CBS' Phil Simms said that he "believes the NFLPA eventually will relent" on a shorter preseason and expanded regular season, according to Mike Florio of PRO FOOTBALL TALK. Simms said on the "Unbuttoned" podcast hosted by his son, Chris Simms, the current schedule is "on its way out." Phil Simms: "There is no question. This 18-game schedule definitely will be part of the NFL when the new Collective Bargaining Agreement comes around." He believes that if all players "had a chance to vote on the issue, they'd welcome" two more regular-season games. Simms: "More money. More game checks. It's pro-rated. Give me two more game checks. Maybe if you put it up to a vote by the NFL players, it'll overwhelmingly go over and say yes. Some of the elite quarterbacks and a few players, no. ... But the guys that are making a million or less ... two more game checks? Are you kidding me? Think about what those checks look like and how much that is and how much of a difference it makes in their lives" (PROFOOTBALLTALK.com, 6/5).
DO YOU WANT MORE? NBC’s Tony Dungy said 18 games “would be a mistake,” as one of the things that is "great about the NFL now is every game matters.” Dungy: “I don't think it would be good for the players (and) I don't think it would be good for the product.” He said the “hope of everybody who's pushing this 18-game season is that the greed factor will kick in” because now “everybody says, ‘Oh, no, no, no,’ but if it means X number of thousands of dollars more for each player then you will get guys who say, ‘I can play two more’” (“PFT,” NBCSN, 6/5). In Ft. Worth, Mac Engel writes expanding to 18 games would be a "money grab based on increasing quantity, because it assumes we will again act like Pavlov's dogs and just consume it." The NFL "should not make the same mistake as NASCAR and just add dates to add dates." Engel: "As much as we love football, there is such a thing as too much, and 18 dilutes the brand." As it is, there are "too many inconsequential December games," and fans "don't need more of those" (Ft. Worth STAR-TELEGRAM, 6/6).
