2021 Schedule Expansion: 17 Games Now Approved

[Ann]

Not voted upon, but did approve a scheduling formula:
 

 

 

 

 

[Ann]

No vote taken on expansion of regular season to 17 games for 2021
 

The NFL has their cake, but they’re not eating it yet.
 

With the full power to expand the regular season to 17 games, the league’s owners did not vote during a Wednesday meeting to do so for 2021. Commissioner Roger Goodell provided that information during a Wednesday conference call with reporters.
 

Goodell explained that the owners did vote on a scheduling formula if/when a 17th game is added, and that the formula was approved. He did not disclose the manner for determining the extra game.
 

A decision on expanding to 17 games is expected in the next several weeks, Goodell said.
 

</snip>

[Ann]

NFL owners delay decision on 17-game regular season
 

NFL owners have delayed a decision on implementing a 17-game regular season for 2021.
 

During a teleconference call Wednesday that replaced the usual December gathering of owners in Dallas, they opted to push back any move on the expanded season until early in 2021. The NFL and the players' union agreed during collective bargaining talks earlier this year to adding one regular-season game to the schedule, but not before next season.
 

“We had a lengthy discussion on this, obviously it's an important decision for us,” Commissioner Roger Goodell said. “We did not take any votes with respect to committing to do it. In the collective bargaining agreement, we have that right to do it.”

A scheduling formula for a 17th game was approved unanimously: an interconference matchup, based on divisional standings from the preceding season, and on a rotating divisional basis. The idea is to maintain facilitating competitive fairness; creating additional value through quality matchups; and preserving the objectivity of the scheduling process, the league said.
 

“It obviously comes into play with respect with our future media arrangements that we obviously are contemplating,” he added. “We expect a decision will be made on that in the next several weeks.”
 

The length of the preseason would be reduced, as well, if a 17th match is added.
 

</snip>

[Ann]

NFL owners delay decision on 17-game regular season
 

</snip>
 

During the meeting, the issue of the preseason was raised, with the discussion centering on whether there should be a reduction in games. Sources told ESPN's Seth Wickersham that Goodell seemed in favor of shortening the preseason from four games to two but that a group of powerful owners -- New England's Robert Kraft, Dallas' Jerry Jones, the New York Giants' John Mara and Pittsburgh's Art Rooney II -- dismissed the idea. Owners argued that a reduction to three preseason games might work but not two. No vote was taken, and the schedule remained unchanged.
 

</snip>

[Alaska Darin]

17 games is stupid.  They're just so damn greedy.

[Ann]

37 minutes ago, Alaska Darin said:

17 games is stupid.  They're just so damn greedy.

Well, the preseason will be shortened.

[Alaska Darin]

20 minutes ago, Ann said:

Well, the preseason will be shortened.

I bet one regular season game is more profitable than 2 seasons worth of preseason games.

Edited December 17, 2020 by Alaska Darin

[GG1]

Just now, Alaska Darin said:

I bet one regular season game is more profitable than 2 seasons' worth of preseason games.

 

That's why they're proposing it.  Why bother going through the whole rigmarole in preseason with the same injury risk for 1/2 the economic output?   

[Alaska Darin]

5 minutes ago, GG1 said:

 

That's why they're proposing it.  Why bother going through the whole rigmarole in preseason with the same injury risk for 1/2 the economic output?   

Oh, I get it.  That's why I called them greedy.  14 games (to me) was perfect.  They obviously wanted to make more money, so it got upped to 16.

 

There's just no way adding more games doesn't water down the quality further.  More good players are going to get injured and careers are going to be shorter.  I know one of the proposals was to not allow players to play more than 16 games in a season, which makes at least one game basically a penciled in loss because you're definitely going to see a backup QB.  That's just &#%$ing stupid.  I'm never going to spend my time watching a game where a healthy JA is in the press box and Barkley is under center. 

[GG1]

28 minutes ago, Alaska Darin said:

Oh, I get it.  That's why I called them greedy.  14 games (to me) was perfect.  They obviously wanted to make more money, so it got upped to 16.

 

There's just no way adding more games doesn't water down the quality further.  More good players are going to get injured and careers are going to be shorter.  I know one of the proposals was to not allow players to play more than 16 games in a season, which makes at least one game basically a penciled in loss because you're definitely going to see a backup QB.  That's just &#%$ing stupid.  I'm never going to spend my time watching a game where a healthy JA is in the press box and Barkley is under center. 

 

Yeah, that was a stupid proposal.  But if they implement this year's IR and PS rules, then a 17 game season would be workable

[Koko]

2 hours ago, GG1 said:

 

Yeah, that was a stupid proposal.  But if they implement this year's IR and PS rules, then a 17 game season would be workable

 

That, and give teams two bye weeks to rest up.

[Ann]

CBS pregame just said this will be voted on, and it will pass. The 17th game will be out of conference.

 

[Ann]

NFL plans to expand regular season to 17 games per team in 2021
 

The NFL is planning to expand the regular season to 17 games in 2021 -- a historic move that would generate new revenue and could at least slightly soften an anticipated drop in the salary cap next year, sources say.
 

An announcement may not come for weeks, if not months, since the NFL must first negotiate at least one new media contract in order to make the move to 17 games in 2021, per the collective bargaining agreement. But as one team source apprised of discussions said: "We're all anticipating it's going to happen."
 

</snip>

[Ann]

When (not if) this happens, the 17th game:
 

 

[Ann]

More chatter...
 

</snip>
 

• The 17-game schedule is highly likely in 2021. No surprise there. TV partners and NFL schedulers are working under the assumption that the 17-game schedule (the way was paved for it last March when players approved a new CBA) will debut in 2021.
 

• The league calendar gets pushed back one week, with a likely Feb. 13 Super Bowl in Los Angeles. No extra bye—17 games in 18 weekends. Super Bowl LVI, originally scheduled for Feb. 6, 2022 and airing on NBC, has not been officially moved yet. The league hasn’t said a word about moving the game to officials in Los Angeles. But the NFL won’t start the season on the ratings-quashing Labor Day Weekend, and the league doesn’t want to add an extra regular-season bye week. So that adds up to Feb. 13, which would be the latest Super Bowl in history.
 

</snip>

[Foxx]

https://twitter.com/ProFootballTalk/status/1366361244316430337

 

[Foxx]

https://twitter.com/MySportsUpdate/status/1366358985922777089

 

[Jauronimo]

I hate it. 

[Koko]

28 minutes ago, Foxx said:

https://twitter.com/ProFootballTalk/status/1366361244316430337

 

 

Awesome, so the winner of that game gets a short week to prepare for the Divisional Round.

[Jauronimo]

8 minutes ago, Koko said:

 

Awesome, so the winner of that game gets a short week to prepare for the Divisional Round.

Goodell and the league are intent on f@#$ing with the game until it becomes so over saturated that fans stop caring.