What If....the Football Season Was All Year?

[ravenwildman]

[size=3]What if?

What if.. the football season was all year with a short break ( 2 month off season)?

What if... to reduce injury and obvious fatigue the players would endure, have games every other week offseting each other so football is played weekly by some two teams, then next week by another two teams (a bye week could be used to realign teams in mid season for new rivals)?

I know this is pure fantasy....but would it work? It would make room for growth in the league.

Do you think it would take away from the game or add to it?[/size]

[theFRANCHISE]

I think it'd take away from the game. Although it would likely increase the exposure of each individual game since fewer teams would be playing the same day (or week), interest would probably fade pretty quickly. Think about it: most of the excitement that surrounds the football season, stems from the fact that it's so short and the wait for it is so long.

Not only that, but realistically, that'd give players very little time to recover from serious injuries since there'd be no proper offseason for which rehab time would not interfere with practices or games; there's already enough pressure on players to return quickly from injury, and this would only make things worse. (and let's face it: 2 months is a sorry excuse for an offseason, since the purpose of an offseason is to allow players to recuperate while coaches plan for the upcoming season)

Also, the entire NFL calendar would be thrown off. Because of the lack of a proper offseason, rookies from the draft would be thrust onto the field way before they're ready, resulting in sloppy play. Additionally, the lack of a proper offseason would likely mean the elimination of training camp, which would also result in sloppy play on the field from veterans, as the purpose of training camp is to improve conditioning as well as prepare physically for the grind of the season.

Basically, football all year SOUNDS like it'd be great at first, but it realistically wouldn't work, and it would dilute the product and make it weak in the end.

[ROH522155]

^^ i agree................like with the orioles. i love them just as much as the Ravens but i dont get as excited for the os because they play every day and as the season goes on i start watching them less and less

[theFRANCHISE]

[quote name='ravensorioleshoyas522155' post='146482' date='Jan 28 2009, 08:55 PM']^^ i agree................like with the orioles. i love them just as much as the Ravens but i dont get as excited for the os because they play every day and as the season goes on i start watching them less and less[/quote]
I'm glad you mentioned the Orioles. That brings me to another point I forgot to mention:

The reason why the football season is so great is because, with such a short season, every game is meaningful and has direct ramifications on the postseason. With only 16 games, a loss to a conference opponent in Week 2 can have a direct effect on losing out on homefield advantage in the playoffs. Or, even more dramatic, an early loss to a divisional rival can create a scenario where the second meeting in Week 17 can be the difference in making the playoffs (as was the case with the Dolphins-Jets game.)

The short season raises the stakes and cultivates drama, thereby creating a stronger product than any other professional sports league because players are forced to play their hardest in EVERY game.

Baseball, meanwhile, suffers because there's so many games in a season, to where one loss likely won't matter in the long run. Same with basketball and hockey.

[ravens27]

[quote name='ravensorioleshoyas522155' post='146482' date='Jan 28 2009, 08:55 PM']^^ i agree................like with the orioles. i love them just as much as the Ravens but i dont get as excited for the os because they play every day and as the season goes on i start watching them less and less[/quote]

Once the O's start winning again, they will be fun to watch.

[Chi_Town_Raven]

It would work if we had like two different leagues, but same owners. IDK, but have a minor league, like AFL or something.

[theFRANCHISE]

[quote name='Chi_Town_Raven' post='146524' date='Jan 28 2009, 10:34 PM']It would work if we had like two different leagues, but same owners. IDK, but have a minor league, like AFL or something.[/quote]
Well, that's sort of why NFL Europe existed. It was a way to farm out unproven talent, and it took place when the NFL regular season wasn't in play.

But it just wasn't that great to watch.

[mrsflacco12]

i would get no work done and i would become overly stressed, because i get really into the games. during the season, on saturdays, i dont do anything but worry about the games the next day. and sundays i dont do anything at all, wake up exactly at noon to watch pre-game shows, and dont leave the TV till after the last sunday night game.

i know..its a sad lifestyle, but its only for 5 months a year, thankfully. i do the worst in school during those times...

[Shawn`]

I would just love a 2 game addition but not the whole year because:

1) What if the Ravens did terrible like in 2007, we'd have to deal with that the WHOLE year.
2) Our IR list would go from 19 to like 30
3) The same reason I don't watch baseball, they play 150+ games a season, barely any of them actually count. In the NFL it's 16 weeks of games that matter as much as the other.

[jfc13]

[quote name='mrsflacco12' post='146866' date='Jan 29 2009, 05:26 PM']i would get no work done and i would become overly stressed, because i get really into the games. during the season, on saturdays, i dont do anything but worry about the games the next day. and sundays i dont do anything at all, wake up exactly at noon to watch pre-game shows, and dont leave the TV till after the last sunday night game.

i know..its a sad lifestyle, but its only for 5 months a year, thankfully. i do the worst in school during those times...[/quote]
Welcome to the forum! It's interesting to find a young gal like you on the football forums. I look forward to reading other posts from you and getting the young female perspective of the game. You could bring a refreshing new outlook for all of us to consider!

So, welcome! --from this much older lady.

[I know this is off-topic for this thread, sorry.]