I love the NFL. I have been watching the Denver Broncos since I can remember as early as age 4 and know I was sitting with my dad before that watching them. I started playing fantasy football for free while in college and after about 6 years of that, I am in my 6th year of a pay league. It is fun and I am not insanely obsessed with fantasy football since I only have had one team the last few years after having a pay team and 3 free Yahoo or ESPN leagues 4 years ago. But, I run my league and I am on the site at least 30 minutes a day so I am obsessed (just not insanely).
A Thursday night game is fun because you get to see a preview to the weekend of NFL football and get to get your fantasy week started early. There is where the fun stops for me. There are more negatives to Thursday Night Football than positives. They are both fantasy related, NFL player related and lower level football related.
First, we'll discuss the impact it has to the NFL and its players/coaches. You are having a team prepare on 3 days of full rest and only 2 days of practice. As seen by last night's Giants and Panthers game, a team can not get healthy in that timeframe. I believe the fragile Hakeem Nicks would have played had it been on Sunday. He is a guy that needs those extra days. Moving the game also hurts the team with a less experienced staff and younger players and benefits a veteran filled team with a veteran QB. Had this game been played Sunday in the heat of Charlotte, I believe Carolina would have fared better. Probably still lost but the game wouldn't have been over before halftime like this one. The Thursdayy night games these past two weeks have been one-sided contests. What do you think a veteran Ravens team is going to do to the Browns next week? These then have ramifactions for next week's games. The Giants get extra rest and time to prepare for their next opponent. 3 days is ages in the NFL and Coughlin and staff will be happy to have it with their older guys needing to get healthy. Vick and the Eagles better get ready for their first L (if Arizona starts 3-0 with their QB situation I will shart myself).
Next, fantasy football. Andre Brown and Ramses Barden. Had you heard of them before this week other than on sites saying pick up Brown on waivers?! Will they ever have games like this again? No!!! As long as Bradshaw gets and stays healthy (yes a lot to ask for that guy), these two were those one week wonder players that you piss and moan you didn't pick up and some lucky bastard in your league got. Brown will now be a start any week Bradshaw is not a go. He also is a guy that many people with the #1 waiver pick (i.e. myself) passed over because they didn't think one week of production was worth it for the long haul of the season. We are all hoping Bradshaw gets healthy so we don't look like jack asses down the road. Barden would have barely seen the ball had the normal rest been given to Nicks. Brown was going to be the workhorse because Coughlin likes dependance (and Depends for when he gets so mad he craps himself) and Brown was the guy with #1 draft pick David Wilson proving to be a waste (thank you very much for that Coughlin, yes I have Wilson and he will finally be dropped this week). But the BIGGEST reason I hate Thursday night football is because in my league and most others, you can not make trades or pick up free agents after that first kickoff. This really hurts our league because I believe we are losing out on $5-10 transactions a week with this weekly Thursday Night Football schedule. It has leagues being quiet for other than about 2.5 days from Tuesday morning to Thursday night. I am frustrated. I like to make moves and I like to see activity in a league but leagues will either have to re-create rules that were put in place to prevent any advantages to those with early or late games. It will be especially a pain in the ass when there are many Questionable players the last few weeks of the season and fantasy teams can't add a free agent when most of their questionables go to out status when the game starts and they couldn't make a move waiting to get more info.
Last, college football and high school football. College football has long ruled Thursday night with some great Thursday night games. I've attended a couple at CU. The flatirons in fall in Folsom Field with the sun going down, awesome!!! The West Virginia game was awesome a few years back. I am dreading attending the one this year against ASU because it will be embarassing to get run over by an average Pac-12 team on national TV. Anyway, the NFL is now eating into college football even more. Many HS teams also play Thursday afternoon/evening because of the lack of stadiums for large districts. For instance Denver Public Schools has 7 teams that play at one field!!! Jeffco has more teams spread over 2 football fields. I didn't even know Boise was playing BYU in a 7-6 game!!! 7-6? When has Boise only put up 7 points in a game? (It was November 10, 2005 to Fresno St on Thursday Night!!!)
So, NFL, I enjoy your Thursday football once in a while, but to be honest, it is really messing up the fantasy world and I am tired of adjusting my rules and the way I set things up because you just want to make more money without paying refs that make your games run smoothly with a lot less controversy. But that is a whole other topic that will be discussed when an NFL game REALLY is messed up because of incompotent, blubbering HS/lower level college officials.
Note: I decided to branch my blogging into the sports world after blogging about my running (RunAceRun) the past few months, since sports has been my lifelong passion, especially football (and wrestling but who cares to hear about men rolling around sweaty in tight clothing???). Feel free to check out that blog or comment on this blog.
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