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Commissioner for a Day: How do you fix the NFL? (1 Viewer)

Hot Sauce Guy

Footballguy
Lots of topics and discussion lately about how broken things seem to be and many of the flaws seem to be either showing up more frequently in the national prime time games or at least there's more of a spotlight on them since more of us are watching the same things.

Let's say you win a contest and get to be Roger Goddell's replacement for a day, and you're allowed to change any 5 things about the NFL.  What do you do to fix it? 

I'll go 1st: 

1. Pass interference: 15 yard penalty, not spot of foul.  No penalty in the NFL should be worth 20, 30, 40, 50 yards, as we see every week.

2. Pass Interference:  should be a review-able penalty.  Teams still only get the limited challenges per game (and per half) so it won't slow the game any more than it already does, but there are clearly defined rules for what constitutes pass interference, and as we've seen, refs are not infallible creatures. 

3. Remove the on-field penalty for a coach throwing a flag for a non-review-able play. 

4. Grade refs after every single game. Every ref's calls should be held under scrutiny - refs are human and humans make mistakes, which is why there are many refs, and why there's a replay system. But if a ref consistently puts in sub-par work, misses calls blatantly and repeatedly, then they cannot be allowed to be refs in professional football.  As much as the refs are insinuating themselves into games these days, it's that much more apparent when they're bad at their job.  

5. Tackles are tackles are tackles. There are clear rules against spearing and helmet to helmet contact. Forcing players to hit low is seemingly increasing the number of knee and ankle injuries. The rules put in for this seem like a token response to the concussion issue, and a hastily conceived one at that. They're causing more harm than good, and seemingly increasing lower body injuries while not preventing concussions. 

That's my off-the-cuff list - what's yours? How do you fix the NFL? 

 
Just to play devil's advocate... and I don't even know where I stand on this, but if pass interference wasn't a spot foul why not just tackle, knock over, hold, etc... the receiver any time it is imminent you may be beat and they will make the catch, speaking as the defender.

 
Just to play devil's advocate... and I don't even know where I stand on this, but if pass interference wasn't a spot foul why not just tackle, knock over, hold, etc... the receiver any time it is imminent you may be beat and they will make the catch, speaking as the defender.
 15 yard penalty is a pretty substantial penalty - enough so that this likely would not happen in my opinion.  

 
Just to play devil's advocate... and I don't even know where I stand on this, but if pass interference wasn't a spot foul why not just tackle, knock over, hold, etc... the receiver any time it is imminent you may be beat and they will make the catch, speaking as the defender.
How about tie in flagarant fouls to unsportsmanlike conduct?   You get enough of them...you're gone from the game. 

 
GET rid of Thursday night football games

Shorten pre-season games to two (teams allowed to schedule scrimmages with other teams if they choose to)

Get Jon Gruden OFF MNF football - He has good views but NEVER shuts up and repeats the same comments over and over and over and Schullman is not the right parter for him

 
 15 yard penalty is a pretty substantial penalty - enough so that this likely would not happen in my opinion.  
I think it would only happen in critical moments, but with a much higher visibility because of how important those moment are. Driving 80 yards with 30 seconds and no time outs. Any throw over 15 yards and you are getting beat. Tackle the receiver before he has a chance to catch the ball.

 
I saw bring back team celebrations on TDs and eliminate personal foul penalties for TDs at the same time tightening personal foul penalties for celebrations on non TD plays. 

 
I'll go 1st: 

3. Remove the on-field penalty for a coach throwing a flag for a non-review-able play. 
Already implemented. Arians tried reviewing the blocked FG and only lost a TO on Sunday night.

I would implement 2 rules from college:

1 foot in for a catch.  (and their definition of a catch)

First down temporarily stops clock in last 2 minutes of half.

 
I saw bring back team celebrations on TDs and eliminate personal foul penalties for TDs at the same time tightening personal foul penalties for celebrations on non TD plays. 
I almost had one about celebrations since I miss them so much. 

I like your addition though - nothing irritates me more than seeing some fat dude doing a sack celebration with their team losing 37-9

 
Already implemented. Arians tried reviewing the blocked FG and only lost a TO on Sunday night.

