Goodell to Address Late Season Games Issue

[Wolverine]

Roger Goodell says NFL will ask competition committee to review late-season game policy - ESPN (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4792592)

The Curtis Painter Rule... Ha

Anyway he's talking to guys like John Madden and Tony Dungy about ideas that could be implemented. Compensation picks for teams that... Play? I guess you could say.. Not really sure how you could judge that.

[BigBenCan7]

That's stupid. Teams can play who and how they want to play, especially when they've worked hard enough all season to be in that position.

[Whit Prowdy]

Seems to me like he wants to keep the competitive balance going in the games late into the season...but I don't see how you can possibly enforce this.

Probably all about $$$ and keeping butts in the seats.

[Chris Raiden]

Commish considers incentives for teams with meaningless games | ProFootballTalk.com (http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/01/03/commish-considers-incentives-for-teams-with-meaningless-games/)

Reports from Chris Mortensen of ESPN indicate that the league is considering offering incentives in the form of draft picks to teams who've clinched their playoff spot early but continue to play their starters.

[Sascha]

This has got to be the most utterly ridiculous thing I've seen come across Goodell's desk that is actually being considered. Goodell has done a lot of good for the league, but he does get criticized for perhaps fluctuating too much.


This is just stupid. Teams should still be able to make their own rules regarding who plays and when. I feel for the Colt fans last week, but really, this wouldn't even be a story except for Indy was still unbeaten at the time.


Sorry, but if I'm already in the playoffs, there isn't a draft pick in the world that would cause me to risk injury to Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, Adrian Peterson, etc.

[MrSlurpee]

This is all about money, and for the first time, I think its the right thing to do, even if it is all about money. Teams should have to play their players all season. They don't have to play them all game, but you have to give the fans a reason to go games in week 17. Plus, I think its the worst thing to do for your team, ESPECIALLY if they lose. I'm pissed the Chargers rested players today, especially since they have a bye week next week too. If they would have lost today, I would have been even more furious. Keep the good juju going into the playoffs.

[Texecutioner]

I think the best way to handle this would be to simply schedule all divisional games at the end of the season. It wouldn't be a complete fix or anything but I definitely think that it would decrease the liklihood of having so many teams in situations where they can sit their starters because most teams would still be competing for their divisions or for seeding.

[william00777]

I think the best way to handle this would be to simply schedule all divisional games at the end of the season. It wouldn't be a complete fix or anything but I definitely think that it would decrease the liklihood of having so many teams in situations where they can sit their starters because most teams would still be competing for their divisions or for seeding.

great idea the last two games should be divisional rivals. Like you said it's not perfect but it's the best way to make them likely to count.

[AlexanderNevermind]

I was coming to post that same idea that the last few weeks should be against division foes and/or against longtime time rivals. Its the one thing that the NCAA actually have right in comparison to the NFL.

[Whit Prowdy]

I was listening to Moving The Chains with Pat Kirwan and some other guy yesterday, and Kirwan had an idea that made the skies open up, as a beam of light shone down while angels sang.

For the final three weeks of the season, any game that has playoff implications of any sort, seeding, division title, even if it's just one team, all of those games get played at 4:15. This way no one is doing scoreboard watching at 1:00. It obviously has some flaws and gaps if you consider everything (scheduling, TV agreements, etc.), but I liked it.

[|(evin|(olb|(ritik]

This is about money but its not about money. Its more about the integrity of the game and the integrity of their business and the perception that these teams are willing to rip people off for tickets the final couple of weeks while resting starters and offering a sub-standard product. The league, as a business, has an interest in protecting the integrity of its product on each and every sunday. People feel differently about the issue of resting starters for the greater good but nobody likes to feel as if they didn't get their moneys worth and while it hasn't cost the NFL much to date it would be irresponsible to brush the issue to the side and ignore it.

