Poll: Has the NFL become to politically correct for you taste?

[Amnorix]

I would wonder if having the same damn teams on top all the time, especially in the AFC has been significant. I'm good with it, since it includes the Pats, but if you aren't the Pats/Donx/Steelers/Ravens/Colts, then you haven't been to a SB in at least 10 years, and probably not even an AFC championship game.

But I find that hard to believe as a factor. We had the same damn thing in the NFC for like 15 years too. SF/Dal/NYG/Wash/Chi from 1981 to 1995.

[stevieray]

Originally Posted by Amnorix

I would wonder if having the same damn teams on top all the time, especially in the AFC has been significant. I'm good with it, since it includes the Pats, but if you aren't the Pats/Donx/Steelers/Ravens/Colts, then you haven't been to a SB in at least 10 years, and probably not even an AFC championship game.

But I find that hard to believe as a factor. We had the same damn thing in the NFC for like 15 years too. SF/Dal/NYG/Wash/Chi from 1981 to 1995.

I think it does...when it feels like the same teams over and over, futility sets in.

[Amnorix]

Originally Posted by stevieray

I think it does...when it feels like the same teams over and over, futility sets in.

Right. I would think so, but we had the same problem in the NFC for 15 years and it didn't seem to hurt too badly.

It could be the specific teams at issue. "America's Team", the Cowboys, were in the mix before, and so their success was good for the NFL. Dallas (with their broad appeal), plus WASH/NYG/SF/CHI are bigger, in terms of market size, than NE/IND/PIT/DEN/BALT.

I dunno.

Probably it's a combo of factors. Feelings of futility, plus replay issues, plus "refs suck", plus over-saturation, maybe, all combinign to drive down ratings.

[Bugeater]

Originally Posted by Amnorix

I would wonder if having the same damn teams on top all the time, especially in the AFC has been significant. I'm good with it, since it includes the Pats, but if you aren't the Pats/Donx/Steelers/Ravens/Colts, then you haven't been to a SB in at least 10 years, and probably not even an AFC championship game.

But I find that hard to believe as a factor. We had the same damn thing in the NFC for like 15 years too. SF/Dal/NYG/Wash/Chi from 1981 to 1995.

It's a huge factor for me.

[Amnorix]

Originally Posted by BeaverEater

It's a huge factor for me.

This goes back to the rules changes which have continually favored the passing game. Tightening up pass interference and other rules changes have reduced the importance of other aspects of football, all in favor of passing.

Not that it is impossible to win otherwise (see, unfortunately, Denver last year), but it's increasingly hard to be competitive without an above-average or great QB.

Belichick was talking about an aspect of htis earlier this week. He said when he came into the NFL (aroudn 1975) there were 6 competitive plays in special teams. As of last year, there were only two. He therefore welcomed the rules change bringing kickoff returns to the 25, as it had returned kick and kick coverage into a competitive play.

Take it away Bill:

Originally Posted by Bill Belichick

“When I came into the league on special teams you had six phases,” Belichick said in his Monday press conference. “Every phase was very competitive, so field goal protection, field goal rush, kickoff, kickoff return, punt, punt return - now that's really down to just two phases; punt and punt return.

“Field goals - it's very hard to block a field goal because of the rules. You can't hit the center, you can't jump, you can't overload, you can't do much of anything. You just have to make a great play to somehow split the coverage or have a bad kick or both to really affect that play. It's not impossible but it's hard, so field goal protection isn't what it used to be and the field goal rush has really been taken out of the game.

“Then when you start touch-backing the kickoffs you take the coverage players out of the game because you and I could cover a lot of the kickoffs when they're nine, 10, 11 yards deep in the end zone. You don't need anybody to cover them and the same thing with the return game. They don't block because there's no return, so it's become a punt and punt return game and that's where a lot of the emphasis now has to go in the kicking game because that's where most of the plays are.”

“Getting the ball out to the 25-yard line is obviously harder than getting it out to the 20,” Belichick said, “and those touchbacks that put it on the 20, I mean I know it's only five yards- and five yards is five yards- but it just seems like it was a lot easier for teams to just touchback and put the ball on the 20, whereas now there's just a little more incentive to make them return it to the 25 as opposed to just handing them the ball on the 25-yard line.”

[dirk digler]

Originally Posted by Amnorix

This goes back to the rules changes which have continually favored the passing game. Tightening up pass interference and other rules changes have reduced the importance of other aspects of football, all in favor of passing.

Not that it is impossible to win otherwise (see, unfortunately, Denver last year), but it's increasingly hard to be competitive without an above-average or great QB.

Belichick was talking about an aspect of htis earlier this week. He said when he came into the NFL (aroudn 1975) there were 6 competitive plays in special teams. As of last year, there were only two. He therefore welcomed the rules change bringing kickoff returns to the 25, as it had returned kick and kick coverage into a competitive play.

Take it away Bill:

Bill is right but the NFL can't talk about player safety and then go back to the old way of kickoff's. They should just eliminate it.

[Amnorix]

Originally Posted by dirk digler

Bill is right but the NFL can't talk about player safety and then go back to the old way of kickoff's. They should just eliminate it.

I think that is probably where they end up. Which I guess means either you onside kick it, or the other team gets the ball at the 20. Hopefully not the 25.

[Chief Pagan]

Originally Posted by dirk digler

Bill is right but the NFL can't talk about player safety and then go back to the old way of kickoff's. They should just eliminate it.

I know that there are always going to be some that complain about rule changes, but with that said:

I like of the idea of instead of doing a kickoff you have a punt. Or rather, you treat it as, say, 4th and 5 from the 30 yard line so the team can go for it if they want. The yard line and down distance can be tweaked as needed.

For something even more contrived, I think it would be interesting if it starts out as 4th and one. If the "kick off" team ever converts fourth down instead of punting, then the next kick off goes to 4th and 5 and then maybe it goes to 4th and ten and stays there for any more attempts.

It would make it easier to have comebacks and make for a more interesting decision.

[Pasta Little Brioni]

Originally Posted by Chief Pagan

I know that there are always going to be some that complain about rule changes, but with that said:

I like of the idea of instead of doing a kickoff you have a punt. Or rather, you treat it as, say, 4th and 5 from the 30 yard line so the team can go for it if they want. The yard line and down distance can be tweaked as needed.

For something even more contrived, I think it would be interesting if it starts out as 4th and one. If the "kick off" team ever converts fourth down instead of punting, then the next kick off goes to 4th and 5 and then maybe it goes to 4th and ten and stays there for any more attempts.

It would make it easier to have comebacks and make for a more interesting decision.

That would be awful dude.

[Bugeater]

Originally Posted by Amnorix

This goes back to the rules changes which have continually favored the passing game. Tightening up pass interference and other rules changes have reduced the importance of other aspects of football, all in favor of passing.

Not that it is impossible to win otherwise (see, unfortunately, Denver last year), but it's increasingly hard to be competitive without an above-average or great QB.

Belichick was talking about an aspect of htis earlier this week. He said when he came into the NFL (aroudn 1975) there were 6 competitive plays in special teams. As of last year, there were only two. He therefore welcomed the rules change bringing kickoff returns to the 25, as it had returned kick and kick coverage into a competitive play.

Take it away Bill:

Very true, and that along with what I believe is over-expansion in the league to where there aren't enough talented QBs and other offensive playmakers to go around...you end up with a lot of bad football games.