Is it really a question of having issues if everyone else can see those issues?
This is what happened in the NFL, who’s downfall was well documented by most, if not all, of the sports media.
Fixes were terribly obvious, and the real question was if Roger Goodell would make any changes. Thankfully, it seems like he is.
Goodell was on ESPN’s Mike & Mike last week and commented on commercial breaks. “The number of breaks, we will take that back down,” Goodell said.
That is good news. The odd thing is that Goodell himself was not aware of the increase of commercials.
“To my surprise, we put some more commercialization in there last year. We put some spots that I was not aware of,” said Goodell.
How? That is like being the leader of the minutemen at Lexington saying “I don’t know who fired the first shot.” It would be nice for important people to know things like that.
And those chose changes will apply to Thursday Night Football. Still, that won’t fix the issues of those games.
One big change that will hit across the NFL is the disappearance of the hood. That is right, the replay hoods used by officials will go away.
That is because replays will now fall on the shoulders of vice president of officiating Dean Blandino. The final call will be his, not the officials as it has in the past.
Another change with replays will be that officials will announce the call to the stadium as soon as it is decided. Once again, it should move the game along at a greater pace.
In other NFL news, no team has signed Adrian Peterson.
The 32-year-old left Minnesota a few weeks ago, and still is searching for a team.
There seem to be two reasons for this: perception of the running back, and Peterson’s asking price.
ESPN reported that Peterson is wanting more than $8 million in his first year. That would put him tied for the second largest contract in term of average per year. Buffalo’s LeSean McCoy averages $8 million, and Pittsburgh’s Le’Veon Bell will be getting $12.5 million.
The only difference is that Bell gained 1,268 yards last year and McCoy one less than that. Peterson gained just 72.
The lack of production is also leading to executives worry about if he has anything left to give.
This comes as the free agent market has died down as teams have filled their needs. Very few teams need running backs now.
Quarterbacks are always in need, as Chicago Bears have proved that time and time again. After releasing Jay Cutler, they have signed two quarterbacks. Mike Glennon from Tampa Bay, and Mark Sanchez.
If you look carefully, you can see two W’s appear on the rest of the NFC North schedules.