[Texecutioner]

This is about money but its not about money. Its more about the integrity of the game and the integrity of their business and the perception that these teams are willing to rip people off for tickets the final couple of weeks while resting starters and offering a sub-standard product. The league, as a business, has an interest in protecting the integrity of its product on each and every sunday. People feel differently about the issue of resting starters for the greater good but nobody likes to feel as if they didn't get their moneys worth and while it hasn't cost the NFL much to date it would be irresponsible to brush the issue to the side and ignore it.

I don't agree with any of is being some integrity issue. It's common sense to any football fan that if a team has clinched it's playoff spot or seeding to where the last two or one game won't help them any if they win, that they might rest their starters. There shouldn't have to be any reports or any headlines stating this. That's common ****ing sense. If you're planning on going to a game at the end of the season for a winning team, then you might not get to see the starters at all or if you do it might not be for the entire game. That's your decision to go to that game. This has been going on for years now. I don't get any of the whining and complaining and I don't see how it is any kind of integrity issue either. Fans can choose to go to whatever game they want in a 16 game season. If you don't want to go see the back ups, then don't go to the game. It's not that bad watching it from home any way.

[Texecutioner]

I was coming to post that same idea that the last few weeks should be against division foes and/or against longtime time rivals. Its the one thing that the NCAA actually have right in comparison to the NFL.

How the hell does the NCAA have this right? The NCAA has it to where every team has to win every freaking game or their title chances are off and more than half of the games that elite college teams play are way less talented than the elite teams are in their conferences and their really poor match ups. This is not a fitting comparison at all.

[Hawkeye]

I think the best way to handle this would be to simply schedule all divisional games at the end of the season. It wouldn't be a complete fix or anything but I definitely think that it would decrease the liklihood of having so many teams in situations where they can sit their starters because most teams would still be competing for their divisions or for seeding.

I don't agree at all. Unlike college football, winning a division in the NFL is based on OVERALL record. This wouldn't have effected the Colts at all this season. The only way this might work is if a couple of teams were neck and neck and needed the win as a tiebreaker. In that case with the teams being close in record, they would be playing their starters anyway.

[|(evin|(olb|(ritik]

I don't agree with any of is being some integrity issue. It's common sense to any football fan that if a team has clinched it's playoff spot or seeding to where the last two or one game won't help them any if they win, that they might rest their starters. There shouldn't have to be any reports or any headlines stating this. That's common ****ing sense. If you're planning on going to a game at the end of the season for a winning team, then you might not get to see the starters at all or if you do it might not be for the entire game. That's your decision to go to that game. This has been going on for years now. I don't get any of the whining and complaining and I don't see how it is any kind of integrity issue either. Fans can choose to go to whatever game they want in a 16 game season. If you don't want to go see the back ups, then don't go to the game. It's not that bad watching it from home any way.

If they're going to put a subpar product on the field to the point to where it looks like you're paying to see a minor league game then maybe the NFL ought to think about charging minor league prices for those games.

Sorry, but thats one option that I guarantee you they'll never do, so yes this is an integrity issue. They are charging a premier ticket price for a less than premier product, thats an issue whether you choose to recognize it or not.

[Texecutioner]

If they're going to put a subpar product on the field to the point to where it looks like you're paying to see a minor league game then maybe the NFL ought to think about charging minor league prices for those games.

Sorry, but thats one option that I guarantee you they'll never do, so yes this is an integrity issue. They are charging a premier ticket price for a less than premier product, thats an issue whether you choose to recognize it or not.

Okay fine, but whether they do that or not isn't really the issue. The issue is the stupid fans and stupid Americans who accept this and buy the high priced tickets any way. I wouldn't pony up my cash for one second on a game like that. Hell, if I am very upset with how my team's organization is running their team I won't spend money on their product with or without the starters. If the fans still want to pony up their cash for this, then they have no one to blame but themselves for accepting that price and paying for it.

