We’re grateful that the NFL has opted to make a big push for the so-called “enhanced season” on the cusp of the dead period on the calendar, since we’ll likely have a stream of posts over the next few weeks with the insights of players who are opposed to (so far, several) and in favor of (so far, only Lance Briggs) an 18-game regular season.
Most recently, Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald has spoken out against growing the games that count by more than 10 percent.
“I think the NFL season is long enough as it is,” Fitzgerald told Bickley and MJ on Xtra Sports 910 in Phoenix on Friday. “It is a real grind. . . . It’s a brutal sport.”
And it is. Regardless of any studies or reports or other analyses, adding two regular-season games equates to adding 120 minutes of live reps at full speed for full-time starters. There will be more injuries, and careers could be shortened.
But Fitzgerald accepts the fact that, if players are paid for two extra games, they’ll be willing to play the extra two games.