First off let me say that I think the concept of an 18 game NFL season in which players only get to play 16 games is stupid. However with it being July and not having much else to talk about in the NFL, here are my tweaks to make this dumb idea a cool concept.
In order to pull off the "you only play 16 games" aspect of this proposed concept, they would have to treat it like varsity sports in high school where athletes are only allowed to play so many quarters of basketball in a night. In other words instead of it being 16 games, we do 16 x 4 and get 64 quarters of play allowed per NFL athlete. I'll also throw in that overtime periods do not count against the 64.
Already, I'm sure some of you hate it while others are starting to get intrigued. Now as opposed to coaches thinking about which 2 games they hold players out of, they would be thinking in terms of holding players out of 8 quarters.
Special Teams- So instead of needing to sign random players to long snap or punt for two weeks, coaches could strategically use their emergency replacements for a quarter here or a quarter there as needed. Without going through any statistics for this post, I'm going to go out on a pretty strong limb and say that I don't think there are any specialty players who play every quarter during the season anyhow. For some teams keeping their special teams guys out of 8 quarters will just happen naturally, while for others there might be some strategy needed to pull off all 8.
Special Teams- So instead of needing to sign random players to long snap or punt for two weeks, coaches could strategically use their emergency replacements for a quarter here or a quarter there as needed. Without going through any statistics for this post, I'm going to go out on a pretty strong limb and say that I don't think there are any specialty players who play every quarter during the season anyhow. For some teams keeping their special teams guys out of 8 quarters will just happen naturally, while for others there might be some strategy needed to pull off all 8.
Offensive and Defensive Playmakers- For star offensive and defensive players the coaches would now really need to look at schedules, strategy, and flow of games. For example with a big lead in game one of the season do you try and pull your offensive and defensive playmakers from the 4th quarter and hold onto the victory? Do you assume that a player who is always hurt by the middle of the season will eventually miss some time due to injury? Should you start a game without some of your star players knowing that the opposing coach is going to be caught off guard and by the time he makes adjustments you'll back to your usual offense?
Quarterbacks- While not as wild as trying to keep a healthy quarterback on the bench for 2 full games, 8 quarters without your healthy quarterback will still be the most difficult to pull off. Just like with other offensive playmakers, when to not play your starting quarterback will come down to some very careful planning and the score on the scoreboard. Going into the 4th quarter down 3 scores, do you go with your backup? Up ten with 3 minutes left until halftime and your offense hasn't been on the field this quarter, is this one of the 8 quarters he sits? Does it matter if it's week 1 or week 10?
Penalty for Breaking the Rule- If we are going to make up a crazy rule, we better be ready with some penalties for when someone breaks that rule. While some coaches might intentionally break the rule with the playoffs on the line, there could always be an innocent violation. Regardless, here are your team and individual consequences.
If a team breaks the rule and is heading to the playoffs, the players who played extra quarters in the regular season will not be eligible for double the amount of quarters in the postseason. The penalty will be served immediately. In other words, if your quarterback played 65 quarters by mistake, he's 1 over the limit. In your team's first playoff game he will miss the first 2 quarters of the game.
Players who play beyond the allotted 64 quarters will be compensated at double their game rate for each additional quarter played. So, if a player actually played a full 18 games (72 quarters) he would be compensated for an additional 8 games played at double his salary. With an expected 16 game season, that player would essentially double his salary by playing 2 extra games.
Since going over the cap is likely to happen with this bonus feature and we don't want the players losing out on money, teams who go over the cap due to the penalty will pay with draft picks.
If a team breaks the rule and is heading to the playoffs, the players who played extra quarters in the regular season will not be eligible for double the amount of quarters in the postseason. The penalty will be served immediately. In other words, if your quarterback played 65 quarters by mistake, he's 1 over the limit. In your team's first playoff game he will miss the first 2 quarters of the game.
Players who play beyond the allotted 64 quarters will be compensated at double their game rate for each additional quarter played. So, if a player actually played a full 18 games (72 quarters) he would be compensated for an additional 8 games played at double his salary. With an expected 16 game season, that player would essentially double his salary by playing 2 extra games.
Since going over the cap is likely to happen with this bonus feature and we don't want the players losing out on money, teams who go over the cap due to the penalty will pay with draft picks.
While this plan is a bit off the wall, the extra money the players could earn will certainly provide some buy-in from them. It would also save fans from going to games where their favorite athletes don't play.
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