If You Replaced Tags...

[Hostile]

...as NFL Commissioner, what would be the main items on your agenda?


1. I would orchestrate the move of the Saints to Los Angeles. It just makes sense to have a team in the #2 TV Market. I think the team needs a makeover and fresh start. They virtually don't have a home.

2. To compensate New Orleans for the loss of their team I award all future Super Bowls not already set to New Orleans with the caveat that they build a suitable stadium to handle the game. The Super Bowl would be a neutral site and New Orleans would have Super Bowl revenue to rebuild it's image.

3. No more part time Officials. It doesn't make sense to trust an industry worth billions in the hands of part time employees. In the off season refs would have training. They'd be part of the competition committee. Achieving NFL referee would be a prestigious accomplishment.

4. In conjunction with #3 no more vague rules that are up to interpretation. Replay would need to make sense. I am sick of it not working. They can't overturn a call unless it is indisputable? Nonsense. Take Big Ben's TD. Don't give a team 6 points unless the evidence is indisputable that he crossed the line. They've got it backwards.

Got your own ideas? Or rip mine apart.

 

[The30YardSlant]

#4 is not a good idea. That is giving the refs even more power than they already posess. It would mean that a ref could overturn a call on a whim, without needing conslusive evidence. You ant overturn a call unless its 100% obvious it was wrong.

 

[The30YardSlant]

BTW, I would ditch the new, more strict PI calls. Let the defenders play.

 

[TruBlueCowboy]

-- Relocated teams are required to change their names. No more Indianapolis/Baltimore Colts or Los Angeles/St.Louis Rams. It will instead be like the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans. New teams in cities that previously had NFL franchises will be required to take the name of the former team, just like the Browns did. No more Houston Oilers to Houston Texans. NFL history is what makes this sport great. Continuity is encouraged.

-- The Hall of Fame voting process will be changed so that current members and respected coaches and players can vote. Media voting will no longer be anonymous.

-- Super Bowls will no longer be played only in domes. The NFL needs more Ice Bowls. Those are the types of games the fans remember. The game needs to be even more exciting with the watered down parity driven league.

-- The NFL will invest even more heavily in Pop Warner football leagues, especially in poor regions of the country where it may be a kid's only way out. More youth need to be introduced to football to keep the sport healthy and alive.

-- Players drafted by teams would only count towards half of the salary cap. So a five year $30 million contract would only count $15 million towards the salary cap. Teams should not be penalized for good drafting. The game prospers when fans root for the same player from beginning to end, no matter how old or expensive he gets. This would also encourage players to stick with their original team since they will usually get more money by staying.

-- Always make sure a heavy percentage of the games are available on free network TV to keep the game popular with everyone. NEVER go to pay-per-view. Make internet radio broadcasts free to encourage people to follow their team. Perhaps sell information of radio listeners or have a RealPlayer advertising machine set-up during the entire game to compensate for lost income.

-- Try even harder to spread the NFL in other countries. More efforts than just NFL Europe and preseason games in Mexico. Look towards Canada. See the previous suggestion on youth leagues in other countries, much like baseball does with the Caribbean nations.

 

[Rockytop6]

Hostile, I agree with your suggestions. I like all of them but the one regarding indisputable calls.

I also would work to try to find an equitable solution to assist the smaller market teams where they could always be competitive but I would not penalize the successful teams that are inovative and progressive. I think the owners in the smaller markets should wake up and realize they are in competition and can't just sit down and fill their pockets with tv revenue and ask to be compensated with other owners that are working hard to improve their product.

I think there should be some type of threshold where owners would have to spend a minimum of the cap, like 80% or (?) In every industry there is fierce competition to succeed and if you don't then you reap the consequences at the cash register.

I would work at reversing this trend of weakening the caliber of product that is placed on the field. This SB fielded the weakest teams to ever play in a SB.
Parity can be good if you are talking about high quality teams, but parity isn't good if you are talking about a level playing field with all mediocre teams.

 

[TruBlueCowboy]

BTW, I would ditch the new, more strict PI calls. Let the defenders play.

Same here. Stop trying to make it an offensive display. Fans love good defense just as much. The 85 Bears are probably the most famous team in NFL history.

 

[Hostile]

BTW, I would ditch the new, more strict PI calls. Let the defenders play.

That is definitely part of 3 and 4 that I'd like to see. Disagree with you on 4. I hate replay the way it is now.

 

[TruBlueCowboy]

...as NFL Commissioner, what would be the main items on your agenda?


1. I would orchestrate the move of the Saints to Los Angeles. It just makes sense to have a team in the #2 TV Market. I think the team needs a makeover and fresh start. They virtually don't have a home.

2. To compensate New Orleans for the loss of their team I award all future Super Bowls not already set to New Orleans with the caveat that they build a suitable stadium to handle the game. The Super Bowl would be a neutral site and New Orleans would have Super Bowl revenue to rebuild it's image.

3. No more part time Officials. It doesn't make sense to trust an industry worth billions in the hands of part time employees. In the off season refs would have training. They'd be part of the competition committee. Achieving NFL referee would be a prestigious accomplishment.

4. In conjunction with #3 no more vague rules that are up to interpretation. Replay would need to make sense. I am sick of it not working. They can't overturn a call unless it is indisputable? Nonsense. Take Big Ben's TD. Don't give a team 6 points unless the evidence is indisputable that he crossed the line. They've got it backwards.

Got your own ideas? Or rip mine apart.

#1 - Would probably do. I'd try my best to keep it in New Orleans because I hate seeing teams relocate but it may not be financially possible to maintain an NFL team in that city now.