I would implement 2 rules from college:

1 foot in for a catch.  (and their definition of a catch)

First down temporarily stops clock in last 2 minutes of half.
overtime rules too imo

 
I think it would only happen in critical moments, but with a much higher visibility because of how important those moment are. Driving 80 yards with 30 seconds and no time outs. Any throw over 15 yards and you are getting beat. Tackle the receiver before he has a chance to catch the ball.
last 2 minutes of the game it reverts to a spot foul

 
1. Kickoffs from the 20 yard line.  I know that returns have a lot of injuries, but I think the kickoff return is one of the more exciting plays in the NFL.  I hate all the touchbacks.

2. Endzone celebrations allowed, as long as you don't taunt your opponent.

3. The clock stops to move the chains within 2 minutes of a half or game.   Clock resumes once the chains are put down and the ref blows the whistle.

4. Narrower goalposts.  Kickers today are too good.  More strategy involved.  Do you try and kick a 45 yd FG where, say you have a 40% chance of missing it....or go for it on 4th and 5?

5. Change overtime to the college rules.  Ball is on the opponent 25, each team gets a chance to score.....play until one team is ahead.... No ties.  After 2nd possession, must start going for 2 after TDs. Would be a fantasy footballer's dream (or nightmare if your opponent has players going into overtime).  Never been a big fan of the overtime rules, but the new rules are better than the old ones, where the coin flip can determine if you win or lose.

 
1. Kickoffs from the 20 yard line.  I know that returns have a lot of injuries, but I think the kickoff return is one of the more exciting plays in the NFL.  I hate all the touchbacks.
Agree - the change has removed KR/PR TDs - anyone remember how exciting Devin Hester used to be? It was must-see TV any time he was back ready to return. Now KR/PR has all the excitement of a wet fart. 

4. Narrower goalposts.  Kickers today are too good.  More strategy involved.  Do you try and kick a 45 yd FG where, say you have a 40% chance of missing it....or go for it on 4th and 5?
I love this suggestion,. 

5. Change overtime to the college rules.  Ball is on the opponent 25, each team gets a chance to score.....play until one team is ahead.... No ties.  After 2nd possession, must start going for 2 after TDs. Would be a fantasy footballer's dream (or nightmare if your opponent has players going into overtime).  Never been a big fan of the overtime rules, but the new rules are better than the old ones, where the coin flip can determine if you win or lose.
Agree - who cares if there are 11 overtimes. Ties are ridiculous. 

 
If I am commissioner for only a day, I assume Goodell still is the commish. Therefore, I fire him and take his job full-time.

 
Eliminate Thursday Night Football except for Thanksgiving. Prove that the NFL is concerned with player health & safety by not making them play on 3 days rest. 

 
Eliminate Thursday Night Football except for Thanksgiving. Prove that the NFL is concerned with player health & safety by not making them play on 3 days rest. 
I wouldn't mind the Thursday night game if both teams were coming off of a bye week and had 10 days rest.

Otherwise, I agree.

 
1) Kill Thursday night football.  Makes no sense

2) The broadcasters are killing the sport.  So, so bland.  Listening to last night made me realize how much I miss Tirico on MNF.  At least some excitement and he properly set up the commentators.  Michael Irvin and Deion Sanders have to be fired yesterday.  Obnoxious and unlistenable.  And Marshall Faulk just isn't good.  That has to be the worst crew in history. I'm impressed with some of the newer guys.  Like Ryan Clark a lot. Get him engaged.  And Randy Moss is surprisingly insightful without being all ego.

3) Let people celebrate.  Any way they want to as long as it's not outright vulgar/offensive to the viewing public (no throat slashing, grabbing crotch, etc).  For crying out loud.  Let them dance.  If it pisses the other team off so be it.  Play better.  If you lose your cool and get a flag because you can't control your emotions that's on you.

4) Any coach that allows his QB to throw short of the line 90% of the time on 4th down should be fired by the league.  Sorry, personal rant.  I just don't get it.  Bad QB play hurts the league more than anything.  Games that are a punt fest are just boring.

5) Let the players play a little bit.  It's like the NBA.  You could call a foul on every play if you wanted to.  Step back zebras - it's not about you.

