Low Ratings and Quality of Play

Parade_Rain · Oct 20, 2016

Rory Sparrow said:
I don't really care if overall ratings are up or down, but I've gradually lost interest in the NFL over the past few years. I find myself watching more college football than NFL football. I think the on-field product is more entertaining.

I think what might eventually cause the demise of the NFL is PED usage. Players are just so much bigger and faster, especially on defense. The body just can't take that type of punishment from fast 250-300 lbs. players. Goodell's inception of 'player safety rules' avoids the main issue, which is that there is no way to avoid massive injuries when everyone is on PEDs. You can't develop a helmet to prevent a concussion after getting hit full force by Vontez Burfict.

As FourAgreements said, the increase in the amount of games the regular players miss mean you have large scale weekly roster turnover. The players simply become interchangeable cogs in a machine where pretty much every team runs the same offensive and defensive systems. Even if you wanted to do something innovative, its difficult due to off-season player movement and in-season player injuries. If you have no continuity, how can you install complex systems? If you need a certain type of player to run a certain type of system, what if that one player gets injured? Too much risk to try new stuff in the NFL.

To me, the NFL has become kind of a 'faceless' entity, with a mundane product and little entertainment value. I'll still watch the playoffs, but the regular season games have become like NBA regular season games...just an exercise for the players to earn some money, and little else. After 13 weeks, you still have 90-95% of the teams contending for playoff spots. Not very compelling.

Rory, we don't agree on much, but this is very well stated. [emoji106]

didshereallysaythat · Oct 20, 2016

FirstTimer said:
To didshe's point:

http://www.sbnation.com/college-foo...ay-wednesday-night-espn-television-scheduling

Fair enough. I just always thought it was kinda sketchy that those lower tiered conferences had to play games at odd times (Tues/Wed) but not say Big Ten or SEC. Actually, Big Ten almost never even plays Thursday games. I can't remember any instances other than opening week.

james sanders · Oct 20, 2016

Teddy KGB said:
Yet the ratings had their first massive drop after it happened. Sometimes the most simple answer is the correct one. No easy out about it.

I think that the Kapearnick crap isn't the first; The NFL has been politicized a whole bunch already; there is the pink in October, and the Obamacare stuff and the NFL threatening to move the Super Bowl over state laws (Arizona over a ID law, and I believe somewhere else over a bathroom law or something). Those kinds of things turn me off. Not to mention ESPN is essentially MSNBC sports.

bearmick · Oct 20, 2016

james sanders said:
I think that the Kapearnick crap isn't the first; The NFL has been politicized a whole bunch already; there is the pink in October, and the Obamacare stuff and the NFL threatening to move the Super Bowl over state laws (Arizona over a ID law, and I believe somewhere else over a bathroom law or something). Those kinds of things turn me off. Not to mention ESPN is essentially MSNBC sports.

What's political about breast cancer?

Bears4Ever_34 · Oct 20, 2016

I can hardly believe the ratings are due to Anthem protests. They almost never show the Anthem being played before games anyway unless it's Nationally televised. If people are seriously tuning off because of that, then they are flat out morons and were never fans of the game to begin with.

The most likely cause is the quality of play/officiating and length of games. The election hasn't helped either.

bearmick · Oct 20, 2016

Bears4Ever_34 said:
I can hardly believe the ratings are due to Anthem protests. They almost never show the Anthem being played before games anyway unless it's Nationally televised. If people are seriously tuning off because of that, then they are flat out morons.

The most likely cause is the quality of play/officiating, and length of games. The election hasn't helped either.

Number51 will probably think I'm making this up, but there's actually a lady in my local bar who says she's not watching the NFL this year because of the anthem stuff. She's 100% one of these populist patriot types so it's not surprising to me, but yeah, that is happening.

james sanders · Oct 20, 2016

bearmick said:
What's political about breast cancer?

Pink is effeminate

bearmick · Oct 20, 2016

james sanders said:
Pink is effeminate

Only to the very insecure.

That still doesn't explain how it's political.

iueyedoc · Oct 20, 2016

james sanders said:
I think that the Kapearnick crap isn't the first; The NFL has been politicized a whole bunch already; there is the pink in October, and the Obamacare stuff and the NFL threatening to move the Super Bowl over state laws (Arizona over a ID law, and I believe somewhere else over a bathroom law or something). Those kinds of things turn me off. Not to mention ESPN is essentially MSNBC sports.

Uhh, yeah...I think it's the NFL (No Fun League) thingy more than pink socks.
My feelings don't get hurt by some misinformed relationship between poorly trained cops killing innocent people and the national anthem. In fact I am thinking about taking a knee whenever I hear My Sweet Cherry Pie due to the increase in Zika in FL from global warming induced Polar Bear loss of habitat.

Bears4Ever_34 · Oct 20, 2016

bearmick said:
Number51 will probably think I'm making this up, but there's actually a lady in my local bar who says she's not watching the NFL this year because of the anthem stuff. She's 100% one of these populist patriot types so it's not surprising to me, but yeah, that is happening.

I'm sure it is happening for that reason, sadly, but is it the main cause or just a smaller part of the problem? If it's the former, then I can't do anything but laugh. It's just funny that THIS would be the thing that gets people to stop watching, and not something actually involving the game itself, or even something 1000000000x more important than getting riled up over a protest, like domestic violence.

PeterMbangala · Oct 20, 2016

Teddy KGB said:
I firmly believe that has nothing to do with it.

People have been complaining about the NFL quality "declining" for a while now, with regards to tackling technique, and I remember in the late 90's and early 2000's people wondering if there were too many teams and if the expansion teams coming for Carolina and Jacksonville will only water down the product.

