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Evil Genius

The NFL produce is starting to rot

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Here's a post I put up on CBS forums...don't let a handful of good games yesterday taint your perceptions...

 

Never in a single year have I perceived such a pronounced decline in the NFL product. Every facet of the game has taken a step back - from the product on the field to the blanket of media coverage, and all points in between.

 

Here are the factors that make me come to this conclusion:

 

- the proliferation of instant replay to the point of madness, in both frequency and length. It is anything but 'instant'. Despite being terrible, in and of themselves, replays have made the number and length of commercials even more yawn-inspiring and momentum-destroying

 

- the incredible number of 'soft', aimless penalty calls, especially pass interference and QB protection calls. The number of flags arriving after a complaint or crowd reaction - I have never seen this kind of reactionary gerrymandering in any league EVER. A children's soccer league has more integrity amongst its officials

 

- the rampant fining of players (and the public knowledge thereof), endlessly policing player behaviour in a fascist manner. Most of the behaviour that is being discouraged would be entertaining and interesting to fans - celebrations, individualism, player commentary, and good, hard hits

 

- the League's staunch unwillingness to change a clearly biased and unjust overtime system. I would argue that it does not matter what the players and coaches prefer. Hockey players historically didn't like helmets. Players and coaches will adjust to something new (and better) if the upper level of administration would simply acknowledge it's wrong and make the necessary changes

 

- the continued hyper-commodification of the game [this is not new], to the point where the price point is near-beyond-reach for live games, for the average fan. The commercialism is taking over at every level - from the naming of stadiums to a parade of ceaseless sponsorships to nine dollar beers. This cannot go much farther and the NFL remain watchable, affordable or enjoyable

 

- the endless blathering by commentators, filling up every second of airtime in a broadcast with yammering or player-worship. Never is this worse than on Thursday and Monday nights. The wiener-sucking odes to the players by the commentators in these broadcasts are simply shameful

 

I've watched NFL football since I was 12. In 26 years, I can say, as objectively as my memory can let me - that this year represents the single most profound decline in what the NFL offers to my interest and emotion. I am beginning to feel the twinge of alienation and resentment.

 

Am I alone in these perceptions?

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Am I alone in these perceptions?

 

Probably not, but I have seen more good games this year than in a long time, and the themes are even better: two teams going to 13-0, one team going 0-6 with a shot to make the playoffs, one team going 6-0 and nearly out of the playoffs, the Super Bowl champs struggling, the emergence of another possible elite QB in Schaub, Favre with another shot at the Super Bowl.

 

Don't be the guy who can't see the forest for some of the trees.

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Probably not, but I have seen more good games this year than in a long time, and the themes are even better: two teams going to 13-0, one team going 0-6 with a shot to make the playoffs, one team going 6-0 and nearly out of the playoffs, the Super Bowl champs struggling, the emergence of another possible elite QB in Schaub, Favre with another shot at the Super Bowl.

 

Don't be the guy who can't see the forest for some of the trees.

 

I agree with the OP. I am beginning to find some games unwatchable, not because of the game but all of the crap in-between.

 

This year:

 

I watch no pre-game shows (I do watch the Fantasy Show on ESPN2 for inactives and injury reports).

 

Except for the home team I have started recording most of the other games I watch. (because of the painfully slow pace of the game. Oh those dreaded red flags)

 

I have not watched every game available to me. (Sometimes I forget the game is even on)

 

I have not gone to a game "live". (yet, I may go to the playoffs)

 

The OP explained the reasons very clearly.

 

 

Don't be the guy who settles for less.

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Yeah but the NFL is still light years ahead of the NBA, NHL, and MLB.

 

I think your diatribe would be more pertinent to NCAAF. This was the first year in a long time where I really didn't watch any college football. The officiating was horrible....they take a second look at any close call....etc.

 

Generally speaking...and thinking more philosophically, your entertainment dollar/hour just doesn't go as far as it used to. Network TV is a farce...there's a handful of shows worth watching....there's more commcercials now than a decade ago....so it's not just limited to sports....and certainly not exclusive to the NFL.

 

Also, gotta question the sincerity of your rant considering you play FF...you follow every game every weekend....so how bad can it be?

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In general, sports just does not keep up year over year with other entertainment options and ways to consume entertainment.

 

This year is just like any other, only the details are different. Sure, there are a lot more horrid teams, but there are conversely some amazing good teams. Some great stories. Some serious dissappointments.

 

It still is a better watch than baseball, and each game is more important than basketball.

 

I don't think that the game has changed at all, but simply that there are better options available each year.

