Speeding up the game

[oldunclemark]

The NFL spoke publically Wednesday about limiting the time between a TD and the kickoff..

...restarting the clock after a player goes out of bounds..

...and limiting commercial blocks to speed up the game. There were other things

 

Do NFL games seem too long to you.

I actually don't like staring the clock after a player goers out of bounds

 

Commercials are annoying but we all understand why there's so many.

Is this an issue to you?

[Superman]

I hate the extra point - commercial - kickoff - commercial sequence. 

 

I also hate long huddles by the refs. 

 

In general, the pace of the game doesn't bother me, nor does the length.

[-JJ-]

Yes. Absolutely.

Agree with both posts above.

 

[crazycolt1]

For the Colts games I have no problem with the length of the games. It gives me a chance to get a drink, go to the restroom or check the grill.

For most other games I normally DVR them and fast forward through them so I shorten the games myself.

As we all know the commercials pay the bills so not much can be done about those. As far as the refs timeouts they don't bother me because I want the right call on the field to be called.

[TDewar1987]

Yeah commercials after literally every play or kickoff or field goal are annoying. The length of the game isn't a big deal but the commercials are excessive.

[Lucky Colts Fan]

It's kind of a catch-22, unless you can pause or rewind live TV.

 

I hate all the commercial breaks in football games, especially the PAT-commercial-KO-commercial series, BUT that's the perfect time to go the bathroom, get a snack/beer, etc.

 

I love the SB because there are actually good commercials during the breaks, BUT that leaves no time for bathroom/food/beer breaks.  Except for those couple of commercial breaks where they play local commercials (Local news ads, local car dealer ads, no thanks)

[oldunclemark]

38 minutes ago, TDewar1987 said:

Yeah commercials after literally every play or kickoff or field goal are annoying. The length of the game isn't a big deal but the commercials are excessive.

 

I would agree that when there is a score....the networks go to a commercial break.

They comeback for the kickoff...and then there is another commercial break...

You can almost count on it

 

..8 minutes of spots and one play....they should stop that practice.

But they pour on the commercals early in the game and ease up on them later...I do like that

[ipljeff]

First, I'll add that I hate when there is a challenge and they immediately cut to commercials then come back and make the call.  I want to see the replays of that play while the refs are deliberating.

Second, I also hate when they come back out of commercials and then the TV announcer gives a couple more commercials about some new crappy TV show or what's on 60 minutes tonight.  Ugh...

Third, The LOS experience is unbearable due to commercialization.  Those in stadium, inescapable commercials are over the top loud and in your face on every single break.  I would love it if they would cut that % out and give us a more College/High School like experience.  

[Synthetic]

 

Commercial breaks and penalties tend to be the reason that games are slowed down. 

[Yehoodi]

I do not mind the length of the game.  Whether a game is 3 hours or 3 hours 15 mins it does not really matter to me the extra 15 mins or so.

 

The dicey part of the commercials is that the commercials are present and pay the bills if you will.  And there needs to be a certain number of them per quarter (or game).  The problem arises when there is a long drive and thus more commercial breaks need to happen around the kick offs, etc.  as they are not going to stop a drive to go to commercial break.  

 

I like the idea of having fewer breaks but more commercial per break.  Although its an extreme example the Master golf tournament has all its commercials at the top of the hour and rest is one long uninterrupted programming, which is nice.   Not saying for the NFL but just a point that you can have fewer but longer breaks.  

 

As for the length of games, I do think we live in society that folks just are not patient enough.  It takes what 2-3 minutes to review a play?  And we really only have a handful per game, and I would rather review to at least try to get a better call on the call.  I do not see the touch pads speeding up the game and frankly the cynical side of me see it as a marketing angle. 

 

We also live in a passing league with a 40 second play clock as opposed to a running game and a 30 second play clock back in the day. .  With more incomplete passes and what not to stop the game clock and with a 40 second play clock there is more hidden time running with the game clock stopped and folks taking time to run the next play.

 

There was a time when NFL games took about 2.5 hours and the network would allow for 3.0 hours.   And one time they went to a movie and cut the end of the game that went over 3 hrs.  (Oak/Jets - Heidi game ).   The rules changed after that game and we stay will the game.   

[krunk]

How about you reduce all these penalty flags you're throwing for the most miniscule things?   To me that slows the game down the most.   That and all the commercials.

