Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert tries to get past New York Giants safety Jason Pinnock during an NFL game Christmas night in Philadephia. The two teams will play again on Jan. 7.
AP photo
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Only nine percent of Americans complete their New Year’s resolutions, but here are some suggested resolutions anyway for the National Football League. It’s all about the fans and players, right?
Fix The Schedule – Philadelphia’s AJ Brown recently said he’s had enough of Monday Night Football, because the short week makes it more difficult for players’ bodies to recover for the next game. MNF isn’t going anywhere, but the Eagles played four Monday night games this year and Brown’s concern is valid. It’s time to limit teams to no more than two Monday Night games and one Thursday game each year.
The division schedule is also a mess, with certain division foes scheduled to play each other twice within a few weeks when the overall game calendar is spread over 18 weeks.
For the past few seasons, the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants haven’t played until December, which is a disservice to them and their division. Suppose one team loses key players to injury. Is it equitable to play both games in a short period of time against a division foe while obviously limited?
Scheduling division foes at the beginning and again at the end of the season decreases the chances they will have to play both of these all-important division games without key players.
Last season, the Eagles and Giants met on Dec. 11 and Jan. 8, before their eventual playoff game on Jan. 21. This season, they didn’t play each other until Christmas Day with their second meeting scheduled for Jan. 7.
They are not the only teams affected this way. Seattle played San Francisco on Nov. 23 and Dec. 10. Detroit played Chicago on Nov. 19 and Dec. 10. The Lions played Minnesota on Dec. 24, with the second meeting set for Jan. 7.
It’s a challenge to schedule 272 regular season games, but with modern technology it should not be difficult to limit short weeks and put more space between division games.
“It takes thousands of cloud-based computers to produce thousands of possible schedules – a process that sets the stage for the schedule makers to begin the arduous task of picking the best possible one,” reports NFL.com.
But all six schedule makers have the word “broadcasting” in their titles. As if there was any doubt their priority is to ensure key weekly matchups to entice television viewers and advertisers, not what’s fair and equitable for each team.
The NFL shares, “flexible scheduling helps showcase the best late-season matchups to the largest audiences,” but doing so is inconsiderate to players and the fans in the stands – mostly season ticket holders who travel to games. These fans have added expenses, must rearrange travel and hotel plans, and take additional time off from work and school when the league flexes game times.
The largest audiences watch the games on TV, but what about the shirtless guys freezing in Green Bay with “Packers” painted on their chests? Day or night, they’ve been going to games for decades. No worries there, but it isn’t about them. Never was, at least not since the league began flexible scheduling.
Level The International Schedule – The Cowboys website recently quoted owner Jerry Jones on international games, “I’m very reluctant to move a home game from here to there. It fits for a lot of clubs; it doesn’t fit for the Cowboys as much. When we don’t have a game here, it makes a big difference.”
It makes a big difference for other teams, too.
The current requirement is for each team to host at least one international game every eight years, but the Cowboys have been scheduled only once since 2007. Dallas was the visitor against Jacksonville in London in 2014. The only team that has avoided playing abroad longer is Pittsburgh, who last did so in 2013.
Dallas hasn’t hosted an international game in 16 years, but the league’s owners recently voted to expand international games. That makes it more likely Dallas will have to moving forward.
Jones voiced another preference to make hosting a home international game more attractive for Dallas. “When we aren’t playing here, I want it to be in Mexico City. Period. Mexico City is good and close. If I’m going international, I want to play in Mexico City.”
Let the Eagles, Giants and Commanders go to Europe.
Does Jones think Buffalo should only host an international game if it’s in Toronto? His stance isn’t a good look and is unfair to the rest of the league. To save time and money on travel, Jones should ask the NFL to put the Cowboys in a division more geographically appropriate. Look at a map. Texas is not in the east.
Fix Interception Statistics – It’s one thing when a quarterback throws a pass directly to a defender. It’s something else when the pass hits the receiver in the hands and deflects for an interception. All picks currently count against the quarterback, but adding a deflected pass interception category would be more accurate.
The No-Sack Dance – Pass rushers dance when they get a sack, but most pass plays occur without defenders reaching the quarterback. Maybe it’s time for offensive linemen to celebrate. No, the big guys on the O-line are too classy for that and they’d have to dance 30 times a game instead of just a few.
Officiating – Officiating is a difficult job, but there are way too many calls and non-calls affecting games. The NFL needs to prioritize consistency in how games are officiated. Refs should also have to better explain the reason when they pick up a flag. Saying, “there is no flag on the play” just doesn’t suffice.
There’s much more to do, of course, but this would be a good start for 2024.
David Jolley is a sports fan and historian, public relations and marketing communications consultant, writer and the author of “A Good Cup of Coffee … Short-Time Major Leaguers and Their Claims to Fame.”)