The NFL is losing its mojo

[erod]

The NFL is a beast. Far and away the most popular fan sport in America. It destroys anything in its path when it comes to TV ratings and overall attention.

But that is entirely based on what the NFL has been for the past half century. What it was, and what it's becoming, are two different games. And folks are starting to notice.

I watched a lot of football yesterday, as I have for the past few years with the NFL Sunday Ticket. Each week this season, I've been wildly unimpressed with what we're seeing around the league. Sloppy, frustrating football mired with too much inconsistency and mistakes from players, coaches, officials, and just general play.

Some points to that effect:

• Only 11 out of 32 teams have winning records. Most of the league is awful.
• Quarterback play is horrendous. Matt Cassel is actually average.
• College is producing very few quarterbacks capable of the NFL game. When Brady, Brees, Peyton, Romo, Roethlisberger, and a couple others retire, it's going to get uglier.
• Officiating is horrible because of unclear rules that are being interpreted by a league office in disarray.
• Defensive holding/illegal contact is out of control. It's determining game outcomes.
• Pick plays still go rampantly uncalled. Refs call too much of what they shouldn't and not enough of what they should.
• Overblown statistics due to rules.
• Practice is virtually outlawed, so tackling is awful and football conditioning is poor.
• Injuries are out of control partly because the CBA doesn't allow for proper preparation.
• Too many look-at-me bonehead plays and penalties. Players today are just football stupid.
• "Concussion protocol" and the rules surrounding legality of hits will continue to increase.
• Parents in affluent areas are pulling their kids out of football in droves. It'll soon be a "poor" sport like boxing.
• Broadcasting that over-exaggerates performance, statistics, and fantasy football points.
• Way too many commercials.
• Far too much "social awareness" in broadcasting, which is now centered on new and casual fans.

This once great league is being torn apart by (partly legitimate) concern over CTE and the resulting rules ambiguity and CBA restrictions on proper football training. There seems to be political movement to eliminate tackle football as we know it.

Couple that with fans that are losing trust in the integrity of what they are watching, and recognizing that it's starting to look very different than what it once did. The passion for it is steeped in what the NFL used to be, not what it is. Hardcore fan support is slowly starting to wane as we come to grips with where this is headed.

I know it is with me. And this league is slowly losing me. I'm thankful that I got to see it when it was once so great.

 

[TrailBlazer]

The NFL is as strong and popular as its ever been.

I've always admired the college game personally.

 

[RxMan]

Your first argument is the same as it is any other year.
Every year there are 11 to 14 teams with winning records. No big change there.

 

[CATCH17]

When the Cowboys are good I am all in but the product we have put on the field with Garrett is just soooooooo boring to watch. Even when we're winning it is a very boring style.


I still think the playoffs are must watch TV but the regular season does get hard to watch this time of year.

 

[erod]

The NFL is as strong and popular as its ever been.

I've always admired the college game personally.

I said that in the first paragraph. But the ground is starting to shake.

 

[erod]

Your first argument is the same as it is any other year.
Every year there are 11 to 14 teams with winning records. No big change there.

Nope. It used to be about half the league had winning records. Usually between 14 and 18 teams.

Nowadays, it's mostly about who sucks the least.

 

[Super_Kazuya]

Your first argument is the same as it is any other year.
Every year there are 11 to 14 teams with winning records. No big change there.

It's almost like there is a certain, I don't know, math to it...

 

[Yakuza Rich]

The NFL has a real problem on its hand because ticket prices have never plateaued and with the advent of home entertainment systems and HD TV, it's a better deal for fans to stay home than spend the money. The crowds at stadiums are often abysmal. They are selling tickets, but many stadiums, even great traditional organizations like Pittsburgh, are not getting fans to show up.

I have been surprised to talk to many former football fans that no longer watch due to what they know about CTE. Personally, I am all for the concussion protocols and further study and research of concussions. But, if you want to be honest about concussions, female soccer players and male soccer players under the age of 18 actually suffer more concussions that NFL players. Or you can look into basketball where anti-inflammatory drugs used to help players with knee issues have caused kidney failure. Again, I'm all for it, but I also tend to understand that there is a price that may come with virtually any athletic endeavor.

Anyway, the NFL game to me is very boring right now.

The game is mostly about short, dink-n-dunk passing and horizontal routes that pick defenders, even if they are perfectly legal. The risk for the offense is minimal. They can get the pass off quickly and keep their QB healthy. They can worry less about incompletions and INT's. So you don't get that great risk that comes with throwing the ball deep. And with these horizontal routes, if a receiver gets open they really don't beat their man more often than not. It's either about the defenders colliding into each other or in fear of colliding into each other that they change the defense to allow them to catch the ball, but hopefully not gain too much yardage and maybe they'll drop the pass or the QB will make a bad throw.

I think the NFL has to figure out ways to curb these gaudy numbers from QB's. I would really emphasize calling pick plays pretty severely and also be focused on the intentional grounding rule (yes, I know they will never enforce that). I would also change up the rules to allow less hurry up offenses. They could always argue that it puts defensive players at risk. But, it's one thing to score a TD thru athletic skill and it's another to beat teams because they can't get the right guys on the field because the offense won't let them.

