Today’s questions about the Broncos come from David Cannady of Stony Point, N.C. Send your questions via e-mail to jlegwold@denverpost.com.
Q: The NFL wants to add two games to the regular-season schedule? Player evaluation will suffer as a result, as will the players, who take more hits. Teams qualifying for the playoffs will be more beaten up. Why is the NFL pushing for more regular-season games?
A: NFL commissioner Roger Goodell isn’t a fan of preseason football. He says his research and experience show fans want regular-season games instead of preseason games.
Goodell also talks a lot about maintaining the “20-game format” to increase the number of regular-season games. Right now that means four preseason games and 16 regular-season games for each team.
Goodell would like an 18-game regular season and two preseason games for each team.
Players have concerns about the extra pounding they would take. But make no mistake, the NFL’s push for more regular-season games is all about money. And money is part of the players’ opposition too. Players are paid their base salaries during the 17 weeks of the regular season, which includes a bye for each team. Each player gets one-17th of his base salary each week. Stipends are paid for offseason workouts and training camp.
Players are against an expansion of the regular season without a corresponding bump in pay. They don’t want to play two more regular-season games “for free.” Especially when the NFL is talking about reducing the players’ share of overall revenue.
“We are taking the 20 games that we are looking at, and we are proposing and working with the union and figuring out the best way to do that,” Goodell said during Super Bowl week. “If we can’t do it right, we won’t do it. But consistent with the safety issues, you always have to keep safety as a priority, under any format. Injuries occur in preseason games, including the four preseason games, so you have to try to look to see what you can do in the offseason.”
Goodell is hinting at less formalized work in the offseason for players in exchange for the 18-game regular season. Teams likely would have to increase their rosters to get a bigger regular season at the bargaining table, because the NFL Players Association would seek the creation of more jobs.
Legitimate safety and long-term health concerns would come with an expanded schedule. But both sides will argue more about who gets paid, and how much, with an expanded schedule.
Jeff Legwold: 303-954-2359 or jlegwold@denverpost.com
