The NFL still wants an 18 game season, or they'll add an extra playoff team

I have not heard a single positive thing said about an 18 game season.

Everyone in the media hates it, every fan I've ever talked to hates it. You would think the NFL would get by now that no one wants to see this happen. However, money speaks louder than public opinion. This thing is never going away.

PFT:
“I think it’s still on the table, but it’s obviously going to be discussed at length with the players and the [NFL] Players Association,” [Ray] Anderson said. “And there are legitimate questions about the impact on safety, and so as we continue to look toward ways to making it better and safer, that debate will continue. But, yes, it’s still something that will be discussed.”

Ray Anderson is the V.P. of football operations. At least he acknowledges the whole player safety issues which has been one of the main criticisms of the whole plan. From a player perspective, that's really the only concern. For a league that seems to stress "player safety" so much with the helmet to helmet rules and the "you're not allowed to breathe on a quarterback" era, you would think that adding two extra games to an already grueling schedule wouldn't be at the top of their list. Alas, it is.

At the very top.

The reason stems from complaints from season ticket holders that they have to pay the same amount for preseason games as for regular season games. It's a legimiate gripe, but if the trade-off is adding in two regular season games, they can suck it up.

Beyond the whole "most entertaining sport" thing, the reason for the NFL's unparalleled popularity has a lot to do with it's schedule. With only 16 games, almost every game matters. It's not like baseball where after the first game you still have over 100 to go. Adding more games just means every game means less.

Speaking of games meaning less, what I said above was that almost every game matters now. Towards the end of the season, the last two weeks are full of games that don't matter at all. Adding two extra weeks could just extend that period.

The point is, why ruin a great thing you have going?

Well, it seems like there will be no avoiding that. After the new CBA, the NFL can cut the preseason from four games to two. However, the NFLPA is going to fight an 18 game season to the end. Thank God you say? Maybe not.

PFT outlined that the compromise could be adding an extra playoff team to each conference. I suppose that is better than an 18 game season, but obviously that's changing the seemingly perfect system the NFL employs now.

What are the reasons you want/don't want an 18 game regular season? Chime in in the comments.