the issue of the physicality and the injuries, we
periodically, get these concerns now, not as much as we
did when it was a new phenomenon in the NFL,
the Thursday night games. I remember, it's been about five
years ago, that Richard Sherman, then with the Seahawks
referred to Thursday Night Football as
hoopfest, which we had a lot of fun with with his poop Fest,
quote Ben Roethlisberger yesterday,
brought up the concerns about
Playing on a short week in which
will be his final short week game of his career. Most likely
he didn't use poop Fest, but let's have a listen to Ben
Roethlisberger. Talking about playing on a Thursday night
after having a hard-fought late afternoon, Sunday
win over the Ravens.
How can you get your body right
with? You had a couple of ailments this year to try to
get ready for Thursday
just
have as many people helped is you guys. You can you know,
chiropractors masseuses
training staff, you know getting in the pools and just
doing whatever you can to get yourself ready.
Everyone has to do this and so, you know, throughout the year.
I don't think anybody really likes it except for the NFL and
all the money they make
players just it. Stuff.
And, you know, that's the reality and everybody does it
the money drives it, the Thursday night property is so
valuable to the NFL. It's going to be strange to see what
happens when it becomes Amazon only because it's not going to
generate. The eyeballs
are currently does Amazon hopes, it will get to that
point. But the money is going to be even more significant for
the NFL that. That
it's like finding new places in Pizza to stuff. The cheese.
This Thursday night thing is here to stay. We Do here
periodic compliance, you know, for every complaint we hear
though, there's the guy who says, accurately will get
an easy week of
practice, yet. Sucks to play a game, four days after we played
our last one, but then we have a mini, by, on the back end. So
I kind of like it. Yeah, right, but there are plenty of guys
who don't
and as you get older,
and you've got a Litany of injuries that you're trying to
manage having to turn around a play on Thursday, not a great
way to go about.
Keeping yourself as healthy as you can. No, definitely not.
Especially this time of the year, you know, you're beat to
hell, this time of the year. It doesn't matter.
All we have seven gate days between a game. Eight days
between a game. You're getting up every morning, this time of
the year going. Damn. Holy crap. I'm sore as hell. You
know, as you're trying to wake up. I mean, that's just the way
it is. You literally go to brush your teeth and
you're like, my back my shoulder. And again, I mean,
I'll State. I was just a wimpy quarterback. I can't even
imagine how
the TJ. It's and The Mink of Fitzpatrick's of the world
feel. We heard Devin McCourty a few weeks ago for the Patriots.
You know, he talked about it as far as like, man. It stinks.
Yeah, and Mike, I think you're right. Like the only people
that really like it.
I think for the most part are the coaches because it does
give them an extra day or two on this mini by weekend like
you, like you've discussed. And then the young players, I think
you hit like spot-on with that,
the young players looked at it like they don't care. Yeah,
you're one year to their like Gumby, still it does. Matter,
but you know as you discussed like with the contract thing,
once you start to get the year 4 and 5 and
you know, the years in the hit start to pile up and anything
after that. Whoo, that's a lot to ask. It's a lot to ask and
you know what, I really want to see done would in my opinion
that would help it.
Like let's find a new way to do it. Let's find a new way to do
it again. We saw last year, they can figure out different
schedules and
why can't it be No, let's stop doing this two players, if
they're so concerned about player safety.
Hey, maybe you play
the Monday night before,
then. You don't play Sunday
and then you play Thursday,
I would just hope they can find a way or maybe they just start,
you know, like we talked about last year with Coleman have
a game every day the week and the team that's going to play
Thursday, played the previous Tuesday or Wednesday, whatever
it is, but I would like at some point in the future for the NFL
to figure it out. And if
they really want like me to buy
Into the, you know, safety thing. Then this to me it would
be one of the Marquee things to do to make buyers feels safe
and healthy,
especially we're going to add another game to the season 2,
which I think we all think is coming. You know, that's even
worse. It's abuse. That way.
So, figure it out schedule-wise to where you don't have to do
this, to football players, because, you know, all
the safety stuff to me, just goes in one ear and out the other.
As soon as long as this is around, it's great,
but I think it's all for,
you know, again, Yeah, we want to keep some of the Stars
healthy and we want the Mom and Dad's to have their kids play
football. That's all it's about. I don't know if they
really care about the players that are playing in the league
right now. And I think that's what rubs me the wrong way.
Well
the covid experiment that we saw last year. We're sorry.
I still have not there. No. No, but I think that we are moving
in that direction. I hope so. I was surprised that the latest
round of TV deals didn't bake that in at some level Tuesday
and Wednesday. Those are the two. Days where they can
play games without getting into a predicament. And I don't want
to go too far down the Congressional Rabbit Hole here,
but Friday, and Saturday games from Labor Day weekend, until
the second Saturday in December.
Can't be played. That's part of the trade-off, when the NFL got
the broadcast antitrust, exemption that allows them to
sell all of the TV rights as a package, and not the Cowboys,
sell theirs to NBC
the Jaguars cell. There's
two local access, right? The
you're going to have a huge disparity in money if that's
what the teams have to do. So to hold that together, you
can't play on Friday and Saturday to protect high school
and college football. Right? But you can do Tuesday and
Wednesday
and if they don't do Tuesday and Wednesday,
I just think it's a matter of time before somebody does
before somebody creates a league
that plays in season,
you know, I see usfl and XFL in this FL and that FL and why are
they all playing in the spring? I understand. We're going to
want stuff to bet on in the spring.
Looking for stuff to bet on during football season. You got
Tuesday and Wednesday night wide, open saying play
professional football games on these two days. And then that
way you can balance out this idea
of not having a team ever have to go
Sunday to Thursday, right? We're only you know, you maybe
do it once a year like you do now,
or maybe you can replace it all together. Yeah, and whoever
plays on Thursday one week plays on Wednesday the next
week, so you've got six days. Yeah, right the Yeah, because
nobody ever complained about playing Monday and then having
to play Sunday that was never a complaint in all the years.
been following football. There's never been a
boy. It's really hard to tell ya. We physically, can't turn
around from Monday night to Sunday, but from Sunday to
Thursdays in issues. So, if you can do six days, yeah, and play
it that way. Yeah, they're going to look for more ways
to televised games,
to have Standalone games. And that's what we're going to be
happy with that. We want Standalone game. Absolutely. We
because
it's easier to study and watch and enjoy and appreciate one at
a time, instead of a tour. 92 time and I think the NFL
starting to realize that as well, they'll have a lot more
people watching football at they can space these games out
of your butt.