6) Get Roger out of there.  He's stale and arrogant.  Time for new blood.

 
last 2 minutes of the game it reverts to a spot foul
This is a good suggestion because it eliminates the potential to just tackle guys on hail marys. But as for other points of the game, college rules are 15 yards only for PI and I can probably count on JPP's hand the amount of times I've seen DBs tackle a WR when beat badly. In theory it would happen even less in the NFL when the players are more evenly matched. 

 
One of my first thoughts was already mentioned in narrow goalposts.  Hate all the drives where it seems teams are happy kicking for 3.

I go the other way on celebrating and don't like seeing it even after a touchdown.  If you are celebrating because you made a tackle or jumping up and signaling first down after you get a first down (especially when you are down by 2 touchdowns) you need to be punished.  Not sure if I want that player kicked out of the game or just want the other team to go maul on said player?

No players calling for a flag to be thrown.  You do your job and let the refs do theirs.

 
1)Change OT rules, no game will end in a tie.

2)Make all plays reviewable and have an elected group of officials handle the reviews remotely as opposed to a single puppet. In addition to this I will take the existing official training program and make it twice as big, in terms of capacity and duration. Then I would rotate crews using a merit based system, prime time games will pay more but only the best crews will officiate them ( I think it currently works this way, they just suck rating their crews.) Pay rate would be changed to a base pay that increases linearly and is multiplicative with prime games. If their performance struggles they will be cycled out of officiating until they are fit to officiate again.

3)Eliminate all low hits, including blocks. Institute a targeting rule, immediate ejection for anyone found intentionally trying to injure someone, applies to hits not excessive tackling - min 1 game suspension.

4)Change kickoff formations to be more like punting formations where the 7 players on the receiving team have to lineup opposing the kicking team, whatever the distance is. Goal being to reduce kick off injuries by having players running the same direction - while maintaining the onside kickoff as a possibility.

5)Change the concussion spotters to be actual third parties and give them the final word opposed to the current system where team doctors can override their decision. Make baselines available so it doesn't conflict with the current procedure.

 
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Try to judge malicious intent into personal fouls. I feel like I've seen 20+ times this season, where defenders lined up a perfectly legal hit on a player with the ball, only for that player(usually QB's, but sometimes pass catchers) to duck and it to become a helmet to helmet hit. Those plays shouldn't be penalties. The defender is penalized for doing nothing wrong, and it encourages the offensive player to take a hit to the helmet.

 
1.  Any play can be challenged.  Penalty, turnover, spot, PI, anything.  Keep same # of challenges though. 

2.  Not an NFL thing as much as a TV thing, but way too many stoppages in play for TV timeouts.  Score a TD, pause for 4 min of commercial.  Back to tv, they kickoff, it's kneeled in the end zone, then 4 more min of commercials, then they go again.  Add in that all scoring plays are reviewed and it's 10-12 minutes of real time elapsed between a touchdown being scored and the other team starting their next drive.  Speed it up!

3.  OT Rules:  each team gets possession, starting at the 50 yd line, no game clock. Love the college OT, but start outside of FG range at least. 

 
Just to play devil's advocate... and I don't even know where I stand on this, but if pass interference wasn't a spot foul why not just tackle, knock over, hold, etc... the receiver any time it is imminent you may be beat and they will make the catch, speaking as the defender.
15 yards is the college rule. Is college football full of the situation you describe? I think it's unlikely that would happen.

 
Agree - who cares if there are 11 overtimes. Ties are ridiculous. 
A lot of people would care. You know what I do when a baseball game goes into extra innings? I watch the 10th to see if it will end. If it doesn't end in the 10th, I turn it off and go to bed. I'm not going to commit to a never-ending game.

And, ties are awesome. They are a better representation of what really happened than a situation where you continue playing just so you can crown a winner.

 
No more London bull####. 
I don't have a strong opinion on whether some games are played in London, but the start times are stupid. Make it a primetime game in London with an afternoon start time in the US (East Coast, at least) and just make them normal regional coverage broadcasts as if the game was being played normally.

 
Find a way to get back to spontaneous celebrations when a big play or touchdown occurs. Making us wait until the replay officials analyze everything and notify the game officials has sucked the emotion out of the moment (and the air out of the game).

