Is Roger Goodell Good For the NFL?

[sportscurmudgeon]

Originally Posted by rbanerjee23

I think sportscurmudgeon is Roger Goodell. Haha, just kidding -- I don't think I've seen such a dogged defense of any player, coach, owner etc. on this board.

Trust me. I could only wish that for one year of my life that I would have made the salary that Roger Goodell makes each and every year.

[rbanerjee23]

Originally Posted by sportscurmudgeon

Trust me. I could only wish that for one year of my life that I would have made the salary that Roger Goodell makes each and every year.

I wish, in the course of my life, I made as much as Goodell makes in a year

[CrustyRedskin]

THey shoulda tabled that KO rule until im dead.

[mlmpetert]

Originally Posted by sportscurmudgeon

You do understand that Roger Goodell does not - - and cannot - - change any NFL game rules by himself. Not a single one...

Any and all chages to the rules come from a process that includes the Rules Committee (made up of owners, coaches and - - at least in the past - - former players too), followed by approvals of 3/4 of the owners and a concurrence by the NFLPA. There is probably some input here from game officials too regarding the ability to enforce any proposed rule change but I honestly do not know if that is a formal part of the process or just some kind of advisory note from the officials.

So, with regard to his "modifying the game" (your words) by changing the rules of the game to the detriment of the game - - - he didn't do it because he couldn't do it even if he wanted to.

As to how badly most of the players and former players hate him, the current players had their chance to show that about a month ago. They had to vote on the new CBA and in that CBA they would have to live with Roger Goodell as the arbiter of their behavior for the next ten years. Yet the current players voted OVERWHELMINGLY in favor of the CBA - - keeping this guy you assert they hate in charge of them. Or maybe you think that the players were too focused on the "business matters" to worry about how much they dislike the Commish in that vote... If that is the case, then maybe the emphasis that the owners and players have put on "business matters" might convince you as a fan that the "business matters" are pretty damned important...

As to how much the coaches hate him for meddling with the game, it is a highly prized and prestigious assignment for a coach to named to the Rules Committee - - where that coach gets to work with folks in the NFL Front Office including the Commish. I do not know of a single coach in the history of the Rules Committee who has begged off because the Commish was a hateful figure.

Roger Goodell is NOT the person to blame for changing any rule in the NFL just as he is NOT the person to blame for the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008. If you want to blame him for taking a hard line on enforcing rules that have been on the books for a long time and exacting more stern punishments for such violations, you can do that if you want. But that is a far more narrow set of indictments than you have been handing out here.

Honestly I don’t believe you when you say the NFLPA has to issue a concurrence to “all changes to the rules”. So the NFLPA effectively has presidential veto powers for any and all rule changes? Do you have anything to back that up? But regardless if they do or not as a union the NFLPA’s entertainment/profit seeking goals should be in concert with the NFL’s. A unions job is to protect its constituents not protect the integrity of the game, that job falls on the commissioner of the sport.

Whats up with all this hating (or hatting) Goodell stuff?. I don’t hate anyone, brah. Hate him or love him Goodell is still the one to blame for rule changes in my opinion. Hes the commissioner of the sport. The Rules Committee is making policies through his direction. Goodell has championed all these player safety rules, they are coming from him. If youre saying the disconnect of Roger Goodell and rules in the NFL is comparable to the disconnect to the Lehman collapse then you’ve gone full retard. I don’t know how else to put it.

All im saying is that Roger has, imho, been bad for the NFL as the clear representative of professional football. I think protecting players is just as important as protecting the integrity of the game. I don’t hate Rog or anyone else. I think seeking changes in the protection of players through better safety gear and requirements should be paramount to modifying rules of the game. I think Tagliabue was a better commissioner then Roger and prefer the way he left the game to the changes made since. I guess I just really like the sport of football, but don’t get me wrong I also love entertainment….

[mlmpetert]

Goodell: I don’t want to take away the toughness of the game | ProFootballTalk

Huh?

