Another Solution To the NFL Scheduling Conflict

Lately, all the recent talk from both the players and the league offices seems to come to the idea of reducing the preseason and adding to the regular season.  

Many players seem dead set against it, even though it might put a little more coin in their pocket.  

Future Hall of Famers like Tom Brady and Ray Lewis cite the additional wear and tear on the player by lengthening the season, that, in essence, shortens careers. 

I have one other take on the subject that they are neglecting to mention: more meaningless games at the END of the year.  

Once teams that tend to wrap up their divisions earlier like Indianapolis, Minnesota, and New Orleans get that division wrapped up, there's an even greater chance they tank or "mail in" the final two or three games instead of just the last one as they do now.  

I agree, though, that the preseason is long and not very useful, so I want to throw my hat in the ring and suggest a compromise of sorts.  

I'd like to see three preseason games and 17 regular season games.  

I believe three preseason games are enough to determine a pecking order and evaluate talent.

In many cases, the training camp battles center around two players at a position.  With three preseason games, you can let one player be the focus of the first game, the other gets the second, and the last sorts it out.  

As for the regular season, I think it eliminates one thing that tends to get frustrating: .500 teams in the playoffs.  

In fact, there will be no more .500 teams.

Every team will either have a winning record or a losing record.  

I, for one, would love to see 8-8 go away.  No more, "Well, we were 8-8, at least it isn't a losing record."

One final thought: Adding two games to the regular season will make it that much easier for teams to break records.

Granted, even one game would make a difference (see Drew Brees' run at Marino's single season passing yard record), but I think that's better than a two game boost.  

I don't think it's a matter of IF, but WHEN, the season extends itself.

I just hope that someone gives some thought to the 3/17 season I've mentioned here.

I think it's a great compromise that's a win-win situation for everyone involved—the fans, the players, and the owners.