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Here's a post I put up on CBS forums...don't let a handful of good games yesterday taint your perceptions...

 

Never in a single year have I perceived such a pronounced decline in the NFL product. Every facet of the game has taken a step back - from the product on the field to the blanket of media coverage, and all points in between.

 

Here are the factors that make me come to this conclusion:

 

- the proliferation of instant replay to the point of madness, in both frequency and length. It is anything but 'instant'. Despite being terrible, in and of themselves, replays have made the number and length of commercials even more yawn-inspiring and momentum-destroying

 

- the incredible number of 'soft', aimless penalty calls, especially pass interference and QB protection calls. The number of flags arriving after a complaint or crowd reaction - I have never seen this kind of reactionary gerrymandering in any league EVER. A children's soccer league has more integrity amongst its officials

 

- the rampant fining of players (and the public knowledge thereof), endlessly policing player behaviour in a fascist manner. Most of the behaviour that is being discouraged would be entertaining and interesting to fans - celebrations, individualism, player commentary, and good, hard hits

 

- the League's staunch unwillingness to change a clearly biased and unjust overtime system. I would argue that it does not matter what the players and coaches prefer. Hockey players historically didn't like helmets. Players and coaches will adjust to something new (and better) if the upper level of administration would simply acknowledge it's wrong and make the necessary changes

 

- the continued hyper-commodification of the game [this is not new], to the point where the price point is near-beyond-reach for live games, for the average fan. The commercialism is taking over at every level - from the naming of stadiums to a parade of ceaseless sponsorships to nine dollar beers. This cannot go much farther and the NFL remain watchable, affordable or enjoyable

 

- the endless blathering by commentators, filling up every second of airtime in a broadcast with yammering or player-worship. Never is this worse than on Thursday and Monday nights. The wiener-sucking odes to the players by the commentators in these broadcasts are simply shameful

 

I've watched NFL football since I was 12. In 26 years, I can say, as objectively as my memory can let me - that this year represents the single most profound decline in what the NFL offers to my interest and emotion. I am beginning to feel the twinge of alienation and resentment.

 

Am I alone in these perceptions?

 

dont forget the whole PR thing. Do you think some of the old time greats from the 70's would succeed today? tough guys with missing teeth who won titles would be seen as dangerous by corporate america. The NFL has become a "product" and they sell it too much. The focus is off of the game on onto money and image.

 

If a guy goes crazy and hurts people in a game in what should be and used to be legal. This guy is now either suspended or arrested for doing what was fair game in the 70s and earlier. The nfl is too soft now. They are changing rules to help the offense. It is turning into arena football. guys today make business decisions as Prime time called them, instead of football decisions.

 

The NFL is being modified to be marketed to the casual fan who never played football and doesn't really understand the game fully. The typical cuble dwelling dope making 30k a year is the nfl's target audience. This guy wants offense and big scores as he is easily bored. God forbid he turns the channel before he is assaulted by 40 beer commercials during the game. :overhead:

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dont forget the whole PR thing. Do you think some of the old time greats from the 70's would succeed today? tough guys with missing teeth who won titles would be seen as dangerous by corporate america. The NFL has become a "product" and they sell it too much. The focus is off of the game on onto money and image.

 

If a guy goes crazy and hurts people in a game in what should be and used to be legal. This guy is now either suspended or arrested for doing what was fair game in the 70s and earlier. The nfl is too soft now. They are changing rules to help the offense. It is turning into arena football. guys today make business decisions as Prime time called them, instead of football decisions.

 

The NFL is being modified to be marketed to the casual fan who never played football and doesn't really understand the game fully. The typical cuble dwelling dope making 30k a year is the nfl's target audience. This guy wants offense and big scores as he is easily bored. God forbid he turns the channel before he is assaulted by 40 beer commercials during the game. :overhead:

 

Maybe, but you cannot have 270lb linebackers who run like Franco Harris used to run attacking QBs and RBs without abandon like they did in the '70s and '80s. Players today are bigger, stronger, faster....and because of that, you can't go crazy or do the same stuff Lambert/Ham/Tatum did back in the day....seriously, someone could die.

 

And yeah, the NFL markets itself as nauseum.....Peyton Manning is on every third commercial....but does his play suffer from it? I think not. And still, at least the NFL markets itself in a decent fashion. I'm about sick and focking tired of those freakish Kobe/Lebron/Reindeer rapper puppet commercials airing now.....annoying as hell....and they've only just begun.

