Question of the Day (8/28/09)

What should the NFL do about the Pre-Season?

A. Cut down the amount of games the teams play to 2?

B. Cut down the amount of games the teams play to 3?

C. Leave it alone?

D. If A or B was the answer, should they add the removed games to the regular season and extend it to a possible 18 games?

The NFL Pre-Season has become a long winded and boring part of an exciting start to a new NFL regular season. Only one of the 4 games the teams play showcase the talent fans look forward to seeing. Most of the other games are really for the coaches and scouts, so they can weed out the players that won't make the rosters and to trim down the depth charts. Season ticket holders and non-tickets holders have to pay full price to see these games and they only get to see their favorite players for a full quarter or sometimes only for a couple of series. In game 3 of the pre-season, teams usually give their first stringers the entire first half to work out any kinks and see how they mesh. Otherwise it is a fact that the other 3 games of the NFL pre-season are more like tryouts. There should be a new formula considered by the NFL to either make the regular season longer or cut out some games in the pre-season while simultaneously lowering the ticket prices so fans can actually enjoy these exhibitions. MLB spring training games are drastically lower in price and fans get to experience the fun like they would at minor league games. It's understandable that the NFL would like to make as much money as possible, so lowering the ticket prices could be hard, but Roger Goodell could show some sympathy for the average fan and just consider an alternate option. Also, changing the pre-season and having less games can help teams avoid injuries before the regular season and give teams a fighting chance with a healthy core.