One other comment on all of this Black Op's quality camera work and "the catch (or not)"... the human body, the ball, and even the turf they play on has some plasticity to it. When these objects come crashing together EVERYTHING DEFLECTS! It has something to do with energy distribution and "for every action there is an equal and opposite blah blah blah"… in other words, THE BALL MOVES EVERY TIME! And I'm sure that it always has. Let's keep the action in action.

 
4. Grade refs after every single game. Every ref's calls should be held under scrutiny - refs are human and humans make mistakes, which is why there are many refs, and why there's a replay system. But if a ref consistently puts in sub-par work, misses calls blatantly and repeatedly, then they cannot be allowed to be refs in professional football.  As much as the refs are insinuating themselves into games these days, it's that much more apparent when they're bad at their job.  
Someone can correct me if I'm wrong on this, but I believe the NFL's hands are tied on this one now.  This (ability to discipline referees for poor performance on a week to week basis) is one of the things the NFL wanted that the refs were striking against a few years back.  That I believe was one of the things they had to give up to end the strike when short-sighted fans rioted against the replacement refs while forgetting how poor the regular refs were.

So yeah, kind of a reap what you sow thing here.  "We're tired of the bad replacements, give us back those bad regular part time referees who don't want their employers to be able to demote them based on performance during the season".  What could go wrong?

 
1.  Make the kickoff optional for the kicking team.  Ball would be placed on the 25 otherwise.

2.  Limit Thursday games to teams coming off of a bye, and limit to only six - eight games per year (not counting Thanksgiving).

3.  One foot in bounds for catches.  This would speed up the game a great deal.  Less stoppage for review and keeps the clock going instead of incomplete pass.

4.  No commercial break after kickoff.  Go back to suggestion #1

5.  Sensor in the football to tell if the ball crosses the goal line.  

 
it would never happen, but a reduction of commercial breaks is totally necessary. 

Eliminate "television time outs" altogether.  This was a pure money grab by the NFL and I remember being at live games and baffled by the play stoppage for TV commercials. Total disruption to play. 

And now it's the "old spice field goal attempt" and the "jack links player of the game" - that's all bad enough, but cutting to commercial after every change of possession, after every score and after every timeout is maddening.

as a home viewer it completely ruins the game experience with so much interruption. 

I remember when watching football as a kid, having far fewer interruptions - it felt like you were part of the experience. You'd see players in the huddle or on the sidelines for longer periods of time.  Probably 30% more airtime for just seeing the field of play. 

While it's not the highlight of the game, it is an integral part to see the kicking team run out for the FG. It lends to the overall experience when the televised game isn't sliced into little live-action snippets and all the in-between stuff is traded out for television commercials or face time for the booth guys to say something inane.

oh, and any time a commercial cuts back to the game having MISSED a down, the producer should be taken behind the stadium and put to death. 

 
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4.  No commercial break after kickoff.  Go back to suggestion #1  
There are 10 commercial breaks per half. One is mandated at the end of the 1st/3rd quarter and one at each 2 minute warning. The other 8 per half are at other points that we typically see them. So, saying they won't be after a kickoff just sends them to a different time in the game. I think what most people want is fewer breaks and a shorter overall broadcast time. For that to realistically happen, I think the lost revenue and lost advertising exposure would need to then come from somewhere else because I don't think it's reasonable to say that the league should make less money. Sponsored uniforms?

 
Is this how i would fix the NFL for the NFL or how would i fix it for me?
Well, no one responded to my request for clarification, so i'm just going ahead in the pigheaded way that makes me a FBG.

90% of the appeal of professional football is its gladitorial aspect. It is an abstract of war with the most powerfully gifted armored athletes in the world gathered in teams and tasked by their masters to gain ground on their enemies without committing crimes. The hypocrisy in pretending pro football is anything more or less than that is foolish and, frankly, feminine.

I have been close enough to fasttrack athletes on the way up and once they've made it to know that, on the path thru college to pros, athletes are fed raw meat, all their behaviors are excused and all their flaws coddled if it gets them on the field in prime condition. While 'making them men' is a good way to get them to learn, behave and cooperate, it is not essential to the coming-up of an athlete and, done by rule alone, is but pretense.

