Quick Slant: My Idea on How to Fix NFL Thursday Night Football
How To Fix Thursday Night Football
Last night featured a critical NFC South game between the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons needed a win to have a shot at keeping their playoffs hopes alive while the Saints were battling to stay on the heels of conference leaders the Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles.
The Falcons stole the game late 20-17 in what was perceived as a very exhausting divisional battle. The contest featured players sucking oxygen on the sidelines, coming off the field often for rest and being lost to injuries throughout the game. The road team was hit the hardest with injuries as the Saints watched safety Kenny Vaccaro (groin), linebacker A.J. Klein (groin), guard Senio Kelemete (concussion) defensive end Trey Hendrickson (ankle) and their offensive stud RB Alvin Kamara (concussion) all leave the game for medical examinations.
In a post-game interview, Drew Brees was asked if the short week had anything to do with the injuries. He didn’t hold back with his response.
Drew Brees didn't hold back when talking about Thursday Night Football. http://pic.twitter.com/39Axl1OKMN
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 8, 2017
It’s obvious to everyone that Thursday Night Football is not safe for the players, especially late into the season. However, I seriously doubt the NFL will ever make the change to get rid of the mid-week matchup. The NFL cares about one thing, and that one thing is money. Getting rid of Thursday night football would cut off a cash flow that the NFL and owners have grown accustomed too. Making the conversation about removing the Thursday Night game ludicrous in their minds.
“It’s 100 percent a product of playing on Thursday night,” “Do you understand what guys’ bodies go through in a game? And then to have to turn around four days later and to play? … Is this smart as it pertains to guys’ health and safety? No, absolutely not.” Brees told reporters.
The most criticism to come about Thursday Night Football has to be Richard Sherman from the Seattle Seahawks, who published a piece for The Players’ Tribune in 2016 called “Why I Hate Thursday Night Football.”
“You feel like crap. Your ankles hurt, your back hurts — it’s different for everybody, but something always hurts. Some days, the pain is so bad that you can’t even get out of bed. But you have to, because you have to get to the facility to watch film. The coaches will run you a little to break up the lactic acid that has built up in your muscles. Maybe you’ll get a lift in. Toward the end of the season, you’ll probably add an MRI to your routine to check on the various injuries you’ve been playing through — just to be safe.” Sherman says in his article.
How to Fix the NFL Schedule
If more players like Drew Brees speak up on Thursday Night Football, maybe, just maybe the NFL will find a way to make a change. But I seriously doubt it.
Instead, I have an idea on how to fix this problem. One that’s obvious in my opinion. A small change that will allow the players more time to rest and heal their wounds and keep the money flowing for the NFL.
The Change: Add a second bye week per NFL team.
If every NFL team had a second bye week off, you could schedule Thursday games to coincide with one of their weeks off. This would extend the NFL regular season to 18 weeks, making the season longer and having more football on Sundays. This would guarantee every team gets a full week off before a game and increase possible revenue by adding another week of games.
The only rule that would need to be put in place would be that there is no Thursday Night Football Week 2, otherwise, that would mean a team would have to use one of their byes on week one. Fans might not be thrilled to see their team off early in the season but if a second bye week improves the quality of Thursday Night Football, the health and safety of the players and keeps the money flowing in the pockets of the NFL, then I think it’s a small compromise.
Thanks for reading my quick opinion piece.
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Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below.
Mike Rigz | Quick Slant: My Idea on How to Fix NFL Thursday Night Football - Gridiron Experts
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