Pimpbot

Yes, you are correct. I was thinking of the first year they televised football and of course the Superbowl was in january the following year.

I'd be interested in your ideas for improvement if you're willing to share.

Pimpbot

You've just proved you no nothing about the game. I understand you don't like the sport, but please come with an educated reason why.

cindyabs

I think we could agree gentlemen, that it's quite possibly the non game performance that can makes a national sports figure an internationally recognized one- video games, tv ads and movies.

Bob

an hour game takes 3-4 hours to complete, there are five min breaks every 20 seconds...the half time shows are shite, the cheerleaders are normally mingy...the players are just bulk, hardly athletes, same goes for baseball
And there's no fluidity in the game, not to mention, the season is well short and they only play a handful of teams, all the time.
Also, have to get loads of equipment to play it, can't just have a simple knock around with mates or on your own like you can with footie....those are my reasons....
But the condensed highlights in the evenings can be good, nothing beats watching a crunch of a tackle that knocks seven bells of shit out of someone and leaves them a stuttering bloody mess on the floor...oh no, that's supposed to be boxing

elfman

Was thinking mainly about the use of time in the game - there's way too much dead time with people just standing around doing sod all with the clock ticking away. If they reduced the time on the play clock and subsequently made them set up and initiate each play quicker it would do wonders for the tempo of the game and by extension the excitement and the atmosphere in the stadium. And I don't think this would necessarily have much of an impact on the number of ad breaks they can squeeze in, since most breaks are between socres, during timeouts, or changes of possession.

Also the way the NFL settles games in OT - it seems to me that the team that wins the coin toss has an advantage straight away; I would prefer them to give each team one possession each as they do in college football (I think). I also like the idea I read about the other day suggesting that OT games are settled by the first team to score 6 points in the OT period - that way touchdowns are encouraged and multiple possessions would be more frequent because a single field goal wouldn't be enough to win it.

Pimpbot

Well most of what you wrote is exagerated(sp) opinion. You don't need the equipment to play touch football and flag football, the popular forms of the game for the "mates" to play. Games rarely last 4 hours, except maybe the superbowl due to the added time for the halftime show, which I agree is usually crap, but its there for the casual fan who only tunes in to the Superbowl, which is why it has more than 100 million viewers ever year in the US, where as the next biggest games(championship games) only get around 40 million viewers. Other than that, you never see the halftime shows during the regular season, except maybe the thanksgiving day games. Cheerleaders, take em or leave em, but mingers?, did you check your manhood at the door?. The season is short, but the players take a lot of punishment which would effect the quality of the games we watch.

Bob

yup, cheers leaders, most of 'em are mingy.
Still, the games take to long and aren't fluid enough.
Touch/flag...still requires a lot of space and people, can't really knock around against a wall...
Still a really boring sport...and hardly athletic are they, well defensive line up at least
Would be better if there were more matches across the country rather than having so many small divisions...and they should ditch having so many naff ref's that waste so much time, well annoying....just can't get into the game.

And what's the fasination of everyone having to win? Sod the over time, nothing wrong with a draw, and the same goes for basketball and baseball on that one...

Pimpbot

Talk about spliting hairs Bob Does a football knock around require a full pitch and must have 22 "mates" playing?...neither does touch/flag football for F... sake!.

Bob, you have no idea mate. These guys are super fit. Don't let an offensive linemans gut fool you. And boring, maybe, but do you know all the rules? and I mean all the rules. I use to think baseball was boring until I began to understand the game better.

I am not sure what you mean by "across the country". I could point out countless games this year where the teams have travelled great distances for games. There are 32 teams in the NFL and playing a 31 game regular season would be impossible.

Maybe thats why the British are Frank Bruno and Tim Henman lovers. We adore the losers, because we are so use to it maybe?.

Manc

Being a heavywieght champion of the world makes you a loser?

Pigtails

I can't believe you're arguing about this stupid game. Isn't there a sports thread for this?

Pimpbot

Unfortunately, we are at the mercy of the broadcasters and their billion dollar contracts. The NFL has done a good job at shortning the games with the 25 second clock. I remember when they were given 35 and more seconds between plays. I think if you like short games, the NFL will never be for you, because they will never be able to fit it into 2 hrs and under and if the clock was to run all the time, instead of just when the ball is run or a pass is completed inbounds, each team would probably only see the ball 4 to 6 times a game. Times of games vary according to the style of football a team plays also. If a team has a strong ground game, then the clock will run down far more quickly, than a team with a pass attack that throws the ball 30 to 40 times a game. By changing the clock rules, you could eliminate certain factors of the game.

I personally don't like the college football way of doing things in OT. They give each team a possesion(or two?) from the 20 or 30 yard line of their opponents. I'd prefer in OT that both teams get one possesion until one scores and the other does not, but from their own 20 yard line. But OT rules can be debated like penalty kicks and golden goals in football. No one will ever be completely happy with the outcome.

Manc

you only don't like it because Cincy are the laughing stock of the league.

Bob

Errr...you asked for points, I put some across, and no, a knock around doesn't need a full pitch, but yankie footie, can hardly play catch on your own, that was the point I was making.

As for playing 31 game, why would it be impossible? extend the season, it's not like they travel coach class and there paid shit lots, so make them earn it playing the sport.

Pimpbot

Come on Manc, Bruno was a chump. He held on for the last 4 freakin rounds of that fight.

fatbrit

While we're on this one, why do we the local taxpayers have to pay for their freakin' stadiums? A small paycut of a million or so shouldn't hurt them too much, and they could take a loan like the rest of us have to in order to build their monstrous follies.