pre season games may be the only shot they ever get.
6.No more opening day kickoff concerts. The Broncos play