Our stadiums every week.
People have gotten used to going from Sunday afternoon and
Sunday night at the knee that they like it this year,
we can be flexed to Monday night, which I think is
really
a game. Back to Thursday night to be is just
abusive,
and I am adamantly opposed to it.
Didn't get it fortunate to get enough votes
to
clap it up, John, Mara do Jihad man. Let's go giant way to go.
John Merrick,
listen break ranks speak truth, it's abusive to the fans. And
if the NFL does Thursday Night flexing, the message, the fans
is, we don't give a
s*** about you, especially the ones, That's 80s. It especially
the ones that don't go to the stadium. We don't give a s***
about you just watch on TV.
Right, that, but you're right. They care about the fans who
watch on TV because they want to have maximum fans on TV
because that's maximum dollars for the rights fees. And again,
this is all about propping up streaming because streaming is
the future and they're going
to be there before we know it.
But but John Mara saying, what's right doing? What's
right? And he's one of the most influential owners in
the sport. Now, is that enough to get through, to Roger, Goodell
once. Roger Goodell gets something in his head that he
wants to do, because
he wants to make Jeff Bezos happy. And he wants to To have
this streaming Horizon. And we know how quickly Horizon kumkum
can become reality.
Here's Roger Goodell yesterday talking about the decision to
table Thursday night flexing, which is something, he clearly
still wants to have happen. Have a listen
there, isn't anybody in that room, anybody in
any of organizations who
don't put our fans first?
That's really important.
Obviously, providing the best matchups.
Our fans is part of what we do.
That's part of what I think are scheduling
has always focused on.
So, it's a very important thing for us to
balance with the what I would call season ticket holders and
the in stadium audience. But
we have millions of fans who also watch on television. How
would you respond to players who are concerned that maybe
you're putting a broadcast partner and Amazon over their
own interests in making some of these changes at Thursday Night
Football? I don't think we are putting Amazon over players
interest.
You know, we've always been looking at the data with
respect to injuries and the impact on players that was
drove our
decisions throughout the first 12 or so years of Thursday
night football
and how its evolved. And
I think we have data this very clear,
it doesn't show higher injury rate,
but we recognize
shorter weeks, we went to this some covert to
it's, you know, you we had to have a lot of Leti in those
areas. So those are obviously different circumstances but
we work very closely on that
I hear from a lot of players directly to
they love the 10 days afterwards.
In fact, it called a mini by.
And so there's some benefits on that side. So you have
different views, you want to consider all them, but players
have different views. Coaches have different views and
we have to try to balance all that.
I remember back in the days when Richard Sherman was
a player not part of Thursday night football and would refer
to the process as a poop Fest. There were some players that
hated it, some players that loved it, it's an easier
practice week and we get 10 days off on the backend
other players. Hey, it's too much to turn around and play
from Sunday and then play on Thursday and even though they
didn't pass the flexing and it Albert beer has the informal
votes of 22. Yes 8 no two abstentions. And so it's only
two votes away. If those numbers are accurate, it's only
two votes away from becoming a
reality. So there aren't many arms that need to be twisted to
give the commissioner what he wants. They have approved.
Two teams or twice per year, short week, Sunday, to
Thursday. Now, every team can be asked up to twice, it used
to be once now any and every team can be asked up to twice
to play Sunday and Thursday.
And if they hide behind
Chris,
this idea that the injury rate is no different. That is
a misleading stat. Jeff Miller rattled that stat off last
Friday when I asked him about whether or not the union
agreement to this right possible Thursday night
flexing. Well, you know what, it's not a health
and safety issue. Jeff said, because the injury rates the same
with an Normal amount of rest
and short amount of rest.
And it's not enough to just look at how many injuries
happen in the game. What about the players who could have
played on Thursday, who aren't able to play now on Thursday
night?
That isn't part of your factor that
they could have played Sunday or not? Exactly. Thursday. May
could I played son and now, they can't play Thursday,
right? Right. They can't play it. So, they're not in this
analysis of injury rate and what do we know about
the overall wear and tear? Yeah. What about the next week when
you're playing 17? Yeah. Games right, right?
Right. Yeah. Oh, you didn't get injured but you're, you know,
that that injury that you're playing through,
doesn't feel any better now that you went out and played
with a torrid all shot on Thursday night. So, I just
think
it's unfair to focus only on
that one fact, but they focus on it because it supports, what
they're going to do. And if we take it to the extreme fine,
play, Sunday, Monday, play Sunday, Tuesday. How many day?
How many days is too few? And how many times? Per year is too
many to expect to get to play on Sunday and then play on
Thursday. And and you know, my instinct meshes with what Roger
Goodell said, when he invoked what happened during
the pandemic because I firmly
believe Chris. And I tweeted this yesterday with him five to
ten years. They're going to be playing games on Tuesday night
and Wednesday night every week and you and I are going to like
it. Yeah more games we can sit and watch right. And I think
they're going to find a way around the rule that currently
prevents him from broadcasting games on. Friday nights and on
Saturdays, I think, at some point, hopefully, in my
lifetime,
they're gonna be playing
NFL games every day of the week from
the moment. The season begins to the moment, the season ends
and this, this Thursday night Flex, this multiple short
weeks,
this is just more evidence. It's all out there.
It's all staring Us in the face.
They want to push this toward a prime-time game
every day of the week. Chris, I like don't want to see
Football on Friday and Saturday. That should be for
the sanctity of high school football and the NFL and
college football. I'll say that.
All right, the other days of the week though. Okay, I'm up
for business but this is, you know, one I'm totally on with
John John. Mara said yeah, it's abusive to the fans. It is,
especially,
you know, they're all their talk about the in-game
experience over the last few years, and now you're going to
screw people over and change the day of a game four days
earlier. Like I said yesterday, hey, I'm coming in on Friday to
see the
Let's play on Sunday, you know, we got a big flight. I paid
thousands of dollars for me and my family to come to the game
on Sunday. What
the games the day before that now oh crap. I can't go and I'm
losing thousands of dollars. Its abusive it is. It's
borderline abusive of the players. It is
more than one time a year, man. I don't know if I love that.
I still think they got to figure out a formula here to where
I wish there didn't have to be four days at all
my problem. You know, the injury thing, they can say all
they want we know like players, it's tough on them. And I think
a lot of the players are go. Hey, I like to tend to 10-day
by after it or whatever
the ten days the few days off the extra. Again.
Those are usually the young guys
who were like, okay, I'm 23, I don't care that I got in a car
crash on Sunday and Thursday, no, big deal. It's not
the older guys, that always feel that way.
And then the other thing Mike, that we talked about, a lot
with the short week games
that gets kind of swept under the rug in this conversation
and was part of the problem. Last year,
the quality of play is not as good. Good. It's not
the players aren't able to lay it on the line. The same way
they are. After they've had seven days off and their body
now feels fresh and ready to go.
The game. We've talked about guys like Kyle Shanahan Josh,
McDaniels Andy Reid, they lose three days of creativity of.
Let me come up with all these cool place to screw over this
defense and make this game fun and exciting.
They lose that everything becomes masek. So
that's where I wish they would just find a bedroom formula.
I wish they could do like we talked about team plays. On
Monday,
you know, Monday night. And then they played the next
Thursday or whatever find a way to not make it four days.
That's so, I think going to be the best for everybody involved
all together.
Yeah. That's not happening. But I know it's not right to
the same and it's going to be four days, five days, six days. I'm
telling you,
you're going to sit
there going to find a way to come up with a schedule that
has Prime Time games. Tuesday night, Wednesday night,
Thursday night.
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