NFL talks about pulling plug on NFL Europa

[Mc2guy]

Originally Posted by GusFrerotte

Not totally dissatisfied with the product DJ, but I think it has been tainted because of the push for parity. I rather see a top echelon of teams with some decent teams in the middle then ones that are horrible. I have to disagree. Pre cap football was more exciting as you did have at least half a dozen teams in each conference that had a legitimate shot at the big dance. Depending on how old you are , which playoff rivalries were more exciting to watch The NE vs Indy rivalry or the Denver vs Cleveland rivalry of the early to mid 80's? The officials have effectively become a part of the game much more so than the pre cap days and the gazillion $$$$$$$ TV contracts, etc. The big money and push for parity will eventually take its toll on the game.

I think it depends on your perspective. If your only benchmark is quality of play, then yes, the salary cap has lowered the overall quality of the teams because units simply cannot stay together long enough with the same personnel to reach their maximum potential. No longer do you have the same O'line for example jelling together for a 6-8 year run of excellence, or QB/Reciever combos developing the long-term chemistry of Montana-Rice. The drop off is not, contrary to popular sentiment, huge from the previous era since players are stronger, faster, and better conditioned today that they used to be.

On the other hand, the quality of overall league competitiveness is much better today. In the pre-salary cap era, turn-around took years and sometimes never (tampa bay or new orleans come to mind). Today's league allows a good coach and a few key acquisitions really make a difference in overall competitiveness, which is what keeps seats in Cleveland, Buffalo, Arizona, New Orleans, Tennessee and other small market teams filled.

I think there has been a trade-off, but I think long-term viability is based on both competitiveness and play quality. A small drop off in play quality has resulted in a huge advancement in competitiveness, so the net is a better, healthier league. The results are hard to argue with...look at Hockey, Basketball, and Baseball. Their respective ratings have tumbled, while the highly competitive sports (NFL/Nascar) have not.