How Would You Change the NFL?

bye weeks before Thursday night games would be nice.

2 pt FG sounds like a bad idea - you would almost never want to kick them - but it would make the game a bit more exciting

field goals in general are a really weird thing. can't think of anything in another sport quite like them.

legislate that pre-game shows can be no longer than 15 minutes and impose a total media blackout policy the rest of the week

no recreational drug tests for players. harsh fines and bans for players convicted of violent crimes.

get rid of PATs #xfl

I would forbid coaches or players on the sideline from calling plays or defenses during a game, requiring players on the field to make those decisions.

allow coaches to challenge penalties

no more radio helmets
shorter play clock
no more london games
no more jacksonville jaguars
trim the rosters in such a fashion that regular players have to do the kicking/punting

xp oh hell no

get rid of thursday night football

xps to aimless - that's kind of interesting. taking it a step further you could eliminate the huddle entirely and reduce the play clock. force a more up-tempo game. maybe give a few more timeouts to balance, or a difference type of timeout like basketball. it's really leaning into the play quality problems by exacerbating them but emphasizing entertainment above all, which tbh should be catnip to nfl suits. enough so that i am surprised it hasn't already happened. prob afraid of belichick slitting their throats in their sleep.

should be catnip to nfl suits. enough so that i am surprised it hasn't already happened.

the nfl suits won't make any changes that major, for fear of killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. but I think it would make it more of a players' league, which appeals more to fans than a coaches' league, which it tends toward now.

get rid of PATs #xfl

― harold melvin and the bluetones (jim in vancouver)

i agree, fuck boston

from kevin clark on the ringer, i think these are legit

Punish Teams That Punt
We can’t make NFL coaches less conservative by showing them the data. For years, they’ve had data that support going for it on fourth-and-short, yet they’ve largely remained unmoved. Sixty-three times already this season, a team has punted on fourth down with 5 or fewer yards to go inside the opponent’s half of the field or at the 50-yard line. That’s insanity. Luckily, there’s been a crumb of justice: 12 times, those teams have punted the ball into the end zone for a touchback. The Giants have done it on both of their attempts. But a touchback isn’t enough of a deterrent. Teams that touch back on a punt should have the ball placed at the 35 instead of the 20. That’d solve it.

Change the Roster Rules
Why was Arizona’s 28–3 win over the Jets two weeks ago so depressing? Ryan Fitzpatrick was awful, but he was replaced by Geno Smith, who’s also bad. The Jets had no other choice, because as of now, only 46 of the 53 players on an NFL roster are active on game day. Third- and fourth-string quarterbacks Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg were inactive, depriving the Jets of the opportunity for reckless experimentation.
ALL players on the roster should become active in the fourth quarter. Inserting younger players (even if they’re bad, which Petty and Hackenberg surely are) for a few plays in a blowout would introduce a curiosity factor, and at least give fans something to watch.
I’d also expand rosters to include practice squad players in December.

"ALL players on the roster should become active in the fourth quarter. Inserting younger players (even if they’re bad, which Petty and Hackenberg surely are) for a few plays in a blowout would introduce a curiosity factor, and at least give fans something to watch.
I’d also expand rosters to include practice squad players in December."

oooh, I like this

the touchback idea seems kinda dumb though. I don't like the idea of saving coaches from themselves.