NFL TV TALKS&POSSIBBLE CHANGES IN 2006

[johnnyredskin63]

acoording to today's usa today the nfl is considering moving back the start of the season,pushing kickoff times back an hour,and moving the monday night game back to thursday night.they have also indicated that fox and cbs pick games from both conferences to show on sunday,no more nfc and afc only networks.they also added that keeping the game on monday nights,and adding a second weekly game on thursdays would also be an option they would be open to.pushing the start of the season back would mean the season would end near the end of februrary
and the superbowl would be in march.that is the only part i'm against.having the superbowl where it is great to many of us.moving that would really be odd.what do you guys think?

[Gmanc711]

I'm in total agreement. I think a mon/thursday showing would be best, so we can have three days of football a week. I mean if its th eonly game on ( Mon/Thur) I dont acre if you put Arizona SanDiego, I'll watch every second of it, its a good business tool. But Pushing the season back... I highly dislike that, I love how right after christmas its playoff time, that would be really wierd if Football was still going on today.

[johnnyredskin63]

i love football,and i would probably watch at least a half of the cardinals and the 1976 tampa bay bucs if it were on.but where they have the season now can't be beat.like the gman said,it's perfect right after santy clause visits.i sure hope he brings me a winning redskin playoff game this year.(2004)

[Daseal]

Hrm, my only problem with this change is MNF is really late for those of us on the East Coast. So another Weekday game adds yet another night up late! How about Friday Night or Saturday Night games.

I also think the Super Bowl should be changed to a Saturday. Sundays aren't exactly what you call a great day for some of the biggest parties during the year.

[johnnyredskin63]

not to menton it would give those who party a little too much a non work day to recover.i would love to see them move the monday night kickoff at least up till 830pm.when you have to get up at 430am every day,going to bed at 1200am even one night a week kills you man....

[Gmanc711]

I agree, I think MNF shoudl start around 830, and on Thursdays the same. I really dont think a Fri/Sat Night game would draw a ton of people, only cause those are the nights people go out and even though some of us die hards would watch it , not alot of poeple would. Unless its the Skins or a really good game ( why the playoffs on sat do work ), I wouldnt go out of my way to watch a game on fri/sat night.

[johnnyredskin63]

the best thing about thursday games is the fact that most of us get saturday off,and having to work on friday when you know you get the next day off is not that bad to me anyways.the playoffs have worked so good the last few years (IMO anyways)on saturday nights is because the biggest part of the country has been snowed in.or it has been so damn cold only a snowman or polar bear would venture out and then only to take a whiz or make a beer run.

[BrudLee]

Let's go through these, one by one.
1) Moving back the start of the season. This is clearly a ploy to move the playoffs into February sweeps month, but what it does is delay the start of the season until mid-September. As it stands, August is the cruelest month while I wait for the season to start, and these guys want to extend it. It will also mean more snow games, and a greater advantage for home field in the playoffs. (Teams built for domes must love this).
2) Moving kickoff times forward. Obviously, an attempt to shore up the west coast. This is a battle the NFL has been losing for years, since the number two TV market (LA) gave up on football. I'm torn. It would make the 4:00 game that much more difficult to watch here on the East Coast (or God's country), since dinner would have to be prepared and eaten during the twenty minutes of halftime, barring any interesting commercials distracting me. This would also kill the decompression period between the 4 o'clock and 8:30 game, where I quickly tell my wife and son I love them before checking out my fantasy stats. I vote no, again.
3) Thursday night. As a second game, why not? It creates a short week for the teams involved, but as long as it's rotated well, unlike the Thanksgiving games which invariably feature the horrible Lions and the used-to-be-horrible Cowboys. As an replacement for Monday night, how does giving up a weeknight institution help Tagliabue's plan for world domination?
4) Eliminating conference alignments for networks. I'm against this too. The Redskins have had their share of bad announcing teams the past few years. I'm convinced if we win the Super Bowl this year, Brian Baldinger and Tim Green are going to want rings. But just when my eardrums formed calluses that allowed me to listen to these guys without bursting, I have to learn to stomach a new bunch of saps. Gumbel and Simms are excellent, but how often would we get the A-team? Get ready for Don Criqui, Ian Eagle, Kevin Harlan, and Craig Bolerjack. This only works if Bonnie Bernstein roams the sidelines every week.