[mlmpetert]

Danieal Manning avoids defenseless receiver, draws flag anyway | ProFootballTalk

I dont want to keep this thread going unnecessarily but this article is pretty good and represents how so many of us feel about the leagues hard hitting rules.

I think this hard hit penalty was just a mistake by the ref however the NFL needs to come out and say why it is or isnt allowed. In addition i think they need to allow helmet to helmet hits if it seems accidental or incidental or if the receiver is at any fault (maybe use a contributory or comparative negligence type thing).

Also the legal hit on Eric Berry that blew his acl should be illegal. If the nfl is talking about reducing injury prone plays eliminate the cut block. Theres no need for it and its rarely used. I would make the argument that cut blocks result in significantly more injuries and significantly more severe injuries than any other hit in football.


Video of the defenseless receiver hit:

Danieal Manning defenseless receiver penalty? You make the call. | TexansChick | a Chron.com blog

[mooby]

I too would like to see cut blocks eliminated from the game, even though that's a staple of Shanny's offensive line. Anytime I see great players get torn ACL's as a result of a cut block, I can't help but think that could be one of our guys in the future. Like has been said, if Goodell was serious about reducing injuries, he'd outlaw cut blocks.

[mlmpetert]

Its ridiculous the cut block is allowed when defenseless receiver, helmet to helmet and pretty much any QB hit is not.

[NC_Skins]

I used to like Goodell and the direction he was taking the NFL. No more. The whole fining these defensive players crazy amounts for hits, and now suspending a player for actions (not even illegal ones) before he's even in the NFL has pretty much left me disliking the guy big time.


What the hell is this shit?

Goodell: If Colts hadn’t suspended Tressel, I would have | ProFootballTalk

Appearing on ESPN Radio today, Goodell said that if the Colts didn’t sit Tressel down at the start of the season, Goodell would have done it himself.

Really? Really? Just ****ing go away Roger. Please.

[Jontrem]

Originally Posted by mlmpetert

Its ridiculous the cut block is allowed when defenseless receiver, helmet to helmet and pretty much any QB hit is not.

Good call, I have always thought the cut block was BS

[hooskins]

Originally Posted by mlmpetert

Its ridiculous the cut block is allowed when defenseless receiver, helmet to helmet and pretty much any QB hit is not.

Isn't the cut a staple of our running game?

[mooby]

Originally Posted by hooskins

Isn't the cut a staple of our running game?

Yes it is, but if it needs to be eliminated for safety reasons, so be it. I guess someone need to analyze the benefits of it in the run game vs. when someone does it to one of our players and costs them the rest of their season or even career possibly.

It's unfortunate but come on, if the league was serious about safety the cut block would be eliminated.

[mlmpetert]

Apparently Darrell Young got a 15k fine for a hit he had on special teams.... Does anyone have any idea what play it was?? Maybe it was during one of those kick-offs their trying to eliminate.

Does anyone know his salary, it be nice to know what percentage 15k works out to be.

[TheSmurfs22]

Overall I think Goodell has done a good job. He is in a tough position and he will either be damned if he does or damned if he doesn't.
In regards to the NFL expanding to Europe, I am with many of you that it is just best to play a game abroad not set up a team. Having friends and family in England, Ireland, and Germany they like American Football to a degree but think there is too much stopping and the game does not have the flow they would like. Let the NFL stay in the NFL and lets be okay with that.

[mooby]

Originally Posted by TheSmurfs22

Overall I think Goodell has done a good job. He is in a tough position and he will either be damned if he does or damned if he doesn't.
In regards to the NFL expanding to Europe, I am with many of you that it is just best to play a game abroad not set up a team. Having friends and family in England, Ireland, and Germany they like American Football to a degree but think there is too much stopping and the game does not have the flow they would like. Let the NFL stay in the NFL and lets be okay with that.

I think the logistics of having a team overseas would be too much to bear. There'd be alignment issues, plus the fact that whoever plays them would have to fly overseas, and if the team was on the road they'd have to fly overseas to play whomever as well. A game or two overseas isn't bad considering both teams have to fly overseas, but the reality of a team being over there probably won't happen any time soon.