If only Josh McDaniels were as up front and forthright as NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. If so, we would have to do a lot less guessing and speculating about Coach J-Mac’s relationship with Jay Cutler.
You have to like Goodell. In a league infamous for its paranoia and coachspeak, the Commish tells it like it is. Take the recent league meetings in Southern California, where Goodell made his strongest statement yet about his desire for a longer regular season.
“Fans don’t believe preseason games are up to our standards,” Goodell said.
You think? Preseason games are beyond laughable. They’re an insult to every fan’s intelligence.
Right. Like, after all those weight-lifting workouts, film sessions, mini-camps and training camp two-a-days, NFL teams need four games to figure things out. The only reason the preseason lasts that long is so the owners can line their pockets.
Players don’t receive their usual game checks until the regular season starts, but suffice to say the owners haven’t passed along their savings to the fans. Instead, they force them to pay regular-season prices for preseason games or run the risk of losing their season tickets.
I’ve always felt that amounted to legal blackmail, though, of course, I would never use that term. Oops, I guess I just did.
Now comes Goodell, who dislikes the preseason as much as the paying customers, so much so that he’s planning to do something about it.
All indications are that the expanded regular season will kick in in 2011 or soon thereafter. But the timing doesn’t really matter. What matters is this: Thanks to the commissioner, the NFL will be doing something for its fans.
Unless, of course, you’re that guy in Section 112 who paints his face for games in August.
Follow Jim Armstrong’s sports updates on The Jimmy Page during the week. And read his columns on Tuesdays and Thursdays at .
He can be reached at 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com.
