This could be bad news to some and great news to others.

The National Football League owns are planning to take a vote in May on plans to lengthen the regular season though it is unlikely that the new longer season would start until 2011.  They are planning to increase the NFL football season by 17 or possibly even 18 games.

It would also include reducing preseason games by at least one.  All this is an effort explained NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to “[increase] value” in this challenging economic climate the county finds itself in.  Regardless of what happens there is little chance that the football season will remain at its current 16 regular season games.

I for one do not have a problem with this.  I love football and one or two more meaningful regular season games is good news.  I hate the preseason.  It means nothing.  Its just a way for teams to evaluate their new talent and see where they stand.  I feel that they can have scrimmage games for this.  Its also a quick way for owners to make a little money off fans who are so football starved after not seeing any games since January that they are still willing to pay good money to see a meaningless game rationalizing that at least they get to see that pigskin flying again.

But thinking about the players point of view I can see how they would be against it.  Its a brutal sport that ranks number one is physicality among all the top pro sports in the United States.  Guys are usually beat up and bruised after 16 games and while one or two more games may be exciting or no big deal to us we are not the ones actually having to play it.   This presents more opportunities more players to get injured and everyone not going to into the postseason 100% healthy.

And even though the idea of more football is obviously appealing to most fans, if we really think hard about it, at the end of week 17, has anyone ever thought, “That really needed to be longer”? Sixteen games is plenty to determine who’s the best team out there.  There is only so many Sunday and Monday night football games we need in a year.  We have to make room for the NBA and MBL season too (just playing).

One can see the good and the bad in this.  Players do not want to be paid less and owners need to make some changes to keep their revenue intact. Fans are going not to get a choice,surprise, surprise, because anything that the owners would approve that would make them more money and sell more NFL tickets, the owners are going to approve. Records are going to fall. Careers are going to get a little shorter. The regular season’s going to get longer, whether it’s a good idea or not. Coors and Budweiser stand to sell more beer as well.  I would start buying stock in them today.  How many extra million cans of beer are going to be sold as a result of this?

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NFL Season Will Get A Little Longer

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I remember thinking during the playoffs watching the Tennessee Titans that this is a joke.  They were the best team in the whole NFL and this is what was happening.  What happened to Collins.  Or Vince Young.  You are telling me that this was the best storyline that the National Football League could come up with.  I hope not.

I saw many teams in the league just die off.  And then Arizona goes all the way to the Superbowl because they win nine games and are in one of the weakest divisions in football.  I am going to tell you some.  And you can believe it or not.  This league rewards teams that are in a bad division.  Remember the way the Sea hawks got into the playoffs before back in 2006.  What did you think about that.

All I am saying is that it would be nice if we had some more compelling story lines to follow.  Where are the bad guys like the Oakland Raiders of old times.  Where are the teams that everyone loves to hate.  I know some people hate the Patriots but they are really not that bad at all.  Where is Luke Sky walker vs his father.  Not happening any longer.

I was at a sports bar the other day called the Peanut Farm and we were watching some NFL sports highlights on their twenty big scene televisions when I noticed something.  It popped into my mind like it had been there for years.  The NFL sells more beer and liquor than anyone else in the country.  Think how much money is made of sports but think about how much money is actually made off the NFL as far as food and beer and everything.  Which is why we want to see more compelling story lines for our money.  After spending $20 on beer and $20 on food I want to watch a good game.  I do not want to watch two boring teams going head to head on the football field in a boring match up that does not matter.  Its just not something I want to watch.

And all this is coming from a big fan.  It is coming from a football fan who is crazy but knows what he is talking about.  I have the authority and the knowledge because I have been around and seen a lot on the big screen.  You have to have a good guy and a bad guy and then have them go head to head in an epic match up in which both sides have an equal chance to loose or win and the winner gets everything.  That’s what people want to see.  They do not want to see the Superbowl match up they saw.  That was not popular.  I think that I went to sleep.

I am nit picking but I do believe in what I am saying.  The NFL is in charge but they have to tweak some things.  People are in love in this country with football and we want to keep it that way.  Otherwise kids are going to start playing soccer.