 

I've been watching football since the early '80s....I remember rooting for the Daryl Rodgers'/Wayne Fontes' Lions growing up....when Doug Englsh was arguably the best Lion on the team...nah it was Billy Simms....I remember the Flipper Andersons and Dave Butz and Joey Browner and Willie Gault and Icky Woods and Christian Okoye and Dalton Hilliard....and on and on. I also grew up watching the NBA and MLB.....hell, as a kid I used to record the All-Star Games in VHS.......1987 NBA All-Star Game.....the best 3-point shooting contest/Slam Dunk/All-star game ever! But I cannot watch those sports anymore. I'll watch pretty much every Twins game, but I never watch the ESPN baseball broadcasts....don't really care about other teams. And despite the season being 2 months old, I still haven't watched an NBA game in entirety. But football? I watched the MIA/TEN game yesterday...good game. I watched the GB/PIT game...which was also very good.

 

Sure, not every game every week will be entertaining, but the NFL still produces a much better product than other sports.....look at the SBs played in the past decade....instant classics. Now try to think back to the WS or NBA Finals.....anything stick out? Sure there's been a few moments, but not like the SB.

 

The NFL isn't a perfect product by any means....but it's still so much better than anything else on TV.

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Maybe, but you cannot have 270lb linebackers who run like Franco Harris used to run attacking QBs and RBs without abandon like they did in the '70s and '80s. Players today are bigger, stronger, faster....and because of that, you can't go crazy or do the same stuff Lambert/Ham/Tatum did back in the day....seriously, someone could die.

 

And yeah, the NFL markets itself as nauseum.....Peyton Manning is on every third commercial....but does his play suffer from it? I think not. And still, at least the NFL markets itself in a decent fashion. I'm about sick and focking tired of those freakish Kobe/Lebron/Reindeer rapper puppet commercials airing now.....annoying as hell....and they've only just begun.

 

I've been watching football since the early '80s....I remember rooting for the Daryl Rodgers'/Wayne Fontes' Lions growing up....when Doug Englsh was arguably the best Lion on the team...nah it was Billy Simms....I remember the Flipper Andersons and Dave Butz and Joey Browner and Willie Gault and Icky Woods and Christian Okoye and Dalton Hilliard....and on and on. I also grew up watching the NBA and MLB.....hell, as a kid I used to record the All-Star Games in VHS.......1987 NBA All-Star Game.....the best 3-point shooting contest/Slam Dunk/All-star game ever! But I cannot watch those sports anymore. I'll watch pretty much every Twins game, but I never watch the ESPN baseball broadcasts....don't really care about other teams. And despite the season being 2 months old, I still haven't watched an NBA game in entirety. But football? I watched the MIA/TEN game yesterday...good game. I watched the GB/PIT game...which was also very good.

 

Sure, not every game every week will be entertaining, but the NFL still produces a much better product than other sports.....look at the SBs played in the past decade....instant classics. Now try to think back to the WS or NBA Finals.....anything stick out? Sure there's been a few moments, but not like the SB.

 

The NFL isn't a perfect product by any means....but it's still so much better than anything else on TV.

 

Humans has not evolved in any meaningful way in the past 40 years. The people are essentially the same. There were big strong guys before. I am sick of people claiming all players were scrawny and weak 30 years ago compared to today's players. Give me the dallas or steeler d from the 70s and they would wreck some of these soft panzy offenses today. Like i said, old school players made football decisions which often hurt them but they made the sacrifice. Today, the players for the most part are spoiled milionares making "football decisions".. IE not tackling someone like prime time used to do.

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just watch the Red Zone channel on Sundays - it elminates alot of that stuff !!! :headbanger:

 

 

 

I only watch Redzone on Sundays also, I seriously hate commericals and the 5 min of deadtime after a score is brutal.

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I agree with a lot of your points, but very few, if any, relate directly to player performance.

 

I've only watched a lot of football for about 15 years now, but it seems that knowledge, talent, coaching, and adjustments are at an alltime high.

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NFL Redzone is just simulating what people do when they have Sunday ticket...that is, surf from channel to channel, dodging fleets upon fleets of commercials and delays, looking for action. Action I say!!

 

I agree - most of my observations have nothing to do with player performance - the guys are still out there, busting their humps, making dynamic entertainment, as only football can do.

 

But the game, softening rapidly in its pussification, is still the game.

 

Rather, all the trappings surrounding the game are becoming unbearable. Furthermore, following many games on Sunday as a Fantasyhead makes it worse.

 

I am determined to PVR the games next season, to avoid much of the corporate bullsh1t, going forward. It's simply ridiculous.

