PFT: Draft Could Be Moving To Three Days, Prime Time

[WoodysGirl]

Posted by Mike Florio on April 28, 2009, 10:28 a.m.

The NFL has toyed in the past with the idea of moving the first round of the draft into prime time.

The problem has been the duration of round one. With a process that at times has stretched beyond five or six hours, the picks would begin too early in the west or finish too late in the east. Or both.

But with round one of the 2009 draft coming in at roughly the length of an NFL game, the window is wide open for a cannonball into the prime time pool.
According to the Dallas Morning News (via Chris Littmann of SportingNews.com), the change could come as soon as 2010.

“We’re more confident now, with the timing of the first round, that it can fit a 3½-hour window,” Goodell said. “We think it can be very appealing from a fan’s standpoint and an audience standpoint.

“We’ll talk to our teams about it. We have to see what impact this would have on them. But I think it has potential.”

And while it had been presumed that a prime-time first round would unfold on Friday night, the league wisely would position it an evening earlier, when the audience is larger. Then, rounds two and three would be conducted on Friday, and the final four rounds would occur on Saturday.

There’s not much to say other than, “We like it. Make it so.”

As to any concerns that viewers of Thursday night network programming would face a dilemma, the prerecorded shows could be recorded, or watched later via the web.

The draft is something that has relevance and interest only as a live event, and we think that the thing would capture not only the Saturday afternoon little league and honey-do crowd but also some of the Super Bowl-only set who find themselves intrigued by the reality show-style drama that unfolds as a kid in his early 20s suddenly gets himself in line to make millions — or watches millions evaporate as he does the unexpected first-round free fall.

 

[Chief]

I think we all knew it was headed to prime time.

The nostalgic side of me misses the Tuesday 6 a.m. (Mountain) start time.

 

[Hypnotoad]

I cant wait till the draft is a week long event in Fargo, ND.

 

[Alexander]

Keep going Commissioner Goodell, you are doing a fine job dumbing down the game and making it as far away from tradition as possible.

 

[Avery]

I'll play devil's advocate and say this is a smart move. Look at how much of a grip the draft has on people's lives and the interest in generates. What other sport has months and months upon speculation as well as people actually watching athletes lift weights and run 40 yard dashes?

 

[Hoofbite]

How can the timing of the 1st round be a problem?

Its not like the league isn't telling teams to use all their time so all the pundits can get their 2 cents in.

You can't tell me that any team picking top 5 needs all their time. Just conveniently after a pick is analyzed to the fullest the next one comes in.

 

[rysko]

^agreed

 

[FCBarca]

I was listening to a local radio show and they had some former NFL players on and not one of them had any interest in watching the draft over the weekend...Unanimously ripped how the NFL has turned it into a sideshow...Can't say I disagree

 

[Nightman]

This is a terrible idea. Go back to starting Round 1 at noon on Saturday and do at least 3 rounds. Shorten them even more if you have to, 10 minutes for the 1st and 5 minutes for 2-7. We want the picks not the talking.

This is as bad the Super Bowl in London.

 

[masomenos]

I have no problem with the plan and I'd actually welcome the change. It seems like the prime-time slot would be great exposure for the league and, ultimately, Goodell's job is to increase the fan base.

That's said, the current coverage is not high enough quality for a prime-time slot. We'd need interviews with scouts and coaches, film breakdown by real talent evaluators, well produced highlight clips, etc. Heck, maybe they should just go the American Idol route and let the fans vote for the player who their team should pick.

:laugh2:

Ok, maybe not the last part.

 

[Randy White]

Keep going Commissioner Goodell, you are doing a fine job dumbing down the game and making it as far away from tradition as possible.

No kiddin'..

This is, by far, one of the DUMBEST ideas I've heard. You want to make the draft more interesting ? Increase the rounds back to 12, devide them by 3 days as you wanted to ( Thursday, Friday, Saturday ) and DECREASE the amount of time a team has to pick the first round. This method would appeace the " primetimers " as well as the hardcore draftnicks who ARE the base audience.

 

[Arch Stanton]

I have no problem with the plan and I'd actually welcome the change. It seems like the prime-time slot would be great exposure for the league and, ultimately, Goodell's job is to increase the fan base.

That's said, the current coverage is not high enough quality for a prime-time slot. We'd need interviews with scouts and coaches, film breakdown by real talent evaluators, well produced highlight clips, etc. Heck, maybe they should just go the American Idol route and let the fans vote for the player who their team should pick.
:laugh2:

Ok, maybe not the last part.

We'd just use DaBoys4Life.

 

[Alexander]

No kiddin'..

This is, by far, one of the DUMBEST ideas I've heard. You want to make the draft more interesting ? Increase the rounds back to 12, devide them by 3 days as you wanted to ( Thursday, Friday, Saturday ) and DECREASE the amount of time a team has to pick the first round. This method would appeace the " primetimers " as well as the hardcore draftnicks who ARE the base audience.