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NFL Needs More Compelling Stories

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Albert Haynesworth walked into the front lobby of Redskins Park on the first day of free agency. After being congratulated by front office chief Vinny Cerrato, the All-Pro defensive tackle turned and introduced his mother. Once the pleasantries were done, the parties went to work — completing the paperwork on a seven-year contract that is worth about $100 million and includes an NFL-record $41 million in guaranteed money.

The Washington Redskins were back to their old form as champions of the offseason, snagging the biggest name available in the first few hours of the open market. They agreed to terms with Haynesworth around dawn Friday, culminating a sleepless night that included a just-after-midnight deal — six years, $54 million, $22.5 million guaranteed — to re-sign cornerback DeAngelo Hall.

“Wow! Amazing!” said Redskins defensive tackle Lorenzo Alexander, providing the almost universal reaction to Haynesworth’s guaranteed payout, which tops the $37 million the Atlanta Falcons gave Michael Vick in 2004.

All this from a team that has laid off at least 30 people since the start of the year in two rounds of cutbacks. The Redskins are among 10 to 12 teams that have cut staff because of the economic crisis, according to an NFL estimate, but marquee free agents appear recession-proof.

Not so fortunate was Shawn Springs. Expensive and often injured, the 33-year-old cornerback was deemed no longer needed once Hall was kept in the fold.

From Bruce Smith in 2000 to London Fletcher in 2007, the Redskins’ Dan Snyder made his NFL name as the owner who always got the player he wanted, even if it meant overpaying for players who didn’t pan out. Snyder’s deep pockets have produced only one playoff win this decade.

Last year, the team was uncharacteristically quiet, making no major signings during the entire free agency period. An 8-8 season with an aging roster — along with the fact that the Redskins have only four picks in upcoming draft — prompted Snyder to revert to his old ways.

Whatever the money, the Redskins get credit for targeting two deficiencies from last season: sacks and turnovers.

Haynesworth should help with the sacks. The 27-year-old lineman got to the quarterback a career-high 8 1/2 times last year, more than one-third of a Washington team total (24) that ranked tied for 28th in the NFL. If nothing else, he will divert attention away from defensive ends Jason Taylor and Andre Carter, who managed 7 1/2 sacks between them in 2008.

Haynesworth, 6-foot-6 and 320 pounds, and has 24 sacks in seven NFL seasons since the Titans drafted him in the first round out of the University of Tennessee in 2002. His possible downsides: He hasn’t played a full season since his rookie year because of various injuries, he’s been known to take plays off, and he might never live down a five-game suspension for swiping his cleated foot over Dallas center Andre Gurode’s face in 2006.

The suspension is the NFL’s longest for an on-field act, and Haynesworth was also required to attend anger management sessions. Now, having signed with an NFC East team, Haynesworth will face Gurode twice a year.

It was uncertain whether the Redskins would be able to fit Haynesworth under the salary cap, but the front office spent this month renegotiating several contracts to clear money for the upcoming season. The team also saved money under the cap by releasing linebacker Marcus Washington last week.

Hall will be getting paid to get picks. His five interceptions for the season — three with Oakland, two with Washington — were three more than any other cornerback on the Redskins’ roster. Washington had only 18 takeaways in 2008, tied for 28th in the league.

The 25-year-old cornerback is also netting his second big payday in as many years. He was guaranteed about $24 million in a seven-year, $70 million contract he signed a year ago with Oakland, but he struggled to adjust to the Raiders’ man-to-man defense and was waived after eight games.

The Redskins picked him up less than a week later, and he provided a needed boost to a secondary beset by too many injuries and not enough big plays. He was also a model citizen, avoiding the outbursts that prompted the Atlanta Falcons to trade him to Oakland in 2008.

With Springs released, Hall and Carlos Rogers are now expected to form the new starting cornerback tandem.

The Redskins might not be done yet. Also on the wish list — assuming it can fit under the cap — is an offensive lineman. The team has been in contact with former Redskins guard Derrick Dockery, who was cut Thursday by the Buffalo Bills.