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NFL Redzone is just simulating what people do when they have Sunday ticket...that is, surf from channel to channel, dodging fleets upon fleets of commercials and delays, looking for action. Action I say!!

 

I agree - most of my observations have nothing to do with player performance - the guys are still out there, busting their humps, making dynamic entertainment, as only football can do.

 

But the game, softening rapidly in its pussification, is still the game.

 

Rather, all the trappings surrounding the game are becoming unbearable. Furthermore, following many games on Sunday as a Fantasyhead makes it worse.

 

I am determined to PVR the games next season, to avoid much of the corporate bullsh1t, going forward. It's simply ridiculous.

coporate america bleeds us dry and sucks all the blood and money from us. they view people like we are the host and they are a parasite. The NFL gets us all together on sunday so they can bombard us with 6000 commericals during a game. I might do the redzone next year. forget the crap and just see the real action.

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But you have to anticipate the next move...

 

Not that I've seen any RedZone, but once everyone moves to watching this feed, the commercial-madness will move there.

 

The NFL, as it is covered on television, has degenerated significantly in only the last few years. It was not great in the 80's, made worse in the nineties, and this decade has turned to atrocious.

 

There are some on-field problems - reactive and soft penalty calls, replay, and overtime debacles - that I detailed above in the original post. These could be remedied if the League gave two sh1ts about the game rather than the money.

 

The extent of the greed never ceases to degrade quality.

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I agree with a lot of your points, but very few, if any, relate directly to player performance.

 

I've only watched a lot of football for about 15 years now, but it seems that knowledge, talent, coaching, and adjustments are at an alltime high.

 

 

That is because today everything is specialized. Back in the day you could have a player/coach or a player/punter or a player/FG kicker. The better athletes played both offense and defense. I don't really think we can compare the two.

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- the endless blathering by commentators, filling up every second of airtime in a broadcast with yammering or player-worship. Never is this worse than on Thursday and Monday nights. The wiener-sucking odes to the players by the commentators in these broadcasts are simply shameful

 

This has been going on forever. I remember watching games with my stepdad, and he would always turn the sound down and listen to the radio commentators while watching the TV because he hated the commentators on TV.

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Humans has not evolved in any meaningful way in the past 40 years. The people are essentially the same. There were big strong guys before. I am sick of people claiming all players were scrawny and weak 30 years ago compared to today's players. Give me the dallas or steeler d from the 70s and they would wreck some of these soft panzy offenses today. Like i said, old school players made football decisions which often hurt them but they made the sacrifice. Today, the players for the most part are spoiled milionares making "football decisions".. IE not tackling someone like prime time used to do.

 

I've been watching the NFL since the early 70s. Today's Oakland Raiders would mop the field with the likes of the 70s Steelers and Cowboys. Today's players are bigger, stronger and faster, and the game is played at a higher speed. The defenses of yesteryear simply could not keep up. That's a stone cold fact.

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I've been watching the NFL since the early 70s. Today's Oakland Raiders would mop the field with the likes of the 70s Steelers and Cowboys. Today's players are bigger, stronger and faster, and the game is played at a higher speed. The defenses of yesteryear simply could not keep up. That's a stone cold fact.

 

This could be one of the all-time dumbest posts in the history of FF posting. The 70's Steelers would have destroyed the current Raiders and I hate the Steelers. You are just ###### stupid. Size doesn't matter. Skill does. The Broncos of the Terrell Davis era had the smalllest O-line in the league. Your statement just got destroyed.

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The thread has gone a bit astray. In the attempt to kick it back towards the original intent - it's about the quality of the NFL product both on and off the field.

 

And the influences and forces that are furthering its degredation.

 

...Or preserve its quality....if there are those out there who disagree with the original post.

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i agree with some points and disagree with others

 

the fining is getting out of hand and the penalties (especially roughing the passer IMO) have gotten to be too much. I dislike watching star players whine for calls (cheap Brady shot :rolleyes:).

 

Overtime is fine. There are already plenty of numbers to disprove the notion that whoever wins the toss, wins the game. Its been covered extensively.

 

Also, props for using the word gerrymandering.

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This could be one of the all-time dumbest posts in the history of FF posting. The 70's Steelers would have destroyed the current Raiders and I hate the Steelers. You are just ###### stupid. Size doesn't matter. Skill does. The Broncos of the Terrell Davis era had the smalllest O-line in the league. Your statement just got destroyed.

 

Destroyed? By you? Okay, hero......

 

I might add the game is lot more complicated today, and a defense from the 70s wouldn't know what the fock they were looking at if they stepped into a game today. Same with a great offense from the 70s - they'd be lost against the friggin' Lions.

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