Roger Goodell Video: Highlights of Commissioner's State of the NFL Address

It was time for NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to give his annual state of the NFL address. He gave a lot of answers, but also delivered fans a great many questions in the process. 

Goodell maneuvered through a myriad of subjects and happened upon one huge discrepancy in the process. As we will soon see, injuries were discussed, as was the inclusion of far more Thursday night games. 

However, adding far more strain to the schedule was only part of a very telling address that will serve to shape the future of the NFL.

The Video

Now we delve into the bigger issues discussed by the commissioner, which are destined to become talking points over the weekend.  

Injuries

There is no bigger issue facing the league than injuries. Concussions are on the rise and players are far more cognisant of the long-lasting effects. 

The commissioner cited a $600 million legacy fund that was put in place to help aid former players. He also went a long way to state the NFL is leading the way in making their sport safer. 

The league, by his estimation, is dedicated to improving safety rules, player equipment and medical research. Indeed, health and injury were the all encompassing theme of the address. 

There will be ongoing discussions about adding independent neurologists to the sideline to aid in diagnosing concussions. 

Broadcast 

Then we got to the broadcast portion of the address. We all love Thursday night football. It's a treat to have the league break up the monotony of our week with an NFL clash, but we will be in store for a world of hurt. 

Goodell said NFL Network's Thursday night schedule of games in 2012 will expand to 13 from its previous slate of eight. Every last NFL team will now feature in a Thursday night game. 

This will no doubt shorten some weeks for teams, which makes us wonder how committed the league is to preventing injuries and strain on players. 

This is great news for fans, but that doens't mean players will be jumping for joy over the matter. You can only imagine that the NFL and its network will continue to grow if this experiment is a success. Goodell stated a foretelling message. Via NBC Sports:

"

The market for NFL Network is here. And it’s going to continue to grow.

"

Expansion

On Thursday, on "Costas Live," Goodell stated that he didn't want to move any of his teams. However, he actually would like to see LA get an expansion team, if the city were to indeed get a franchise. He re-iterated that point at Friday's address. 

When asked about a team in LA, Goodell stated that the league had not been thinking about it at all. At the address, he stated that there are a lot of issues surrounding having a team in LA. One wonders if that would be the expansion mentioned on Thursday night.

Super Bowls

This being the week of the big game, mention of future Super Bowls was inevitable. However, the subject got chilly when cold weather Super Bowls were mentioned. 

Goodell is open to another cold weather title game, as long as the one in New York in 2014 goes well. He is also warm to the idea of another big game in Indianapolis. 

He also stated that Miami would get more Super Bowls, but he would like to see renovations to their stadium first. 

That concludes the bigger issues on what was an all encompassing address that will go a long way to shape where the beloved league heads in the future. 

Follow @gabezal