[King Colt]

Baseball and football need to kick it in the butt. NASCAR runs commercials in split screen mode so should other sports.

[TheMarine]

This topic was brought to you by Bud Light. The drinkers choice of choice beer and Peyton Manning. Now, back to the action on the field brought to you by Samsung, world leader in HDTVs. Todays game ball was brought to you by Tampax...

 

Yeah, its a bit much

[NewColtsFan]

On 3/22/2017 at 6:03 PM, Superman said:

I hate the extra point - commercial - kickoff - commercial sequence. 

 

I also hate long huddles by the refs. 

 

In general, the pace of the game doesn't bother me, nor does the length.

 

I think at some point,  whether i\t bothers fans or not,  it's bothering the sponsors.    Because at some point there is overlapping of games.     And that means commercials are not being viewed by all the possible fans.

 

That makes sponsors very unhappy.      

 

But, as I'm sure you know, S,   all sports are looking to speed up the pace of play,  not just the NFL.    Regretfully, we live in an A-D-D society and pace of play has become very, very important.

 

[Superman]

10 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

 

I think at some point,  whether is brothers fans or not,  it's bothering the sponsors.    Because at some point there is overlapping of games.     And that means commercials are not being viewed by all the possible fans.

 

That makes sponsors very unhappy.      

 

But, as I'm sure you know, S,   all sports are looking to speed up the pace of play,  not just the NFL.    Regretfully, we live in an A-D-D society and pace of play has become very, very important.

 

 

I think what might bother the sponsors is Red Zone channel. You can sit down for the early games and watch through the later games, all on Red Zone, without seeing any commercials. If you watch full games, you'll see I don't know how many commercials. I don't know why a 10-15 minute overlap of the early game and the late game would bother sponsors that much. Then there's about an hour until SNF.

 

For the most part, I don't think NFL games lag or suffer from pacing issues. There are times when there are a lot of penalties, or lengthy ref huddles or multiple reviews in a short period of time. Maybe games lose viewership during those times. 

 

I think MLB has major pacing issues. I don't notice that in the NFL.

[southwest1]

On March 23, 2017 at 6:48 PM, Yehoodi said:

Although its an extreme example the Master golf tournament has all its commercials at the top of the hour and rest is one long uninterrupted programming, which is nice.   Not saying for the NFL but just a point that you can have fewer but longer breaks.  

I really like your example that you laid out here Yehoodi because if a fan knew when the bulk of the breaks were going to be dumped in terms of commercials with a countdown clock on the bottom of your television screen once regular programming or the game resumed that would benefit so many NFL enthusiasts at large.

 

Yeah I know, this would never happen because advertisers would know during a certain block of time no consumer is paying attention or thinking about their product. I just hate when you go through a barrage of ads, watch the game for 5 minutes, & then undergo what feels like an air raid of ads again, which feels like an eternity. Either that, or show cheerleader routines more. Trust me, the ratings among male fans would steadily climb in every market even on lousy squads with declining ticket sales. 

[southwest1]

1 hour ago, NewColtsFan said:

Regretfully, we live in an A-D-D society and pace of play has become very, very important.

That was very eloquently stated NCF. Fans want instant gratification now with next to no tolerance for waiting for anything. People don't even talk anymore they text right next to each other. LOL! 

 

And family minivans have to play video games & movies for small children on long trips. Yelling & annoying my sister is how we bonded on long trips man. Dad yelled at us, threatened to spank us & turn the car around, & we all simmered down & fell asleep. 

[oldunclemark]

9 hours ago, King Colt said:

Baseball and football need to kick it in the butt. NASCAR runs commercials in split screen mode so should other sports.

I dont want to watch the NFL on split screen...

[southwest1]

My big pet peeve along the lines of what Bogie said about penalties is when a LB or DE grazes the QB's face mask with a finger & roughing the passer is called. Please. 

 

Look, if the QB's helmet is spun around & pulled hard or the QB is driven into the ground like a pile driver spike, I'm all for the yellow flag or if he hit both high & low during a sack. But, a barely touched helmet call always ticks me off. 

 

I know; I know. If the QB goes down your team's season is over & your TV ratings plummet. I get it. A necessary evil to keep field generals upright. 

[oldunclemark]

On ‎3‎/‎22‎/‎2017 at 7:52 PM, oldunclemark said:

The NFL spoke publically Wednesday about limiting the time between a TD and the kickoff..