I think a big thing that has happened in all of this is that it has provided for lousy football. There really is not one team out there I would consider 'great.' I think not one team would come close to beating the 2013 Seahawks.

I think with the offenses as such it is creating a lot of problems for the quality of football across the league.





YR

 

[Doc50]

The NFL is a beast. Far and away the most popular fan sport in America. It destroys anything in its path when it comes to TV ratings and overall attention.

But that is entirely based on what the NFL has been for the past half century. What it was, and what it's becoming, are two different games. And folks are starting to notice.

I watched a lot of football yesterday, as I have for the past few years with the NFL Sunday Ticket. Each week this season, I've been wildly unimpressed with what we're seeing around the league. Sloppy, frustrating football mired with too much inconsistency and mistakes from players, coaches, officials, and just general play.

Some points to that effect:

• Only 11 out of 32 teams have winning records. Most of the league is awful.
• Quarterback play is horrendous. Matt Cassel is actually average.
• College is producing very few quarterbacks capable of the NFL game. When Brady, Brees, Peyton, Romo, Roethlisberger, and a couple others retire, it's going to get uglier.
• Officiating is horrible because of unclear rules that are being interpreted by a league office in disarray.
• Defensive holding/illegal contact is out of control. It's determining game outcomes.
• Pick plays still go rampantly uncalled. Refs call too much of what they shouldn't and not enough of what they should.
• Overblown statistics due to rules.
• Practice is virtually outlawed, so tackling is awful and football conditioning is poor.
• Injuries are out of control partly because the CBA doesn't allow for proper preparation.
• Too many look-at-me bonehead plays and penalties. Players today are just football stupid.
• "Concussion protocol" and the rules surrounding legality of hits will continue to increase.
• Parents in affluent areas are pulling their kids out of football in droves. It'll soon be a "poor" sport like boxing.
• Broadcasting that over-exaggerates performance, statistics, and fantasy football points.
• Way too many commercials.
• Far too much "social awareness" in broadcasting, which is now centered on new and casual fans.

This once great league is being torn apart by (partly legitimate) concern over CTE and the resulting rules ambiguity and CBA restrictions on proper football training. There seems to be political movement to eliminate tackle football as we know it.

Couple that with fans that are losing trust in the integrity of what they are watching, and recognizing that it's starting to look very different than what it once did. The passion for it is steeped in what the NFL used to be, not what it is. Hardcore fan support is slowly starting to wane as we come to grips with where this is headed.

I know it is with me. And this league is slowly losing me. I'm thankful that I got to see it when it was once so great.

The enthusiasm, rivalries, pagentry, and perceived amateuristic altruism of CFB is eating into the NFL's popularity.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

Nope. It used to be about half the league had winning records. Usually between 14 and 18 teams.

Nowadays, it's mostly about who sucks the least.

You are correct.

I've followed this for a while. Typically there are only about 12-15 teams with losing records. I used to call it the 'Fabulous Four of the NFL' as on average 25-30% of the teams with losing records went on to make the playoffs the following season. And normally that resulted in 4 of the teams with losing records to make the playoffs the following season So, that's about 12-15 teams (occasionally, you would get 16 teams).

I've never even dreamed of the idea of having *21* teams with a losing record at this point in the season.

This should terrify the owners.







YR

 

[YosemiteSam]

The NFL is as strong and popular as its ever been.

I've always admired the college game personally.

I hate the college game.

• The game lacks skill. Most players use physical talents alone and not skill to win games. That doesn't work in the NFL when everyone has the same physical talents skill and intelligence is far more important.
• A few teams absorb most of the talent because there is no salary cap or something similar to limit teams taking all the talented kids. Most the most talented kids want to go to team who have established winning. This keeps the balance of power off kilter and keeps the current winning teams in power.
• The colleges get to select who they play every year and rather than fair process and giving all teams a fair change to play other competitive teams. This allows schools to blackball other schools preventing them from gaining the same competitive advantages that they currently enjoy.

The college game is bush-league the way it operates. Heck, they are just finally starting to fix the post-season, yet it's still far from actually being fixed.

 

[TNCowboy]

The NFL has a real problem on its hand because ticket prices have never plateaued and with the advent of home entertainment systems and HD TV, it's a better deal for fans to stay home than spend the money. The crowds at stadiums are often abysmal. They are selling tickets, but many stadiums, even great traditional organizations like Pittsburgh, are not getting fans to show up.

Yep.

I think all major sports are facing this same issue. It's easier to stay home and watch in HD in the comfort of your easy chair without paying a small fortune for tickets, parking, and concessions. I noticed the upper deck at Arrowhead yesterday appeared to be 1/3rd to a half empty. KC has always had a rabid, college-like fanbase. It was a rainy day, but it wasn't bitterly cold, and they have a playoff capable team.

When they have a lot of empty seats, you know the league has an issue. That problem may get far worse if the VR view the game from any perspective technology comes to fruition.

 

[Future]

The NFL is as strong and popular as its ever been.

I've always admired the college game personally.

It's more popular, but the on-field product is far weaker than I can ever remember. There are only about 6 good teams in the entire league, and that might be generous.