Exactly.

Basically what we have here is yet another dumbing down of a traditionally "geeky" pasttime into what would become a disgusting orgy of self-promotion. I used to cut school and skip work when it was held during the week. Yes, I am peculiar, but putting it in primetime, on a Thursday no less, has little to no appeal for me.

I understand his job is to promote the league, but there should be a point where he respects tradition and avoids turning off long time fans just at the expense of getting more "excitement". This is already the most popular sport in the country, so why the urgency to mess with what is already working? I can tell you right now, I would be less apt to watch it during primetime during the week and especially on a Friday evening.

It is already bad enough we have an American sport being played overseas in games that mean something.

Fact is, he is pandering to the crowd that would appreciate it the least just to gain viewers. This isn't and shouldn't be a carnival with him at the front being a yardbarker. I strongly doubt someone is going to turn off their favorite sitcom just to tune into the draft. Sorry, Roger, leave it for us geeks who might appreciate it.

 

[TheCount]

Between this and a Superbowl in London, I can't decide which one is more ridiculous.

 

[CATCH17]

Way to screw up the league Roger.


18 games a year too... Man just start all over with the record books as well.


He is making Al Davis decisions.

 

[masomenos]

Exactly.

Basically what we have here is yet another dumbing down of a traditionally "geeky" pasttime into what would become a disgusting orgy of self-promotion. I used to cut school and skip work when it was held during the week. Yes, I am peculiar, but putting it in primetime, on a Thursday no less, has little to no appeal for me.

I understand his job is to promote the league, but there should be a point where he respects tradition and avoids turning off long time fans just at the expense of getting more "excitement". This is already the most popular sport in the country, so why the urgency to mess with what is already working? I can tell you right now, I would be less apt to watch it during primetime during the week and especially on a Friday evening.

It is already bad enough we have an American sport being played overseas in games that mean something.

Fact is, he is pandering to the crowd that would appreciate it the least just to gain viewers. This isn't and shouldn't be a carnival with him at the front being a yardbarker. I strongly doubt someone is going to turn off their favorite sitcom just to tune into the draft. Sorry, Roger, leave it for us geeks who might appreciate it.

The draft is becoming much less of a geeky, niche event though. Just like Fantasy Football exploded a decade ago, so too has the draft become more mainstream. I understand the nostalgic appeal of keeping with tradition, but the times really are changing. Just look at how much more in-depth the draft sites on the internet have become over the past 5 years.

I understand where you're coming from and I agree that sometimes the league does alienate its fan base with its moves (primarily the "foreign" game you were talking about) but I think that this move would only allow more people to enjoy the draft. And I think that's a good thing. I even like the prospect of not having my entire weekend taken up by the draft.

 

[TellerMorrow34]

*Shrugs* It doesn't really matter to me one way or another but if I had my preferance they'd go back to round one starting at noon and doing the first 3 rounds on Saturday. I'd go with 10 minutes for round 1, 7 minutes for round two, and 5 minutes for every round after that. I would enjoy it more that way, honestly.

 

[dadymat]

This is a terrible idea. Go back to starting Round 1 at noon on Saturday and do at least 3 rounds. Shorten them even more if you have to, 10 minutes for the 1st and 5 minutes for 2-7. We want the picks not the talking.

This is as bad the Super Bowl in London.

*Shrugs* It doesn't really matter to me one way or another but if I had my preferance they'd go back to round one starting at noon and doing the first 3 rounds on Saturday. I'd go with 10 minutes for round 1, 7 minutes for round two, and 5 minutes for every round after that. I would enjoy it more that way, honestly.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

If they do that, I will miss the thrill and tradition of a beautiful, warm Spring morning and the excitement of draft day. I've loved it for years and it's always been a tradition of Spring.

They just can't leave anything alone. Sort of like messing with the traditional uniforms.

 

[Randy White]

Basically what we have here is yet another dumbing down of a traditionally "geeky" pasttime into what would become a disgusting orgy of self-promotion.

That's what is' all about. I like the " outside the lines " side stories, I love the intrigue of teams trading up and down, it's tedious but I do tolerate the over examination by the pundits, but this is all about selling more commercials.

I used to cut school and skip work when it was held during the week. Yes, I am peculiar, but putting it in primetime, on a Thursday no less, has little to no appeal for me. .

I posted this on another thread: I started watching the early '80s when ESPN would start the draft at 7:00 am and finish it at 11:00 pm on Mondays and Tuesdays. I told my parents that I don't care what punishment I get, I'm not going to school on those days. The coverage back then was 1000 times better. You had helmet hair Kiper, you had Chris Berman, once in a while a former or current front office personel ( I will never forget the fight between Kiper and Bill Tobin, Colts GM at the time ) and the respective reporters for a few teams and that's it. Not much hoopla, but ALOT of meat and potatos. That's how I grew up watching the draft.

Now, it's all a big, over used, time consuming infomercial.