...restarting the clock after a player goes out of bounds..

...and limiting commercial blocks to speed up the game. There were other things

 

Do NFL games seem too long to you.

I actually don't like starting the clock after a player goes out of bounds

 

Commercials are annoying but we all understand why there's so many.

Is this an issue to you?

 

[NewColtsFan]

57 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

I think what might bother the sponsors is Red Zone channel. You can sit down for the early games and watch through the later games, all on Red Zone, without seeing any commercials. If you watch full games, you'll see I don't know how many commercials. I don't know why a 10-15 minute overlap of the early game and the late game would bother sponsors that much. Then there's about an hour until SNF.

 

For the most part, I don't think NFL games lag or suffer from pacing issues. There are times when there are a lot of penalties, or lengthy ref huddles or multiple reviews in a short period of time. Maybe games lose viewership during those times. 

 

I think MLB has major pacing issues. I don't notice that in the NFL.

 

Someone named Superman wrote this....

 

"I hate the extra point - commercial - kickoff - commercial sequence. 

 

I also hate long huddles by the refs."

 

You may not have problems in general,  as you stated,  but you do have some problems.    So does the NFL, and it's trying to correct them.    I think Goodell literally is targeting some of the issues you mentioned.   Seems like that is a good thing...

 

Doesn't seem like that much of a gap between you and NFL execs.

[southwest1]

You know what I always find ironic? I watch tennis quite a bit & even though the US Open, the Australian Open, & Wimbledon matches can last almost 4 hours in some cases; the pace of the game feels faster than professional football because clocks are everywhere & computer technology tells you quickly whether a ball landed in or out. Plus, the main judge on duty resolves disputes in pretty short order. 

 

Yeah, I realize 2 competitors on grass or clay is easier to resolve than say if a WR maintained possession of a ball in bounds dragging the 2nd foot with control. I just think that tennis games move faster than football games even when they literally last an hour longer. 

[southwest1]

On March 22, 2017 at 7:52 PM, oldunclemark said:

Is this an issue to you?

Just curious OUM: 

 

Did this dilemma ever get mentioned? Say I'm watching the Colts game or the NY Giants on NFL Sunday Ticket & it's a blowout by both clubs score wise. So, the geniuses in their infinite wisdom decide to switch to another game later on at random. Did that ever come up?

 

That very thing happened to me a few times while recording the game on my DVR. I try to watch it later on & a portion of the game is not there. I was so furious over that because if you follow favorite teams & expect to see the entire game, it is quite frustrating when they flip games around with no channel notice if you were gone while recoding the actual game. 

[southwest1]

How come when Al Michaels says NBC will be right back after these messages on air he's never right back at all? Just joking!

 

Maybe teachers never bestowed upon him the sense of urgency in the words right back. Alright; Alright. I promise to knock it off & stop being so literal. 

 

SW1 can't help it if he's a sarcastic son of a gun you know. 

[southwest1]

Humor me, did the subject of making referees permanent 12 month employees even get raised? 

 

It's a rhetorical question, we all know the answer to already given how financially strapped the owners are barely making ends meet. Sigh....Unbelievable...Yes, bad calls can still be made on the field, but if the league paid for full time precision that's exactly what they would receive in droves via money, professionalism, & attention to detail. 

[southwest1]

It wouldn't necessarily speed up the flow of a game, but I've always wondered why sideline reporters always ask both coaches to evaluate their play in the first half & what their team needs to improve on in the 2nd half. The answer is always the same--less sacks, less picks, gotta make better decisions with the ball, & own the time of possession by running the ball & bleeding out the clock. 

 

It's like a comedy routine where the fans already know the punchline before the joke soft question is even asked. 

[Superman]

4 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

 

Someone named Superman wrote this....

 

"I hate the extra point - commercial - kickoff - commercial sequence. 

 

I also hate long huddles by the refs."

 

You may not have problems in general,  as you stated,  but you do have some problems.    So does the NFL, and it's trying to correct them.    I think Goodell literally is targeting some of the issues you mentioned.   Seems like that is a good thing...

 

Doesn't seem like that much of a gap between you and NFL execs.

 

That's not pacing. The extra commercial breaks are artificial breaks in the game.

 

The ref huddles could be considered pacing.

 

But in general, I think NFL games flow well.

[our_dbs_rock]

I assume they are looking into this to try to bring more European viewers to the game, who feel the game is to slow for their liking.  I doubt this has anything to do with the average American viewer.