 

[Idgit]

The NFL is a beast. Far and away the most popular fan sport in America. It destroys anything in its path when it comes to TV ratings and overall attention.

But that is entirely based on what the NFL has been for the past half century. What it was, and what it's becoming, are two different games. And folks are starting to notice.

I watched a lot of football yesterday, as I have for the past few years with the NFL Sunday Ticket. Each week this season, I've been wildly unimpressed with what we're seeing around the league. Sloppy, frustrating football mired with too much inconsistency and mistakes from players, coaches, officials, and just general play.

Some points to that effect:

• Only 11 out of 32 teams have winning records. Most of the league is awful.
• Quarterback play is horrendous. Matt Cassel is actually average.
• College is producing very few quarterbacks capable of the NFL game. When Brady, Brees, Peyton, Romo, Roethlisberger, and a couple others retire, it's going to get uglier.
• Officiating is horrible because of unclear rules that are being interpreted by a league office in disarray.
• Defensive holding/illegal contact is out of control. It's determining game outcomes.
• Pick plays still go rampantly uncalled. Refs call too much of what they shouldn't and not enough of what they should.
• Overblown statistics due to rules.
• Practice is virtually outlawed, so tackling is awful and football conditioning is poor.
• Injuries are out of control partly because the CBA doesn't allow for proper preparation.
• Too many look-at-me bonehead plays and penalties. Players today are just football stupid.
• "Concussion protocol" and the rules surrounding legality of hits will continue to increase.
• Parents in affluent areas are pulling their kids out of football in droves. It'll soon be a "poor" sport like boxing.
• Broadcasting that over-exaggerates performance, statistics, and fantasy football points.
• Way too many commercials.
• Far too much "social awareness" in broadcasting, which is now centered on new and casual fans.

This once great league is being torn apart by (partly legitimate) concern over CTE and the resulting rules ambiguity and CBA restrictions on proper football training. There seems to be political movement to eliminate tackle football as we know it.

Couple that with fans that are losing trust in the integrity of what they are watching, and recognizing that it's starting to look very different than what it once did. The passion for it is steeped in what the NFL used to be, not what it is. Hardcore fan support is slowly starting to wane as we come to grips with where this is headed.

I know it is with me. And this league is slowly losing me. I'm thankful that I got to see it when it was once so great.

Dude, this post is spot-on.

 

[erod]

It's more popular, but the on-field product is far weaker than I can ever remember. There are only about 6 good teams in the entire league, and that might be generous.

And the "competition" those 6 good teams have is less than impressive, so it taints that success.

Carolina is not a great team, I'm sorry. But they look like the 90s Cowboys in this cruddy league.

 

[Doomsay]

Matt Cassel is not remotely average - he ranks in the 30's or higher in almost every category, and he is actually worse than his statistics imply.

 

[robjay04]

If the Cowboys were competitive, this thread wouldn't exist.

Seasons change a lot, last season...a 10-6 team wouldn't make the playoffs in the NFC, could be that way next season.

I agree, the quality isn't quite as good as other seasons but I am sure fans of the Cardinals or Panthers would say otherwise.

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

I think it is more popular. Heck I think it is so popular that they are doing bone headed things like trying to force teams into the LA Market when it has been proven multiple times that the LA Market is not great for the NFL.

Not only that they are now talking about an NFL team in London and have a few games played in London each year.

I will not argue that the sport has suffered in a multitude of areas.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Nowadays, it's mostly about who sucks the least.

Correctamundo.

 

[jazzcat22]

I have been watching less and less the past few years. Ever since I dumped DTV NFL ST and their horrible consumer idiotic reps.
I been finding myself putting some games on mute more and more, while doing other things, even watching NETFLIX here and there at different times throughout the games.

I can't stand Buck and Aikman anymore, watched a good 1/3 if not more of the game on mute.
I will never miss a Cowboys game, but Doesn't mean with a pathetic performance, I need to listen to it. I never done that before until yesterday.

I will have tonight's game on, and pay attention to it, but may not have the sound on as much, as I may be doing other things while watching. that has become normal lately for non Cowboys games.
Tired of the poor officiating, and a handful of teams getting every call their way where other teams get all calls against them.

Even NCAA refs are horrible at times. NC got absolutely screwed against Clemson.

They need to have officials at the games in a booth, that see something like that, and over rule it. And goes for obvious penalties or non penalties, like GB was gifted a face mask call that allowed the hail mary win. That should be reviewable.
That has been getting me more and more turned against watching.
I know I will still watch, but don't need to watch it as much or watch every single play.

I am planning to list my season tickets PSL's for sale this off season. I still have the Commanders game left, and thankfully all the other games sold before the season started.
Thing is, and I will get blasted for this, but hope we don't make the playoffs for monetary reasons. I am on the pay as they play this year. So if they make the playoffs, i will get tickets, but i really do not want to pay $1000 to see them blown out, as they won't sell.
I said before I always root for wins, and I still will, but will hope the other teams do too to eliminate us, well so I say right now. But this is strictly financial reasons...LOL...Jerry has enough of my money for not getting a QB for the future...LOL...