Comments on: Goodell says Thursday football doesn’t put players at risk

By: Deb

Deb — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 23:53:07 +0000

So … the commissioner says he has data to assess the impact of Thursday night games on injury stats? Does that mean he’s also using data to assess the impact of his “safety” measures on injury stats? Is he going to share this data with the public so we can all see how well his programs are working?

By: Deb

Deb — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 22:21:33 +0000

Is Goodell using actual hard data now to assess the impact of Thursday night games on injury stats? Does that mean he’s also using data to assess the impact of his fining programs on injury stats? Is he going to share this data with the public so we can all see the numbers?

By: baileyxroader

baileyxroader — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 23:42:51 +0000

How is this guy still Commissioner? Has he watched any Thursday night games? Its a terrible product on Thursday. Players haven’t recovered from the last game and that leads to injuries. I love watching the NFL, but leave Thursday nights to the colleges as the NFL the play on the field is sloppy.

By: rcali

rcali — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 17:19:40 +0000

Let’s not let the truth get in the way of profits.

By: hardrockfootballfanatic

hardrockfootballfanatic — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 15:43:57 +0000

The answer is simple. Add a second bye week to the season. Allow that plays on a Sunday to not have another game until Thursday night, a week and half later. After they play that game, they get a second bye week.

By: bigredscouting

bigredscouting — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 13:22:06 +0000

There is no way Goodell will ever admit this. Their broadcast team is terrible and NFL Network is garbage beyond Rich Eisen and any broadcast with Faulk, Irvin, and Sanders together. Thursday football is for thanksgiving only. But much like everything else Goodell does, its another bad idea.

By: wikipediasaidso

wikipediasaidso — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 13:04:24 +0000

Why don’t they just schedule the Thursday night teams to have their bye the previous weekend?
===================

Oh, sure. All the teams that already complain when they get stuck with the week 4 (too early) or week 10 (too late) bye would just love to see even earlier and later byes possible.

The expanded Thursday slate is a scheduling nightmare no matter what you do. It’s too hard to make it fair. I like watching NFL games as much as anyone but to me it’s just a money-grab for the NFL, which wasn’t exactly struggling before. I can’t believe the NFLPA agreed to it. I wouldn’t really miss it, especially if they just brought back the late-season Saturday games after college TV contracts are done.

By: lawyermalloy

lawyermalloy — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 13:03:26 +0000

They should have asked each individual player.
What’s so difficult is when the Union, as an entity, agrees to certain things in the heat of negotiating. I don’t believe that player safety was ever part of the conversation in the “give and take” that occurs at the negotiating table.
Former players I have talked to indicate that a document circulates in the locker room, via email et al. asking that the player sign his name allowing the union to act for them. For small issues like expanding the schedule or Thursday play don’t ask for player approval. The players are partially responsible for their fate for granting the Union unfettered authority to act for them.

By: a55hol

a55hol — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 12:44:52 +0000

For years, all you heard was that the Lions and Cowboys had an advantage by playing on Thanksgiving Thursday because of the time off afterward. Now that we have Thursday games, its a “disadvantage” because of the short week of practice prior to that. Funny how it’s an advantage to the teams you dont like, but when your team has to play a Thursday game, all of a sudden its a disadvantage. Leave Thursday games alone, its the only excuse I have to get out of the house and go to BWW’s with the guys midweek.

By: pgh15212

pgh15212 — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 12:42:48 +0000

I guess Goodell knows more about playing the game than players like Ray Lewis!

By: steelers88

steelers88 — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 11:42:09 +0000

Sure Godell you just want money in your big wallet.

By: hodag54501

hodag54501 — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 11:29:48 +0000

Most of you forget a few points:

1)Goodell is the paid mouthpiece for the owners. The owners act like gods.

2)The NFL didn’t give a **** about player safety until they started getting sued.

3)Thursday football is all about money. More revenue for the owners at the player’s health expense.

4)The owners form their own network, then use the money given them by the commercial networks(billions of dollars) to form what will be a competing network to the networks that just paid them billions of dollars.

This is the nose of the camel under the tent. They want ALL of the games on the NFL Network and you will either pay per game or not see it. That is the game plan. You can deny it, but you won’t when the camel poops on your Sundays.

By: walterappledorf

walterappledorf — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 11:19:42 +0000

The owners really need to get rid of Goodell and hire a new commissioner that will get rid of Thursday night games, shelve the idea of an 18 game season, halt the spread of international games, provide financing, staffing and rule changes that allow for appropriate medical care for players . . . and most importantly, stop using hard water when simonizing the owner’s grandkid’s BMW’s. It’s so embarrassing for a 16 year-old to drive a Porsche or Beemer to school with streaks on the finish. Dammit Roger!!!!

By: FinFan68

FinFan68 — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 11:05:27 +0000

It’s bad for the game and for the players. Less time to heal and less time to prepare mean the product is not as good as it could/should be. The only positive is increased revenue from another prime time game. The money always wins. The changes over the last several years are ruining the game.

By: wolfmanpatriot

wolfmanpatriot — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 10:24:13 +0000

“We don’t have any information that indicates from our data that playing on Thursdays in any way decreases the safety of our players,” Goodell told the media after the conclusion of Wednesday’s quarterly ownership meetings.
———————————————

OK, so you don’t ‘have’ any information. At any time, did you ever RECEIVE any information should be the question.

By: packfaninvikeland

packfaninvikeland — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 06:31:05 +0000

show him the data that proves him wrong..