In closing, as always, all change is bad, unless it means more football and more Bonnie Bernstein.

[johnnyredskin63]

i really do'nt care who calls the games,just as long as they show them.i hope the nfl and espn are looking for ways to stop drunken former players (like joe
namath)from groping all the good looking reporters on the sidelines during the game.i wish they would alternate thanksgiving games.it is awful to have to watch the lions and the cowpunks every year on turkey day,i would like to see them add a couple of late games for the friday after thanksgiving too.

[skinsguy]

Well said!!!! I love the idea of adding a Thursday night game! I would go even further though and say to move the MNF games and the Thurs games to 8oclock sharp!! They do this in pre-season, why not the regular season too? I'm not worried about the west coast, I'm thinking more in terms of the east cost!

If they want the playoffs to start in February, just add more games to the season. Heck, make it an even twenty games, otherwise, don't push back the start of the season until mid September. It's bad enough that I have to wait all the way to September to watch the Redskins again anyways. Maybe I can see the networks wanting the baseball season to have more ratings since that would be around playoff time for them, right? I dunno, I don't watch baseball.

As far as mixing the afc and nfc games up between stations, I don't think I would really mind that too much, as long as my region continues to show pretty much every single Redskins game. I agree though on the announcers...Brian Baldinger(is that his last name??)..man this guy sucks!!

[johnnyredskin63]

glad to see you found your way over skins guy.i would love for a 20 game season in the nfl.i love march madness,and baseball too but adding to the nfl schedule would solidify its place as the usa's most popular pro sports league.though the other legues try,they will never be more popular ever than the nfl.

[MTK]

I really like the idea of adding another primetime game on Thursday nights!

[SmootSmack]

I like the idea of rotating Thanksgiving games so it's not just the Lions and Cowboys ever year. But I'm not sure I like the idea of a Thursday game every week. If you start adding too many games during the week I think it takes away from what makes the NFL so special, that each weekend of games is an event. All football fans spend the week getting pumped for Sunday afternoon. I don't think it would be as successful if you missed a game but knew you could catch another a couple of days later

[BrudLee]

Originally Posted by smootsmack

I like the idea of rotating Thanksgiving games so it's not just the Lions and Cowboys ever year. But I'm not sure I like the idea of a Thursday game every week. If you start adding too many games during the week I think it takes away from what makes the NFL so special, that each weekend of games is an event. All football fans spend the week getting pumped for Sunday afternoon. I don't think it would be as successful if you missed a game but knew you could catch another a couple of days later

The flip side to that arguement is that it allows fans a chance to watch more games, and perhaps allows a better chance to see their team on TV without spending hundreds of dollars for DirecTV and Sunday Ticket. Say for example I'm a Cardinals fan (I know, I know...). It would be next to impossible for me to see a Cardinals game on TV in Delaware without going to a bar or shelling out some cash. But, if there is a Thursday game, two early Sunday games, a late Sunday game, a Sunday Night game, and a Monday night game, then mathematically, I've got to bump into the Cards at least once, don't I?

By the way, I know there aren't any actual Cardinals fans. They are a myth, like competitive balance in baseball.

[Gmanc711]

I agree. I know they at least had a string of about 2-3 weeks where they had Thursday Night Specials, what happened to that? The only " Special " thursday game this year, was the opener. I think even if you just throw a few Thursday " Specials " around, it would be beneficial. I ultimatley think I'm gonna be getting the Ticket this year, so I dont have to go run around bars to find the skins.