Were I NFL commissioner, it would be back to gladiator. Take all the roids you want, all the drugs you want, play/act/celebrate how your coach wants, your private behavior is now a legal matter and not a league matter because league matters are brand matters and, if i got all the ticket-buyers and watchers salivating for my product (and i will this way), #### the brand. I'M THE ####### BRAND!!!!

nufced

 
3) Let people celebrate.  Any way they want to as long as it's not outright vulgar/offensive to the viewing public (no throat slashing, grabbing crotch, etc).  For crying out loud.  Let them dance.  If it pisses the other team off so be it.  Play better.  If you lose your cool and get a flag because you can't control your emotions that's on you.
Agree. Remember this guy? Fun to watch.

Bit of a slippery slope as you don't want celebrations to carry on for 5 minutes, involve the whole team, etc. Hard to regulate, but it definitely made the game more fun.

 
1) Define a catch as two feet, a knee, or your butt plus possession. Dump anything after that in the current description (maintaining possession through hitting the ground, making a football move, etc.)

2) Spell out in the league rule book, operations manual, CBA, etc. EXACTLY what is allowed and not allowed within the rules and what the penalties are. Then enforce it, no exceptions or mitigating circumstances. First time offense for domestic abuse means 6 games. a 4-game drug or PED suspension needs to be 4 games. Also, leave the marijuana policies on the books but just don't test for it. Save that for guys with other issues that you can't nail them on and then hit them with a pot suspension if all else fails. This would limit the power of the commish to make up suspensions and would get the players to stop appealing and whining about suspensions, The NFL needs consistency.

3) For egregious, targeting, or blatantly cheap shots, the person committing the foul is suspended for as long as the injured player remains out. If the player does not miss time, have a progressive suspension system (1 game the first time, 2 games the next time, 4 games the third time, 8 times the fourth, etc.). So for this one, the party with the cheap shot would be out for whichever were longer (the amount the injured player was out or the progressive suspension).

4) Take away the automatic first down component of defensive penalties. Nothing worse than seeing a 3rd and 38 become a first down for a ticky tack 5 yard defensive holding penalty on an 8 yard pass. And while we're at it, eliminate defensive pass interference on balls that are clearly way under thrown. Offenses should not benefit from a bad pass which many times is the QB just trying to avoid a sack. Also need to better define and call offensive pass interference on rub routes or bubble screens. I have seen the same type of play in the same game called OPI, not called at all, and defensive holding.

5) Make all aspects of all plays reviewable and each team gets 3 per game, but instead of losing a time out, if you lose a challenge make it a 15 yard penalty. That would cut down on stupid challenges, especially if winning the challenge wouldn't even net 15 yards.

 
1. Let humans be humans, let people celebrate accomplishments reflective of their personalities. As long as it's not sexually suggestive or blatant in your face taunting, let the people live a little.

2. 2 game preseason. Owners clearly want a longer Reg season. There you go, 2 game pre, 18 game reg.

3. I want more European action that is equal to all teams. 2 games a week between weeks 3-10 (let each team get a home opener), then each team plays a game in Europe each year, then by week 11 everyone is back at home to focus on the playoff race.

4. End Thursday nights. It's been years now. It just consistently has not worked.

5. This really shouldn't be hard, but GOODELL, you sorry piece of trash, how is there not a standardized penalty for being involved with crap off the field? You dig your own grave doing it on a case by case basis. You beat your girlfriend? Auto 8 game 1st offense, no questions asked. You got in a fight with police? 4 game 1st offense, no questions asked.

 
There are 10 commercial breaks per half. One is mandated at the end of the 1st/3rd quarter and one at each 2 minute warning. The other 8 per half are at other points that we typically see them. So, saying they won't be after a kickoff just sends them to a different time in the game.
Plus the bonus breaks with injury timeout and every other timeout called by the teams. 

I think what most people want is fewer breaks and a shorter overall broadcast time. For that to realistically happen, I think the lost revenue and lost advertising exposure would need to then come from somewhere else because I don't think it's reasonable to say that the league should make less money. Sponsored uniforms?
I'd be fine with ads on uniforms if it means better continuity in the game. The constant cut to commercial is a significant distraction. 

 
Eliminate Thursday night football.

Play doubleheaders on Monday instead.

Let the players formulate the rule for what a catch is.

Play only 2 preseason games.

Add 1 game to the regular season.

Give teams 2 bye weeks.

Make field goals over 55 yards worth 4 points.

 

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