Several of you have posted something regarding this, and for that I thank you. On last night's 'Bill Polian Show,' which is the non-Internet streamed radio show for the Colts president, Polian addressed a question regarding the possibility of an extended regular season. Polian made it clear that the extended season was no longer a 'possibility.' It was a reality.
He even used fancy Latin words to make his point:
Bill Polian says the 18-game NFL season is a done deal.
During Monday night's weekly radio show, the Indianapolis Colts team president called it a "fait accompli" and said the debate is over. Polian is a member of the league's competition committee and has worked in the league office.
Folks, I've really, REALLY worked hard to try and convey to you just how greedy the NFL can be, and how the league simply views us fans as ATMs. And 18-game season is about nothing more than money, money, and more money for the owners who are already filthy friggin rich.
Polian makes it clear (as only Polian can) by saying the debate is over. Of course, this was a debate that did not include the fans, nor has it really included the players. I have yet to read any player go on record as saying they are for extending the regular season, and if I'm a player union rep (like Jeff Saturday), I'm thinking Polian's claim that the debate is over could be yet another instance of the Colts president blabbing his mouth about something he clearly isn't qualified to pontificate about (the first one was criticizing the Colts o-line after the Super Bowl).
I understand Polian is a mouthpiece for the owners. Clearly, he has to side with them. They pay his salary. Also, from his perspective, the debate might indeed be over. I don't think Polian was jazzed about an 18-game season. Why would he be? Polian likely protested, and the owners probably told him to STFU because 1) Many owners hate Polian because he is a known jack ass, and 2) Because Polian is an employee of owners, and is not in any position to counter their decisions.
They probably told him that if he didn't like it, he could go back to working for the Montreal Alouettes (where Polian started his career).
So, in this instance, I'm inclined to think that Polian likely tried his best to provide a football reasoning to keep the season at 16 games. Polian might be a jerk, but I do genuinely think he cares about the game of football, and (like many of us) he thinks an 18-game season is a bad idea. However, owners like Jerry Jones and Dan Snider don't care much for Bill Polian's reasoning. They care only for this stuff, and an 18-game season give them more of it.
Again, we're just ATMs to these people.
However, if owners really think the 'debate is over' and the union is going to take less money but play more real games (thus exposing their players to increased injury risk), then either the owners are just THAT dumb or the union is THAT spineless.
An additional factor is the fans don't like this idea. Have you met anyone who wants an 18-game regular season? I haven't.
PFT talks more on this:
We've danced around this one before, but let's remove any ambiguity. We don't like it. We think that, if anything, the regular season should be "enhanced" to 17 games. With barely 32 competent quarterbacks and nowhere close to the 64 needed to ensure that a team would be able to survive an injury to the most important guy on the field, adding more than 10 percent of live reps to each season will result in more injuries to starters, along with a diluted significance of each and every game.
But why bother? If it's a done deal, it's a done deal.
Again, I'm not so sure it's a done deal. If I'm a player in the union, I make damn certain it isn't. Less money, but more work and a greater chance to get myself hurt (and possibly end my career)? Hell no!
This might just be a case of Polian expressing that the owners are now unified in wanting an 18-game season, and will use it as a chip in the card game that will be the collective bargaining talks. We agree with PFT, and many others who have written FanPosts here: An 18-game regular season is a terrible idea, and will be the beginning of the end for the football we know and love.
However, for a possible ray of sunshine, I turn to DevilsReject:
A longer schedule would mean a larger roster….which means you would have a better rotation in some key areas….I’d wager it will require a full 65 player roster to balance out the extra 2 games.
Why 65? Current 53 man roster plus 7 player practice squad…..and then add 5 more players….
What this then does is remove the need for a practice squad…..