Goodell: NFL doesn't need 4 preseason games

[ChicagoBreakingSports]

Tribune News Services

NEW YORK -- Commissioner Roger Goodell says the NFL no longer needs four preseason games, but the league should change its offseason training programs.

NFL and union officials discussed adding two games to the regular season when they met Wednesday for their first negotiating session since February. Under the proposal, the schedule would switch from four exhibition and 16 regular-season games to two and 18.

Players have expressed concerns about an increase in injuries. Goodell said Thursday that even players don't like the four exhibition games -- and fans certainly don't now that most starters play sparingly during the preseason.

Goodell answered questions about the labor talks after speaking to high school players at an NFL football clinic in Queens.


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[CODE_BLUE56]

ok thats not bad

 

[JJ-28]

I for one hated the preseason give me a game that counts any day over some preseason game. The only people that this would hurt is rookies because teams won't have the time to see how they can do under fire of game play.

 

[zack54attack]

18 games will happen.

 

[X]

I think the NFL will see 1-2 poorly played games to start the season if they cut out 2 pre-season games, and injuries will be up as well. At the end of the day, football players need to get hit a little, before they start getting hit a lot. We'll call it, body-seasoning... One thing I don't wanna see is eight 1 TD, 3 INT QB #s in the first week b/c they didn't have enough pre-season action

 

[CODE_BLUE56]

i think 2 warm up games and mini camps and practices is enough

 

[DMelt36]

It's not like preseason games are really that close to regular season games anyway.

People use very basic offenses and defenses so that they don't give anything away for the regular season.

The only thing you can ever tell about a team after preseason games is who's spending the year on injured reserve.

 

[USCChiFan]

18 games will happen.

My thoughts exactly

 

[TopekaRoy]

I like this idea for the most part. The 1st and 4th preseason games are pretty much a joke right now anyway. I don't buy the injury argument. Players hit just as hard in preseason (trying to impress the coaches and make the team) and people get hurt in preseason anyway.

I wonder how they would set it up. Now teams play one division in their conference and 2 teams from a 3rd division. These matchups are based on the previous years records.

Do you guys think they would just play all 4 teams in the 3rd division, or would they play 2 teams from the 4th division. The latter would make the schedules much tougher for teams that were good the year before, and much easier for teams that weren't, bringing more teams closer to 8-8 every year.

Oops! I meant to say 9-9!

 

[Lex L.]

Tribune News Services

NEW YORK -- Commissioner Roger Goodell says the NFL no longer needs four preseason games, but the league should change its offseason training programs.

NFL and union officials discussed adding two games to the regular season when they met Wednesday for their first negotiating session since February. Under the proposal, the schedule would switch from four exhibition and 16 regular-season games to two and 18.

Players have expressed concerns about an increase in injuries. Goodell said Thursday that even players don't like the four exhibition games -- and fans certainly don't now that most starters play sparingly during the preseason.

Goodell answered questions about the labor talks after speaking to high school players at an NFL football clinic in Queens.


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No, the fans dont think they should be charged full price...they know the purpose of the preseason and know going in that players will see limited action. But they shouldnt have to pay full price for that. Goodell is confusing the issu.

Changing 2 preseason games to regular season gamse, isnt going to change the fact that the two remaining preseason games are overpriced.

Its yet another example of Goodell ruining the NFL.