18 regular season games?

[Harlan Huckleby]

I don't mind 18 games as long as you toss in an extra bye week and add 2 roster spots per team.

Two roster spots? They need 6.

[RashanGary]

Oh gosh, it's not that big of a deal. Add 6 roster spots, make a few minor rule changes with how injuries can be handled and make it happen!!

[Guiness]

Have to love the NFL's spin...studies show the rate of injuries don't go up.

Even if I believed that (I don't, fatigue plays a part) maybe the rate doesn't go up, but you have to more chance to see if it's your turn!

[sharpe1027]

Have to love the NFL's spin...studies show the rate of injuries don't go up.

Even if I believed that (I don't, fatigue plays a part) maybe the rate doesn't go up, but you have to more chance to see if it's your turn!

If studies were to show that the rate of getting hit by a car while closing your eyes and running across the interstate is the same the 1st time as it is the 18th time, the NFL suggests that there is no harm in running across 18 times instead of just once. Brilliant!

[Harlan Huckleby]

Oh gosh, it's not that big of a deal. Add 6 roster spots, make a few minor rule changes with how injuries can be handled and make it happen!!

Why? NFL football in the summer sucks. I like the preseason games, which you can sort-of half watch, but it dimishes the excitement of the season opener if it comes in August. There is a real change after labor day, schools starting, the weather cooling down, etc., and the new football season is part of that change. Summer is for vacations and leisure time activities like baseball. Fall is for the serious business of the football season.

What's the alternative, start the playoffs in late janury? That sucks too, the season is plenty long enough as it is.

18 games will make a real difference in the quality of football. There is zero reason to go this direction, other than money for the NFL owners. The other pro sports are greatly diminished by too many regular season games. Over-doing it in the NFL will be even worse, since the players get so beat-up.

This is a horrible development.

[pack4to84]

So who would be the first RB to finally break Eric Dickerson rushing record? When would Tom Brady's 50 TD record go down? Will 2 extra games a year help P.Manning catch Favre's records? Will it help a RB break Emmitt Smith career rushing record?

[bobblehead]

So who would be the first RB to finally break Eric Dickerson rushing record? When would Tom Brady's 50 TD record go down? Will 2 extra games a year help P.Manning catch Favre's records? Will it help a RB break Emmitt Smith career rushing record?

Chris Johnson, Within 3 years, Yes, and Yes.

[Harlan Huckleby]

Will it help a RB break Emmitt Smith career rushing record?

OK, so there is this small silver lining.

[Noodle]

I'm with Blue Dog on this. This really would be hard on the players -- even a tough guy like Ray Lewis says "hell no!"

Too much of a good thing is not a gooder thing.

[wpony]

I think this would really hurt a team like the Packers that builds through the draft where are you going to get your new players the training and the game exposure they need to learn from and excel.
If they insist on extending the season for us fans LOL ya right at least leave the preseason alone or start a minor league like baseball has.

[Patler]

Going to 14 from 12 was "too much".
Going to 16 from 14 was "too much".
Now going to 18 from 16 is "too much"

But, preseason will shorten just as it did in the past. from 6 to 5 to 4, now 2.
Roster sizes will increase, just as they did in the past, from 32 to 36 to 40, to 48 with 40 active, to 53 active with 45 eligible on game days. I suspect those numbers will change yet again if the season is extended.

The league will adapt, the teams will adapt, the players will adapt.

It's no big deal.

[get louder at lambeau]

Going to 14 from 12 was "too much".
Going to 16 from 14 was "too much".
Now going to 18 from 16 is "too much"

But, preseason will shorten just as it did in the past. from 6 to 5 to 4, now 2.
Roster sizes will increase, just as they did in the past, from 32 to 36 to 40, to 48 with 40 active, to 53 active with 45 eligible on game days. I suspect those numbers will change yet again if the season is extended.

The league will adapt, the teams will adapt, the players will adapt.

It's no big deal.

I say they just follow baseball's lead and have a 162 game regular season plus playoffs and a 7 game championship series.

[vince]

Going to 14 from 12 was "too much".
Going to 16 from 14 was "too much".
Now going to 18 from 16 is "too much"

But, preseason will shorten just as it did in the past. from 6 to 5 to 4, now 2.
Roster sizes will increase, just as they did in the past, from 32 to 36 to 40, to 48 with 40 active, to 53 active with 45 eligible on game days. I suspect those numbers will change yet again if the season is extended.

The league will adapt, the teams will adapt, the players will adapt.

It's no big deal.

I say they just follow baseball's lead and have a 162 game regular season plus playoffs and a 7 game championship series.

...and go to 25-man rosters.

Ladies and gentlemen, introducing your 2012 Packers!


Actually, I'm all for the 18-game schedule. I'd also be for getting rid of the preseason games altogether and going with the way it's done in college. Straight 20-game schedule. Bigger rosters of course. More substitutions. Change the IR rules. Continue to tweak the rules to make the game safer for players. Prevent cut blocks and intentional low hits for example. Figure out how to deal with/prevent head and neck injuries. Schedule non-conference (less important) games first like colleges do.

I'd like to see a few more teams make the playoffs too. Go with a 16-team playoff schedule. Eliminate the playoff byes.

[get louder at lambeau]

Schedule non-conference (less important) games first like colleges do.

That would be pretty cool. Have them start with a non-conference game, then conference, then division.

[Badgerinmaine]

I'd like to see a few more teams make the playoffs too. Go with a 16-team playoff schedule. Eliminate the playoff byes.

Half the teams in the league in the playoffs? No, thanks. Just imagine..."With two games to go, the 6-10 Bears still have a shot at the playoffs!"
On the other hand, Vince, I think the ball boy in the front of your team photo may have a future as a shifty change of pace back.