NFL Schedule: 18 Games or 16 Games? Now That Is the Question

Just this past week, after the NFL owners met in Atlanta, the league has moved one step closer to an 18 game season.

Now, the league and its owners will tell the public and the media anything as to why the want an extended season, but the real and only reason is more money.

Preseason games aren't as exciting, don't get as many butts in the seats, and don't attract as much advertising dollars (which is why they are broadcast on local stations and only a handful are on FOX, NBC, and ESPN) as the regular season.

So, obviously, the owners, league, and television stations want to make as much money as they can off of the NFL. So, they want to shorten the preseason by two games and extend the regular season by that same number.

As a fan, I am completely torn.

I don't know why, but 16 games just feels right. It might be because it's been that way for so long, and, like most people, I don't like change, but 16 just feel like the magic number.

Also, with 16 games, it's easier to gauge (based on your team's division) how many wins it will take to make the playoffs. Until we actually get a few 18-game seasons under our belt, we won't really be sure what it will take.

Also, I'm not sold on only having two preseason games.

Mostly, it's due in part to the constant chatter of the talking heads out there about players building up to game speed.

I feel that trying to ramp the players up to this game speed in only two games instead of four could result in more injuries. It's kind of like not stretching before a game. You might be fine, but you increase your chances for injury if you're not properly warmed up.

The preseason is like stretching. It slowly gets the players' bodies back into that stage off sprinting and being knocked around. It's in smaller doses than the regular season, so their bodies get used to it but have more time to recover.

Shortening the preseason to two games not only means they'll have to take more reps in those two games than in previous seasons, but also means they'll be going full speed two games earlier as well.

I don't know about you, but to me, this greatly increases injury potential.

Also, while we're on the topic of more preseason reps for starters, it means less reps for second and third team guys. That means one mistake could mean a player gets cut instead of having more opportunities to redeem themselves.

For example, in last year's NFC Championship game Adrian Peterson put the ball on the turf twice in the Vikings loss to the Saints.

A third-string player does that in one of two meaningless game, and he's toast because he probably won't have another opportunity.

In the current system, he'll probably have three to four games to show what he can do, and one bad game might not kill his chances.

If there are only two preseason games, he might only see action in one of them, and a bad game will certainly have him bagging groceries.

Many opposed to the 18 game schedule bring up a very good point, injuries.

Heck, with a 16-game schedule, teams are barely able to keep their starting rosters intact from beginning to end. Two more weeks of games means two more weeks of bumps, bruises, or worse.

More games, from a fan perspective, would seem great, but at the same time, I want all the games I watch to be as competitive as possible. I don't want to watch a bunch of backups in the last couple of weeks because the starters are too banged up to play, given the extra two games.

Shoot, the NFL raised a big stink last season about teams resting starters in weeks 16 and 17. What do they think teams are going to do for weeks 18 and 19? 

If I'm a coach and my guys have wrapped up everything by week 15 or 16, I'm treating 17, 18, and 19 like the preseason games I didn't get. I would rather give my starters a few reps but have them heal up for the playoffs and see what my backups can do.

However, as a fan, I wish (being this is week three of the preseason) that the regular season were starting this weekend.

An 18 game schedule means more meaningful games for us the fans to watch.

However, most reports I've seen seen have either said or hinted at the season not starting any earlier, just running longer.

I have several problems with this, if it is the case.

First, does that mean the preseason (being only two games) would start later as well?  Meaning we'll have to wait longer to see an actual game (even if it is meaningless) than we are now?

Or, will there be a two week layoff between the preseason and regular season?

Also, to be completely honest, I'm not a fan of having the Super Bowl in February. It's been eight seasons now, and I'm still not used to it, and I still don't like it.

Extending the season by two games and pushing everything back by two weeks means the Super Bowl will be played around Presidents Day and could be pushing in on Baseball's Spring Training.

I don't know about you, but that doesn't sit too well with me.

If they are going to extend the season by two games, then it should start in August and finish the first weekend of February (or only have a week between the championship games and the Super Bowl and finish in January).

In the end, my opinion means squat to the NFL. Odds are we'll have an 18-game season in two years, which should be fine because the players will be well-rested and healed up after the 2011 lockout.

Until next, time loyal reader, follow me on twitter @jomac006.