Frankly, it ignores the obvious - the ratings have been taking a hit ever since players decided to be dicks during the anthem. It's a no brainer that this will piss off the more patriotic people in the country.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say anyone who isn't watching because of an anthem protest is a fucking moron. So, you're fine with the "policy" on domestic violence, the coverup over brain damage, screwing over taxpayers for new stadiums, terrible amateur officiating etc. but a guy exercising his right to protest tips you over the edge. The majority of troops canvassed have zero problem with it but people that have never sacrificed a day of their lives for their country get all pissy about it. Just incredible. The sooner these people are excised from the world's genepool the better.

MIKETOUHY · Oct 20, 2016

PeterMbangala said:
There are many things wrong with the NFL but as a non-American the commercials make watching a game live impossible for me. I know the game lends itself to it, but I do not need a commercial after every time out at the end of the game or before and after every kick off or punt. Honestly I don't know how you guys do it. I caught an episode of NFL Live the other day and they had six ad breaks in an hour long programme! WTF? Have you guys just got used to this shit?

I don't see how anyone can allow commercial to have an effect on one's enjoyment of the game.

KittiesKorner · Oct 20, 2016

shut up!

botfly10 · Oct 20, 2016

Teddy KGB said:
I firmly believe that has nothing to do with it.

People have been complaining about the NFL quality "declining" for a while now, with regards to tackling technique, and I remember in the late 90's and early 2000's people wondering if there were too many teams and if the expansion teams coming for Carolina and Jacksonville will only water down the product.

Frankly, it ignores the obvious - the ratings have been taking a hit ever since players decided to be dicks during the anthem. It's a no brainer that this will piss off the more patriotic people in the country.

LOL

Bwaaahahahaaa

Been wondering how long it would take for good ol Vag to show up. You didn't disappoint.

botfly10 · Oct 20, 2016

iueyedoc said:
The decline in the quality of the NFL product lies largely in the rules changes giving an advantage to the passing offenses. The most valuable commodity in the NFL is a franchise QB and there are few true franchise QB's. As of last year, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, Aaron Rodgers, and maybe Eli fit that bill. Guys like Brees, Rivers, Newton, Wilson, and Ryan are really good but not great.

With so much emphasis put on the passing game and only 4-5 stars at 32 positions leads to a large group of slightly above average to slightly below average teams. There have been a few break through seasons by teams, but no SB loser has made it back the next year since the Bills in 1993. And during the 2000's decade only the 2006 Seahawks and 2009 Cardinals made the playoffs the next season 8 other teams failed including the 2007 Bears.

Now the NFL will never do it, but if the rules were such that the running game became the staple of a good team again, the overall quality of the product would be improved. There are more really good, and less spread of high to low quality RB's than QB's. With more running there would be less crap calls in the biggest crap call category(PI, catch/no catch). One key injury would not doom a teams season.

Ya know, it IS pretty Special person to change the game emphasize QB play so much when the really good ones are so rare.

FatBabiesHaveNoPride · Oct 20, 2016

bearmick said:
What's political about breast cancer?

The racket that is Komen

DMelt36 · Oct 20, 2016

FirstTimer said:
To didshe's point:

http://www.sbnation.com/college-foo...ay-wednesday-night-espn-television-scheduling

(And the MAC and Sun Belt make sure to either give bye weeks to teams preparing for early-week games or just have a team do multiple early-week games back-to-back. Teams aren’t having to play on Saturday and then again three days later.)

Click to expand...

This seems like such an easy solution for the NFL. Don't start with Thursday night games until the bye weeks start in the NFL. Then only have teams play coming out of a bye week. You could even open the season on Thursday night still as those teams have the entire offseason to prepare.

But the NFL won't change because it doesn't give a fuck about player safety or the quality of its product.

I mean, you guys saw the game tonight. I think I keep a pretty good handle on the Bears but I don't know who half of those guys were suiting up in blue tonight. A lot of those guys have had nagging injuries this season but the four days between games probably didn't give them enough time to heal. Had this game been on Sunday, I think the injury report might have been a lot different for the Bears.

FirstTimer · Oct 21, 2016

I thought it was funny last night, whenever there was a penalty it seemed like the official was announcing the penalty by talking really fast to help move things along.

PeterMbangala · Oct 21, 2016

MIKETOUHY said:
I don't see how anyone can allow commercial to have an effect on one's enjoyment of the game.

I love the game - just don't want a commercial after a score, either side of the kick off, at every time out etc. On TNF last night, Cowher and Sanders got about thirty seconds each at half time, then they go to another commercial and get even less time the other side and then Simms and Nantz are back. You guys seem to have more commercials than gametime. It's incredible.

Raskolnikov · Oct 21, 2016

Why does the NFL protect offensive players, but teams like the Patriots, Broncs, and Cardinals who lower there heads and try to cause helmet to helmet contact ends up penalizing the defender who becomes a victim of helmet to helmet often?

And Goodell...his fucking attitude and the brain washing of the players at the rookie symposium, they have taken all fun, pride, and "game" out of the game. Its all business, everyone thinks they are a corporation of themselves. They then are "injured" anytime that benifits them.

The rules the last 5 years nobody can interpret, including the refs. Nobody knows what is going on. The art of controlling a game early has been lost on the refs. The refs also control the game with holding calls and pass interference. I think those two rules need to be overhauled. 1 holding penalty should not kill a drive. Defensive holding on 3rd and 20 conversly should not be a first down if they are going to call it so much.

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