By: dannythebisforbeast

dannythebisforbeast — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 04:52:26 +0000

Roger I challenge you to a fight this Sunday. After we get done beating the crap out of each other, or more likely I get done beating the crap out of you, we’re going to have a rematch. Tell me would you rather the rematch be 4 days later or 7 days later? What an idiot. The players ALL say how difficult it is to recover so quickly. Will go down as worst commissioner the NFL ever had

By: anacherforester

anacherforester — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 04:43:27 +0000

“losing billions in the ongoing lawsuits may open the owners eyes.”

The League will never, ever lose billions in lawsuits regardless of their merit. Who do you think can afford the best lawyers, the NFL or anyone else?

By: wludford

wludford — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 04:37:25 +0000

At the end of the day, there are a lot of owners looking to turn a profit when they sell the franchise and have billion-dollar stadiums to pay for (or at least part of the cost). At the same time, players want more and more and more too.

Neither the NFL or the NFLPA are looking out for what’s best for the game of football.

Boycotting the Super Bowl would send a message to the NFL unlike any other in the history of professional sports.

It’s time.

By: brianjoates

brianjoates — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 04:08:05 +0000

Not really a fan of the Thursday Night games. I like the games on Sunday and one Monday Night.
The league should really look into adjusting the start times of the Thursday and Monday night game based on who is playing. Two East coast teams should not start near 9pm east coast.

By: realfootballfan

realfootballfan — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 04:06:07 +0000

Well, Goodell is an idiot. There’s a simple solution if owners are intent on squeezing the cash cow by adding this horrible product that hasn’t produced one memorable game this year, simply give every team a bye the week before their Thursday game appearance. That way, every team gets to appear on the NFL network, you stop risking players’ careers for a cash grab, and the quality of the games would go up since both teams would be coming in fresh off of 9 or 10 day layoffs.

The Lions and Cowboys would of course get the same bye every year, but that’s their tradition that I’m sure they won’t give up. There’s actually the perfect number of teams to get this done with the first week following the Thursday kickofff game and the final week being the obvious skips if the league insists on doing this.

Then, there’s the more logical solution of getting rid of these games all together.

By: wludford

wludford — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 04:05:27 +0000

Roger Goodell is CEO of NFL Inc. His job is to increase the bottom-line for owners, and market the product as best he can, and put a good face on the business when it comes to public relations.

That’s not what an NFL commissioner’s job should be, or what the game needs, but that is what it has become.

Most of the changes the league has made over the past 20 years have fattened the paychecks of owners (GB excepted ) and players at the expense of the game and its fans.

Thursday night games are just another in a long list of sacrificing the game to increase revenue.

How many head coaches like Thursday night games? Zero. No time to prepare, no time to rest players. They could have added another Sunday night game, but that wouldn’t add as much TV revenue.

There was a time between the 1970s and roughly the early- to mid- 1990s when the game was at its best- because the rules made it that way. Teams that won the Super Bowl or were top contenders were actually complete, balanced teams- could run or pass well, played good defense.

Since then, the game has been cheapened into more of a flag football contest between QBs and less of a team sport. Outcomes are increasingly decided by jump balls and bad calls, and there is often a disconnect between the play on the field and the score of the game.

Then of course there are the other problems:

1. Outrageous player salaries and off-the-field conduct…

2. One-dimensional, otherwise mediocre, throw-away Super Bowl champion teams…

3. A host of other franchises that can never compete because they don’t have a good QB…

4. Stupid lock-outs and referee strikes…

…The list goes on.

I think its time to give the NFL the ultimate wake-up call:

BOYCOTT THE SUPER BOWL

By: cags777

cags777 — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 03:57:09 +0000

What a load of crap. We had a cornerback break his arm on a Thursday night following a Sunday game. Granted the tackle would have ended with the same result had it been a Sunday. But to say this is not an issue of player safety is a bit disingenuous. It should also be pointed out that most NFL fans aren’t engaged with Thursday Night Football as Sunday and Monday Night Football.

By: joe400e

joe400e — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 03:55:50 +0000

I meant to say “maybe he should start with this”

By: chi01town

chi01town — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 03:54:29 +0000

Why would anybody agree with anything this slug says? Football is played on SUNDAY and Monday nights. the players need rest and time to heal… its a rough game out there. The NFLPA needs to start trying to get rid of Goodell BEFORE HE GET RID OF THE NFL

By: jnovi86

jnovi86 — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 03:54:10 +0000

Next year I’m going to name my fantasy team name Darth Goodell and as comissioner I’ll impose a lot of dumb rules that dont make sense, impose penalties on teams for no reason, then make dumb comments to everyone. then when everyone demands i step down I’ll just claim im making the league better

By: joe400e

joe400e — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 03:53:34 +0000

If Goodell wants to help with players safety then maybe he should with this-
Since January 2000, NFL players have been arrested at least 624 times on various charges, including 42 times this year, according to data compiled by USA TODAY Sports.
Of those 624 arrests, 177 (28%) were arrested because they were suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Despite the league’s various attempts to stop the problem, it remains the single-biggest criminal issue in the NFL.
Nothing else comes close. Nothing else has been more deadly.

By: justintuckrule

justintuckrule — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 03:51:24 +0000

I’m convinced that he’s incapable of saying or doing anything correctly.

By: thebigcaptain2011

thebigcaptain2011 — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 03:51:21 +0000

Are these ''facts'' from the same place you got your ''bounty evidence'' from? Look, I don't even like the Saints but this was handled about as poorly as anything I've seen in pro sports outside of the NHL lockout and the replacement refs.

By: SparkyGump

SparkyGump — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 03:50:02 +0000

Through their greed, the NFL team owners risk killing their golden goose. What fools.