NFL Should Not Play Regular-Season Games Overseas

This week, NFL owners are getting together for meetings in Houston.

One of topic that was discussed was the NFL expanding their league in other countries.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter announced the owners approved a resolution to continue to play regular-season games in the United Kingdom through 2016.

I can’t say I agree with this. It is not necessary to take away a regular-season home game from a team and send two teams overseas for one regular-season contest.

The league has also considered the idea of removing two preseason games and adding two regular-season games. However, players are against the idea due to a 16-game regular season already being long enough for them.

Why did I bring up the 18-game proposal? I have an idea. The league can knock down two birds with one stone with this plan.

The league should keep the regular season at 16 games, but remove one preseason game.

With three preseason games, each team plays one game at home and away within the first two weeks. The third preseason game will be played in a neutral site for every team.

In Week 3 of the preseason, the NFL should schedule 16 games outside of the country, including the United Kingdom. Following exhibition games played internationally in Week 3, teams can pack their bags and spend a couple of weeks preparing for the regular-season opener.

No team will have a home game taken away from them in the regular season. It will also  allow the NFL to continue to expand, as they wish. The most beneficial part about this is that players will have some time to prepare before the regular season.

I know readers from the United Kingdom will be opposed to this idea because they don’t want to see third- and fourth-string players on the gridiron. I regret to inform those international fans that this is America’s game. We should not be spending our resources to play a regular-season game in another country.

Living in Kansas City, I am surrounded by die-hard Chiefs fans who live to tailgate Sunday mornings for home games. If the league were to take away a home game from the Chiefs and send them to the United Kingdom for one week, fans here would not appreciate the idea. I'm sure every passionate football fan who is a season ticket holder would feel the same way.

Although this idea solves two issues, it does bring another issue.

Preseason games are broadcast by local television outlets. Even though CBS, FOX, NBC and ESPN have been guilty of making a couple of mistakes during their broadcasts, they keep their errors to a minimum.

There have been many instances in which preseason broadcasts have gone wrong. The director calls for the wrong camera and the audience at home completely missed a first-down play.

The league will have to workout a deal where directors and crew members with professional experience can help carry the game overseas to provide a successful broadcast.

Is this a good idea? Could it work? Let me know your thoughts.

Follow Farzin on Twitter @Farzin21.