Goodell's NFL is all about mitigating lawsuits current and future related to players' safety and health. The impact will be rules that protect revenue and profits on the field of play: So yes the QB and WR's (they sell tickets) are now afforded premium protection from the inherent violence of the game. Defenders and OL are provided relatively little protection from chop blocks and helmet to helmet hits. I think of the hit James Harrison took vs. the Texans while being blocked.

So in a nutshell, offenses are given a green light to light up the score boards. Defenses will have to evolve accordingly with a mix of players who can cover a vast array of skilled positions. There will be times where NFL games will resemble AFL games. But I believe defense will keep evolving until rules changes mandate that they can't.

I'm sure no matter what anyone says you are going to disagree, but my idea of Goodell is way too many rules. Changing the way the game is played down to things like removing kickoffs, penalizing defensive players to the point that eventually they will not allow QBs to be touched at all. They are already changing it so much that it makes it nearly impossible to tackle or hit a WR until he catches the ball and lands securely, acknowledges you and then starts running. So its like a timeout while he catches the ball and resets himself, then time in. Of course you love this because your NFL would be to take out all runners and just line up WR's and they all run down the field for a pass, and you and I know this is no exaggeration. In my eyes football is a contact sport. Running the ball is a part of it. Getting hurt is a part of it. Its no different than boxing or MMA or any other contact sport. The very nature of it means men will get hurt at times and sometimes they will suffer damage that will be life lasting. Its a decision these guys make and they are well compensated for it. I'm not interested in an NFL where no one gets hit, or the offense has an unfair advantage based on all the rules. Suddenly those extremely talented players aren't needed so much anymore. Suddenly all you need is to be able to run fast. I think the more rules that are placed into the game that have never been there, the less like football this game is becoming. Goodell seems to want to change the entire face of the game and I for one am not on board.

"way too many rules"

Totally agree! I'd like to create a commision to study the rules and eliminate at least 25% of all of them.

"removing kickoffs, penalizing defensive players to the point that eventually they will not allow QBs to be touched at all"

Agree here too, Never iliminate KOs. And I agree about the QBs too. But I still think they take a pretty good beating. What I think should happen is, that legal hits, should not draw fines.

I do think that running the ball and getting hurt is part of the game, and don't want it legisalated out. I just prefer throwing it.

" boxing or MMA " - I don't watch that stuff, it bores the hell out of me.

just speaking of "popularity," Goodell in his wildest dreams couldn't touch what the owners did with the merger of the NFL and AFL, establishment of the Super Bowl and negotiation of TV rights.

It's really silly to think he's watering down the game to make it more popular. Owners want to sell seats and merchandise. IOW, it's a business.

I think the real thing we see here is there's a pining for a Golden Age of football, but really what that comes down to is a phase in someone's life. To a lot of younger people, the past 10 years of Steeler football were better than anything from the 70s, because they were here to see it!

As far as the game goes, it's natural selection. Teams are throwing the ball so much because those teams are winning doing that.

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"I would challenge you to a battle of wits but I see you are unarmed."

Exactly, I do think a lot of people who lived through the '70s are almost scared or embarrassed to say that some player, some team or some game from the '00s Steelers was BETTER than something comparable from the '70s. Like the '70s for Steelers fans of a certain age is a RELIGION, like it's blasphemy to say that Ben is better than Bradshaw! I think he is, but for some, they might feel like saying that openly is like pissing on Jesus, so they're almost scared to say it. I love both eras of Steelers greatness and lived through both and can honestly say there are things from both that I like better or dislike more.

And as for THE GAME, You nailed my reasoning 110% I want to throw the ball more, because like you said..." it's natural selection. Teams are throwing the ball so much because those teams are winning doing that."

All you need to know about Goodell is his actions during the Bellicheat scandal. Destroying the evidence to me was unspeakable. All the people and organizations who were wronged by their actions took a slap in the face by Goodell. He basically said don't worry about it, I got it. Nothing for you to worry about, trust me. The fact that he was not arrested for tampering with evidence is mind boggleing. I guess the authorities just considered it something in house for the NFL instead of an actual crime. Too bad all the fans who had to suffer through a make believe game while the cheatriots cheated do not feel the same way. Just to think that Bellicheat and Goodell are both still involved in the NFL makes me sick after that incident. Goodell destroying that evidence to me says that it was exactly what we all feared. If it were nothing to worry about, he would have released the tapes to ease everyones minds. It wasn't that simple though, and he couldn't allow something that huge to ripple across the NFL potentially causing enough damage as to hurt the reputation of the NFL and himself. People would have been jailed, he would have at the very least have been forced to resign. Superbowl history would have been tarnished forever since you would have been near impossible to go back and correct the wrongs. The best you could have done would be to force them to return the trophies and declare the opposing team the new winners, which is exactly what they do when they bust athletes for steroids in say the olympics. You can never fix all the athletes that were set back because of you, the ones who never even made it because of you. To me though, that would have been better than destroying the tapes and leaving that doubt forever of what really happened, but I guess as already explained, I already know what really happened. So in reality I'm really looking for some form of retribution by seeing Bellicheat and the Patriots suffer. Ok, Im done venting. Every so often I'm reminded of those events and my blood boils.

Oh yeah!!! That's the best post Naelae

IT's totally this......It's easier with human nature to do what Goofwell did as the circumstances were greater than anticipated. Let's keep the status quo and a sham punishment....why do you think the senators got involved (although short sighted....but in the grand scheme of the money maker the NFL is).......it was watergate x10 in the sports world. 8 years of it.....marginal? The punishment was a travesty, Goofwell is a fraud.

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What would you have him do? Vacate the Pat's Super Bowls without evidence? That's all we need, more asterisks, vacated titles. He was right for what he did. I'd like baseball more if they'd vote Barry Bonds and Pete Rose into the HofF, get over it, it's just a game. JUST ENTERTAINMENT.

I think the Pats win with or without the alleged filming, it's way overblown and what EXACT PROOF do they have documanted of which EXACT GAMES has it been proven BEYOND REASONABLE DOUBT that the Pats used practice videos to prepare for WHICH SPECIFIC GAMES? Where are the witnesses and the video tapes?

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I guess I'm not dumb enough to agree with bringing down a multi-billion dollar $$$ business without proof of a crime.