The most depressing time of the year for football fans is upon us. Once again having to stomach not watching a football game until August. But people say "The NFL has no offseason"? Those people are kidding themselves because not only are we not able to watch Sunday spectacles for 7 months but I would say from now until at least free agency begins (and really until the Draft [which is now in May {yes, May}]) there is quite a long 'offseason'. But if there is one good thing about the offseason we have plenty of time to discuss what needs to be fixed that the NFL may think is fine, and what needs to stay the same that the NFL believes should change.
WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE:
1. The NFL Draft needs to be before Free Agency.
I loathe whenever a season in any professional sports concludes, but after the NBA and NHL seasons crown their champions, their drafts are only days-weeks away which gets the fans excited for something else and allows them to ease their way into extreme boredom. The MLB Draft is in the middle of their regular season but their offseason has football so it's okay they have no big event. Also, how do you expect teams to rebuild if the first crack they have at new players are Michael Vick, Peyton Hillis, and Dallas Clark (all old guys, all UFAs this year). The NFL would have less teams who don't compete, year after year if more teams would rebuild around a young foundation.
2. The Regular Season should be 18 games
Yes the NFL is trying to make this actually happen and I am here to defend it. The reason the NFL is a distant first of the major sports leagues in the world is because of the importance of each game. You only have one day a week for a couple months to watch your team get that all important win or suffer a tough loss but what would be so bad to add another two? It definitely would not tarnish the prestige of an NFL game and hey its more football. However with that being said, the Preseason could be cut short a game to sort of meet in the middle with players. Most teams sit their starters in the 4th game anyway.
3. The NFL Honors should be...live?
I actually flipped on the NFL Honors the night before the Super Bowl, which is a great idea for the NFL. It gives the individual accomplishments the spotlight they deserve. But I didn't make it my job to watch since ESPN had alerted me of every award the hour before, when the awards were actually presented.
4. Playoff overtime should require equal possessions.
Although I like the current overtime rules, they can be improved. If a team gets the ball in the beginning of overtime and scores, that still means the coin flip determined the winner. And if that team scores 3 possessions later while the opposing team has had only 2, the coin flip still technically affected the winner. It doesn't need to happen in the regular season, games would never end. But let's make sure at least in the playoffs, games are completely fair.
5. NO MORE TIES.
Football games can change so quickly. You never know what is going to happen on the very next play. For all we know, the Packers and Vikings game could have been over if there was another 40 seconds on the clock. Teams plan a whole week to play one game and one team has to come out the winner. And I cannot believe the NFL has not abolished ties yet.
WHAT SHOULD NOT CHANGE:
1. The Playoffs are fine.
Jerry Jones and the Cowgirls lose the SNF finale and their chance to clinch the NFC East for 3 years in a row to 3 different opponents, and finish 8-8 every year. Of course Jerry can't get to the playoffs so let's bring the Playoffs to Jerry, right? If any other owner suggested something sore-loserish it would have been ignored but not the Sultan of the South, Emperor Jerry. The NFL season is too important to allow more teams in the playoffs. Those teams that make it earn it over the others. Also adding a 7th would give only 1 team a bye, too much of an advantage (or disadvantage) for one team. You can add "Listening to Jerry Jones" to something the NFL should change.
2. Extra Points should stay.
I do my best to have an open mind in every aspect of life. But what in the world could this possibly accomplish. Nobody other than infamous kicker Bill Gramatica celebrating has ever gotten hurt on a field goal attempt or an extra point, so what is No Fun League Commissioner trying to say? People don't realize, there were no extra points until they figured out teams who actually score a touchdown deserve more points than teams who don't and kick two field goals.
3. The Pro Bowl is actually getting better.
I began to appreciate the low-scoring, competitive game between well-coached teams by Leon Sandcastle and Jerry Ricecake. There is no way to adopt something like MLB to make the game actually mean something for teams, but if you need a reminder of how bad the Pro Bowl was, search highlights from the 2012 game.
4. Kickoffs are still the most exciting play in the game.
Roger Goodell is on a mission to make sure kickoffs are taken away. Not only are they perfect to start a game, kick returns are the most exciting play in the game. Just ask Chris Davis.
5. The Super Bowl worked out pretty well.
All the haters can say the NFL cut it too close with the horrible weather, but this Winter has been a catastrophe. This type of weather won't happen too often. What is so bad about Northern Super Bowls? The South gets their chance, we should get ours. I will say Green Bay/Chicago/Buffalo would be a little more of a risk.
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