The Football Fan Spot

Many people around the NFL whose reports I believe and opinions I respect say that there is an almost 100% chance that the NFL’s schedule will expand from 16 to 18 games in the near future, with some saying it could happen for as soon as the 2011 or 2012 season. Accompanying the expansion would be the shortening of the NFL’s preseason from 4 games to 2. We all know the reasons why this is potentially a good thing, more money, more football. Even as a huge football fan, I wouldn’t like this move and here are some reasons why.

More stress on a player’s body- I know what you’re thinking, but there aren’t anymore games being added, just two games now count. That’s not the case. You’re taking away the two games from the preseason where starters only play about a quarter or two, and turning them into regular season games, where starters play four quarters. They also play them a lot harder and a lot more physically because they do now matter. It’s going to shorten careers, increase injuries, and increase potential post-retirement injuries more than you think and this is already a sport where careers are short, injuries are widespread, and post-retirement injuries are already a huge issues, especially when you consider head/neck injuries. Going along with this, players may play each game with less intensity, to avoid injuries, and/or we will see more tired players in the playoffs, leading to worse performances in the playoffs.

Cheapens accomplishments- 4000 yards passing, 30 passing touchdowns, 10 receiving touchdowns, 10 rushing touchdowns, 1000 rushing yards, 1000 receiving yards, 2000 rushing yards, these are all impressive NFL milestones. If we add an 17th and 18th game, suddenly those accomplishments are easier to achieve, cheapening the value of the accomplishment. This is a major slap in the face to everyone who has achieved those accomplishments in the past, in 16 game seasons, or even back when there were only 14 games. 16 games to 18 games is an increase of 12.5%. Making the season 12.5% longer makes it that much easier to reach any given milestone.

1972 Miami Dolphins- It’s bad enough that the 1972 Dolphins got to pop champagne in 2007 when the Patriots lost in the Super Bowl, even though the Pats did match and surpass (at one point) their record of a 17-0 undefeated season. With an 18 game regular season, that would mean you’d mean 21 wins in a row for a perfect season. Forget it. That’s not happening. Lengthening the season would have a reverse effect on teams like the 1972 Dolphins as opposed to the effect it has on 2000 yard rushing seasons like Chris Johnson’s. It’s going to make it seem like the accomplishment is actually greater than it is, however great it already is. Lengthening the season makes the 12.5% harder to go undefeated in the regular season and 10.5% harder to do it through the playoffs, and this doesn’t even account for the fact that the Miami Dolphins did it with 14 games in the regular season. I hate to take shots at the 1972 Miami Dolphins, but it makes it that much harder for anyone to do what they did and that’s not really fair to today’s players.

Messes with the scheduling process- It’s a minor one, but I love how the NFL’s schedule process works. 2 games against all 3 of your division opponents, 8 games against teams in two other divisions, randomly chosen, and the other 2 games against teams in your conference that finished in the same spot in their respective division the year before. I love it. How can you add two more games? It messes it up.

Each game counts for less- With 18 games, each and every game is going to count for less. Each win becomes less valuable. I love how the NFL makes sure every game counts with a 16 game schedule. It’s not like the NBA with 82 games or the MLB with 162. There are 16 NFL games and each and every one of them is about as important as a playoff game. Adding 2 more games hurts that. Each game now is 12.5% less important.

Overall adding 2 more games will water down the NFL. It will make milestones that once meant something mean less. It could make players approach each game with intensity, both to avoid injuries and because each game now counts for 12.5% less. It will also increase the likelihood of major injuries and potentially lead to sloppier playoff performances from even more exhausted players. It changes the meaning of a perfect season. Oh, and it ruins the symmetry in the scheduling that I love about the NFL, but that’s not as important as the other stuff.