[BigBenCan7]

If they're going to put a subpar product on the field to the point to where it looks like you're paying to see a minor league game then maybe the NFL ought to think about charging minor league prices for those games.

Sorry, but thats one option that I guarantee you they'll never do, so yes this is an integrity issue. They are charging a premier ticket price for a less than premier product, thats an issue whether you choose to recognize it or not.

I think that the problem is that most people are foolish enough to still pay that price. They're either ignorant to the fact that they may see inferior talent on the field or just ignoring that fact, either way if they are willing to pay for it then that is what the product is worth. They wouldn't pay for a pre-season game at those prices, so why should they do it in late games with a team that starts almost every season undefeated it seems (granted, you know for sure that you will see back-ups in that game)? Adam Smith will tell you it's the consumers fault.

It may be more entertaining, which is what the NFL wants, I suppose, but they are encouraging coaches not to play to win the Super Bowl, but to please the fans, not to mention encouraging a whole lot more injuries to top players (the entertaining guys). The risk for an injury is much higher for a guy who isn't trying because he is being forced to play in a meaningless game. I know it doesn't apply to the Colts, but it does to other teams that rested or didn't rest their starters this season. And what about players that are legitimately hurt? How will they differentiate between a player who has an injury that might keep him out of the game and a player that is just on the injury report so they can pull them? Are we just going to force hurt players to play, or can every coach just Bill Belichick an injury report and rest his players anyway?

You may be able to say that there is a problem, but until you come up with a reasonable solution, it's the people who are willing to pay for a ticket's fault that the price is too high. The best thing I've heard suggested is to schedule all the divisional games at the end of the year. No, it wouldn't solve everything, but at least teams would still be playing for a division title much later into the season.

[|(evin|(olb|(ritik]

I think that the problem is that most people are foolish enough to still pay that price. They're either ignorant to the fact that they may see inferior talent on the field or just ignoring that fact, either way if they are willing to pay for it then that is what the product is worth. .

I think you're wrong there TBH. THere have been many instances in the past (not every time, but often) when it was VERY obvious that teams were going to be resting starters where fans didn't sellout games at all. Every NFL team has problems selling out preseason games. The fans have proven on many occasions that they are not always willing to pay the full price of an NFL ticket for a half hearted attempt to win a game. They've shown that they'll pay to see their team play even if their team is bad because they support their team and are willing to pay to see them as long as they're putting the best possible product on the field that they can.

[StevenSD]

I think you're wrong there TBH. THere have been many instances in the past (not every time, but often) when it was VERY obvious that teams were going to be resting starters where fans didn't sellout games at all. Every NFL team has problems selling out preseason games. The fans have proven on many occasions that they are not always willing to pay the full price of an NFL ticket for a half hearted attempt to win a game. They've shown that they'll pay to see their team play even if their team is bad because they support their team and are willing to pay to see them as long as they're putting the best possible product on the field that they can.

With the way coaches, and NFL teams in general operate, they won't tell the media almost ANYTHING that will help the current team they are going against... so again it comes back to the consumer's ignorance about how an organization runs it product

[|(evin|(olb|(ritik]

so again it comes back to the consumer's ignorance about how an organization runs it product

And treating your consumers like a bunch of ignorant morons is a fast way to lose consumers. One of the worst mistakes any business can make regardless of size and popularity is to take your customers from granted, which is EXACTLY why it would be irresponsible for the league to not look at this issue and study it at the very least.

[Texecutioner]

And treating your consumers like a bunch of ignorant morons is a fast way to lose consumers. One of the worst mistakes any business can make regardless of size and popularity is to take your customers from granted, which is EXACTLY why it would be irresponsible for the league to not look at this issue and study it at the very least.

Do you honestly think that a ton of Colts fans are going to boycott their favorite team and stop following them because they thought they were deceived by a late quarter substitution? I mean geez, these fans that are crying will get over this and go right back to rooting on the Colts next week and next time they should know better after this experience since it seemed to be so tragic for them.

