Goodell

I can't believe that Roger Goodell has been in the commissioner's office for six years. Since he took over, Goodell's been in the news a bunch. I don't think that it's such a good thing to be hearing about the commissioner so much. Whenever he pops up it's usually due to something negative happening. Kinda like the New Orleans Saints bounty mess. We should only see the commissioner at the draft.

For a kid that sent job-seeking letters to the NFL offices and all 28 teams thirty years ago, Roger Goodell has come a long way. Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank recently said that he could see Goodell as commissioner thirty years from now. He'd be 82 but I suppose that statement is more an example of the fond feelings that the owners have for the big guy than a statement based in reality. He's certainly made his mark. His heavy punishment of the clowns running things in New Orleans shows that he's not just after the players to stay in line.

I really like that Roger Goodell comes across as a fan running the NFL. It's really the first thing that struck me about him. He's kind of goofy. I'd like to have a beer with him. I know that he's always got the best interest of the league in mind in all that he does. I don't think that he's some power hungry fool only in it for himself. It's just that some of his goals run against his usual fan-first approach. He claims that fans want an 18-game schedule with only two preseason games. He says that fans want more football games that mean something. It's rare that I find a fan that agrees with the expanded regular season. I don't know where Goodell's collection of agreeable fans are. I've never met or heard of any of them. The 18-game goal seems more about the money than what's best for football. 16 games is pushing the bounds of human endurance. Goodell stresses safety of the players but he sure is willing to put them at risk in his quest for more. He really should listen to the players on this one. I also don't like his push for regular season games in Europe. He's all for the fans yet he'll strip one team's fans of a home game each year.

Despite my little complaints, I really like Roger Goodell and the job that he's doing as commissioner. The NFL is the most popular sport in the land, by far. He's not resting on that. I wish that he'd pump the breaks a bit on a couple of things. He should talk to me over a beer.