NFL Pushing For 18-Game Regular Season is a No-Brainer, Yes

J.T. Sounds OFF- Thursday, August 26th 

To play or not to play? 

That's the question football fans will be asking and NFL owners and players will be be answering in 2011.

For now let's focus on something that should be less complex.  

Should being the key word.

I've yet to figure out why in a recent ESPN.com poll question, 47% of football fans think that the NFL should not expand to an 18-game regular season schedule. 

As a fan you'd think this would be a no-brainer.  More football that matters and less of it that doesn't. 

NFL owners met in Atlanta to discuss a number of topics.  The topic of adding more real football is on the top of Commissioner Roger Goodell's list.  The majority of NFL owners are in agreement with this proposal.  However, NFL owners did not vote today on whether or not the league should expand to an 18-game regular season schedule.   

Goodell is however setting 2012 as a target date.

For the most part, players and fans agree that four preseason games is an outrage. 

And while I don't expect many players to take kindly to the idea of more real football added to their season, I did come across two.

Chargers linebacker, Sean Merriman said on Fox Sports Radio that he is in favor of adding two more games.  Why?  He doesn't want to go through unnecessary preseason games. 

Terrell Owens said he'd be a "advocate" for the move and that if the league does add two more games to the regular season it will be "exciting for the fans." 

A sentiment that I'd expect many NFL fans to echo.

Besides the obvious reason of just having more football, I'd like to see the league put more attention towards rivalries.   

I'm a huge fan of rivalries in football.  College or Pro.  The league would be able to focus on creating new ones if they were to add two more games to the schedule. 

I call 'em border state rivals or in state rivals.  A few examples for you.

Miami and Tampa Bay are 2 hours apart.  Yet they rarely meet during the regular season.  

Other possible new rivalries include Atlanta and Jacksonville.  Americas new favorite team to root for in the New Orleans Saints and "Americas Team" the Dallas Cowboys. Carolina and Washington. How about an obvious choice in the New York Giants and New York Jets.  

I digress. 

I don't buy into the argument that the addition of more football would dilute the regular season.  

It actually would help increase the importance of late season football for more NFL teams.  Especially those who "mail it in" come Week 16 and 17.  "Mailing it in" won't be an option when you have to face a surging Titans teams from a year ago. 

Bottom line? 

Give me more football and I'm happier than 5 year old on Christmas morning. 

You too should feel the same. 

Don't turn down this gift to have more football, because next season you may be without the sport we all love. 

Sound OFF!  

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