[|(evin|(olb|(ritik]

Do you honestly think that a ton of Colts fans are going to boycott their favorite team and stop following them because they thought they were deceived by a late quarter substitution? I mean geez, these fans that are crying will get over this and go right back to rooting on the Colts next week and next time they should know better after this experience since it seemed to be so tragic for them.

No, what I mean is that this mindset that you guys are exhibiting here saying "hey its all the stupid fans fault for being stupid and not smart" is a mindset that you cannot allow to exist or continue in any fashion. Even if you consider it a minor transgression, any transgression against your customers is bad business. All you have to do is take a look at the NBA and MLB to see a perfect example of what happens to big unbeatable businesses who take their consumers for granted and treat them like mindless sheep. Its a good thing that the NFL is taking a look at the business practices that are creating controversy with their fans regardless of how important YOU may think the issue is. Being proactive and being willing to make change to policies and practices that have been part of your business for years is a sign of a company built to last. I'd be worried if the NFL DIDN'T look at this issue or wasn't willing to make a change.

[Texecutioner]

No, what I mean is that this mindset that you guys are exhibiting here saying "hey its all the stupid fans fault for being stupid and not smart" is a mindset that you cannot allow to exist or continue in any fashion. Even if you consider it a minor transgression, any transgression against your customers is bad business. All you have to do is take a look at the NBA and MLB to see a perfect example of what happens to big unbeatable businesses who take their consumers for granted and treat them like mindless sheep. Its a good thing that the NFL is taking a look at the business practices that are creating controversy with their fans regardless of how important YOU may think the issue is. Being proactive and being willing to make change to policies and practices that have been part of your business for years is a sign of a company built to last. I'd be worried if the NFL DIDN'T look at this issue or wasn't willing to make a change.

Well I honestly don't see what major changes can really be done here. It would be hard for the NFL to force teams to play who they think is the starter of an NFL team all 16 games of the season. Even if they did NFL coaches would find ways around that and start who they wanted for all sorts of reasons they could create. If the NFL were to change anything the best thing to do would be to change of the schedules to where most of the divisional games are in the 2nd half of the season and at least 2 of them were in week 16 and 17. That way teams are more likely still fighting for their division and seeding. That would just be a change of when you play your divisional opponents yearly.

[Sascha]

How the hell does the NCAA have this right? The NCAA has it to where every team has to win every freaking game or their title chances are off and more than half of the games that elite college teams play are way less talented than the elite teams are in their conferences and their really poor match ups. This is not a fitting comparison at all.

I'm trying to figure out where this post adresses Williams' at all. All he said was that the one thing the NCAA does right is the scheduling of rivalries at the end of the season, and how something like that could help in the NFL. *****ing about a couple of flaws that really have nothing to do with that original point just feels like complaining for the sake.


It's not that bad watching it from home any way.

Problem with this is the team still has to have 65,000 to 80,000 people show (depending on market) in order for most fans to be able to watch it at home, due to the blackout rules.

[Texecutioner]

I'm trying to figure out where this post adresses Williams' at all. All he said was that the one thing the NCAA does right is the scheduling of rivalries at the end of the season, and how something like that could help in the NFL. *****ing about a couple of flaws that really have nothing to do with that original point just feels like complaining for the sake.

I don't see at all how the NCAA has that part right at all though.

[Sascha]

I don't see at all how the NCAA has that part right at all though.

I do. I think it's great to have these games so late in the season. The NCAA is wrong to punish the losers of these games by not giving them the same chances that a team that lost early in the season may have to rise back up the charts, but that's not a fault of scheduling, that's a fault of not having a playoff.

[MarvinMartian]

I think the only way for the league to change this, is by making it performance based...

Basically the players on the winning team get some sort of a bonus.

So, really...a player wouldn't allow himself to be pulled, or not start a game, when not only would they get the win, but he'd also get another payday from the win, lol.