#2 - I wouldn't. They have a lot more to worry about than a new stadium if their NFL team is gone. Not going to be possible. Sorry New Orleans, next time listen to the engineers who said this was going to happen.

#3 - Behind ya 100%.

#4 - Maybe. I think the current system isn't that bad. I think better refs and a better quality product on the field will do more to fix the game.

 

[Hostile]

-- Relocated teams are required to change their names. No more Indianapolis/Baltimore Colts or Los Angeles/St.Louis Rams. It will instead be like the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans. New teams in cities that previously had NFL franchises will be required to take the name of the former team, just like the Browns did. No more Houston Oilers to Houston Texans. NFL history is what makes this sport great. Continuity is encouraged.

-- The Hall of Fame voting process will be changed so that current members and respected coaches and players can vote. Media voting will no longer be anonymous.

-- Super Bowls will no longer be played only in domes. The NFL needs more Ice Bowls. Those are the types of games the fans remember. The game needs to be even more exciting with the watered down parity driven league.

-- The NFL will invest even more heavily in Pop Warner football leagues, especially in poor regions of the country where it may be a kid's only way out. More youth need to be introduced to football to keep the sport healthy and alive.

-- Players drafted by teams would only count towards half of the salary cap. So a five year $30 million contract would only count $15 million towards the salary cap. Teams should not be penalized for good drafting. The game prospers when fans root for the same player from beginning to end, no matter how old or expensive he gets. This would also encourage players to stick with their original team since they will usually get more money by staying.

-- Always make sure a heavy percentage of the games are available on free network TV to keep the game popular with everyone. NEVER go to pay-per-view. Make internet radio broadcasts free to encourage people to follow their team. Perhaps sell information of radio listeners or have a RealPlayer advertising machine set-up during the entire game to compensate for lost income.

-- Try even harder to spread the NFL in other countries. More efforts than just NFL Europe and preseason games in Mexico. Look towards Canada. See the previous suggestion on youth leagues in other countries, much like baseball does with the Caribbean nations.

Definitely agree with that one.

 

[Sitting Bull]

Some good ideas. Although I think the game works really well, for the most part, I'd like to see the NFL mirror the more progressive NCAA booth-managed replay model (including the new wrinkle that will allow coaches unlimited challenges without penalty until they are wrong.) I agree that Super Bowls don't need to be in domes or mild climates and think more NFL cities should have the opportunity to host. The Detroit Super Bowl would've still been a sellout if it had been outdoors and the snow would've made the game more interesting. My particular agenda is around the NFL Draft, where I think the NFL is missing a huge opportunity to market itself in the off-season. The draft should be held in the city that holds the first pick and should feature the "NFL Experience" festivities in the preceeding days. The whole deal would be a PR boost for the sad sack team that (generally) holds the first pick and the growing number of draftniks nationwide would have a better opportunity to attend a draft.

 

[Cbz40]

I would change the PI rules.......inadvertent = 15 yd penalty Blatant= spot of foul.

 

[Yeagermeister]

I would change the PI rules.......inadvertent = 15 yd penalty Blatant= spot of fowl.

You are going to put a chicken on the field? How do you know where to spot the ball? Throw the chicken in to the air?

 

[Cbz40]

You are going to put a chicken on the field? How do you know where to spot the ball? Throw the chicken in to the air?

Sorry about that I had chicken for dinner .....Lord help me.

 

[Yeagermeister]

Sorry about that I had chicken for dinner .....Lord help me.

Just bustin your chops my friend



I like most of these ideas especially the replacing Tags part

The refs definately need to be full time.

 

[Cbz40]

Just bustin your chops my friend



I like most of these ideas especially the replacing Tags part

The refs definately need to be full time.

No problem my friend.....they need bustin every now and then.

 

[Yeagermeister]

No problem my friend.....they need bustin every now and then.

Mrs CBZ said the same thing

 

[Cbz40]

Mrs CBZ said the same thing

I don't know what I'm going to do w/that woman.

 

[gbrittain]

As far as rules go:

1. As someone already mentioned. Let the DBs play physical ball.

2. When a defensive player hits the QB and the ball comes out of his hand it is a fumble regardless of the arm being in a forward motion or not.

 

[bbgun]

1. No SB patches on uniforms unless it's a landmark Super Bowl. Unis are cluttered enough as it is.

2. No trophy presentation at midfield. Put it back in the intimacy of the winners' lockerroom where it belongs. How this ******* tradition got started I have no idea. It's even happening in baseball.

3. For the love of God, use something other than visual replay to determine if the ball crossed the goal line or pylon. Tennis employs some sort of electronic eye with sensors on the court. Why not football?

4. If you slap a franchise tag on one of your players and re-sign him, he remains your team's official franchise guy for as long as he's on the roster. You can't name a guy a franchise player and then slap the tag on a different player the next year.

5. MNF starts at 8:10 EST sharp. Ditto for SNF.

 

[Billy Bullocks]

-- Try even harder to spread the NFL in other countries. More efforts than just NFL Europe and preseason games in Mexico. Look towards Canada. See the previous suggestion on youth leagues in other countries, much like baseball does with the Caribbean nations.

I totally agree with both of you guys (Hostile and you) on almost all of it. I really liked your idea about the teams drafted guys counting only half to teh cap.

The quoted part, I agree with, but it will be hard. Football is a complex sport, and therefor hard to sell in a world market. Basketball is much higher scoring than soccer, but conceptually it is just as simple. However, Baseball is very succesful in Central America and Japan, so an "American" game can make headway in other countries.

My kids are playing Pop Warner, period. It builds character.