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Haynesworth recieves 7-yr $100M deal from Redskins

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Many people did not see the Cardinals making the SuperBowl.  But when you really think about it all makes sense in the crazy game of pro sports.  Especially when it comes to pro football.

The NFL is a roller coaster.  Its impossible to predict.  As I said in a previous post about teams needing adversity the team that nobody thinks will do anything at the beginning of the year, that struggles through the first 4-5 games, and ends strong wins.  Now don’t get me wrong sometimes teams just suck and won’t be going anywhere for a while.  Like the San Francisco 49ers.  But look at some of the teams that have gotten into the Superbowl in the last several years.

Arizona Cardinals.  New York Giants. Indianapolis Costs (that year their defense in the regular season was horrible).  Pittsburgh Steelers (lost their first 5 games and barely squeaked into the postseason).  Carolina Panthers.  I mean, none of these teams were favorites at the beginning of their respective seasons.  But they learned how to squeak out wins.

The same goes with the Cardinals.  They were nobody’s favorate.  “Arizona, are you kidding me.”  If somebody would have said on a sports highlights show that this team would be in Tampa right now they would have been laughed out the buidling.  A few people who bet on the Cardinals at the Ticket Reserve are probabely happy right now.  They were most likely able to pick those Superbowl options up for $10 in September and now get to buy Superbowl tickets at face value.

Anyway, nobody picked this team to win.  They had no offense, no defense, a “washed up” quarterback in Kurt Warner, who is the classiest guy alive by the way, and no respect.  They were a joke.  The laughing stock of the whole NFL.  And look at what happened!  Look at what they were able to do.  The Steelers are good.  But everyone knew they were going to be good.  The Steelers always get their juste respect.  They had the lock down 4-3 defense, the star quarterback in Big Ben, and a history of 5 superbowls and many more Superbowl appearances.  The Arizona Cards had nothing.

But in the NFL this is supposed to happen.  This is why this league is the most popular league in the whole country.  It transends every other sport we know.  This league makes more money than baseball and basketball put together.  More money, more beer, more ticket sales is made from professioanl football than all the others.

Why?  Because in reality you never know what is going to happen.  You never know who is going to win?  No team, besides the Dallas Cowboys in the mid 90s, can really dominate the marketplace in pro footballs.  Any nfl sports highlights talk show that tells you who is going to be going to Super Bowl at the beginning of the year will most likely be wrong.  Thats why people love it.

Who is going to win in the NBA this year.  Let me see.  Its going to be the Celtics, the Cavaliers, or the Lakers.  One of those teams will be holding up the championship trophy this year in June.  What about baseball?  The same thing.  The Yankees, Red Socks, or Mets will be in it.  But in football you cannot say that so easily.  Its a beautiful thing to watch.

On any given Sunday any team can win in the NFL.  A bad defense can turn steller.  A great offense that was clicking can go out like a candle with a couple turnovers.  Any team can win.  The Cardinals defense looked out of this world for several stretches of thier playoff games.  How in the heck did that happen!??????  Where did that defense come from???  Can someone please tell me.  I was scratching my freakin’ head watching the whole thing.  The locked down the Eagles and the Panthers.  Kurt Warner was awsome but they won those games with their defense.  Just proves my point.

Don’t be surprised if they lock up the Steelers as well.  I’d put money that the Cardinals are going to win.  Everyone is saying they don’t have a chance. Well, guess what, they have been saying that all year.  This is the NFL.  Anything, and I mean anything, can happen on any given Sunday.

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Sports Highlights

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MATCHUP TO WATCH

BY THE NUMBERS
47: Net rushing yards by the Titans in their regular-season victory over the Ravens.

27: Tennessee’s regular-season ranking out of 32 N.F.L. teams in average passing yards a game.

28: Baltimore’s ranking in the same category.

7: Number of interceptions thrown by Kerry Collins in the regular season. Chad Pennington of the Dolphins had the same number before the Ravens intercepted four of his passes in their victory last weekend.

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Sports Highlights A.F.C. Playoff Preview: Ravens at Titans

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