[crazycolt1]

28 minutes ago, our_dbs_rock said:

I assume they are looking into this to try to bring more European viewers to the game, who feel the game is to slow for their liking.  I doubt this has anything to do with the average American viewer.

I would rather sit through a 3 hour football game than a 2 hour soccer game.

[rock8591]

More like a 30 second soccer game.

[LJpalmbeacher2]

I Don't think the lenght of the games is the problem, it never was before.

The problem is the pace of the game AND the lack of quality of the games. This last season the games were outright Boring. And the ratings reflected it.

[BOTT]

On 3/24/2017 at 0:09 PM, TheMarine said:

This topic was brought to you by Bud Light. The drinkers choice of choice beer and Peyton Manning. Now, back to the action on the field brought to you by Samsung, world leader in HDTVs. Todays game ball was brought to you by Tampax...

 

Yeah, its a bit much

 

That would be the most informative thing Phil Simms said in years.

[oldunclemark]

On ‎3‎/‎24‎/‎2017 at 9:15 PM, southwest1 said:

Just curious OUM: 

 

Did this dilemma ever get mentioned? Say I'm watching the Colts game or the NY Giants on NFL Sunday Ticket & it's a blowout by both clubs score wise. So, the geniuses in their infinite wisdom decide to switch to another game later on at random. Did that ever come up?

 

That very thing happened to me a few times while recording the game on my DVR. I try to watch it later on & a portion of the game is not there. I was so furious over that because if you follow favorite teams & expect to see the entire game, it is quite frustrating when they flip games around with no channel notice if you were gone while recoding the actual game. 

That's a very good question. I didnt know they did that.

I remember when  the NCAA Basketball tournament used to be on one network and they would switch to the 'more exciting game' angering fans of the two teams they abandoned.

 

Explain this to me. I don't get 'Sunday Ticket'

If all games are available on the 'ticket'. what's the need to switch.

Is not the selling point of 'Sunday Ticket' that you could watch any game you want,. no matter how close it was. ?

 

That might be worth an email to the Sunday Ticket folks

[oldunclemark]

On ‎3‎/‎25‎/‎2017 at 3:23 AM, crazycolt1 said:

I would rather sit through a 3 hour football game than a 2 hour soccer game.

I expect the game to go 3 hours

I only really notice the length of the game on Monday, Thursday or Sunday nights.

 

When there's only one game on, bad games seem longer

[southwest1]

On March 26, 2017 at 10:35 AM, oldunclemark said:

That's a very good question. I didnt know they did that.

I remember when  the NCAA Basketball tournament used to be on one network and they would switch to the 'more exciting game' angering fans of the two teams they abandoned.

 

Explain this to me. I don't get 'Sunday Ticket'

If all games are available on the 'ticket'. what's the need to switch.

Is not the selling point of 'Sunday Ticket' that you could watch any game you want,. no matter how close it was. ?

 

That might be worth an email to the Sunday Ticket folks

To answer your question, I think programmers on NFL Sunday Ticket sometimes like to go to a different game where the outcome is still undecided for competitive purposes or at least fans that like to gamble anyway. 

 

You are exactly right my friend. If a person has purchased a Sunday Ticket subscription, they are entitled to see that desired game in it's entirety from beginning to end. What usually happens is that all NFL games not on CBS or NBC broadcast television are located between the 700-715 range channel wise. You can still watch the Colts or Giants provided that they are not on a bye week. However, if you are recording the game on a DVR, at least twice INDY's 4th quarter was shuffled around on the 700 range channel dial, which blows because diehard fans end up missing say a whole quarter. 

 

You'd think programmers would run all games on the same channel they started out on, but not always. Random flipping does take place I'm afraid. It's fine if you are watching on TV live & can find the new channel, but if you're not home, it's extremely frustrating. Or when thick snow falls & my satellite during the game has a blocked signal...GRRR! That happened during a MNF game last season as a matter of fact. 

 

Good advice buddy! I might shoot off an email to Direct TV. 

[bababooey]

On 3/22/2017 at 9:03 PM, Superman said:

I hate the extra point - commercial - kickoff - commercial sequence. 

 

I also hate long huddles by the refs. 

 

In general, the pace of the game doesn't bother me, nor does the length.

I hate these as well.

 

I wish they had two flag colors, for Offense/Defense or Home/Away so we don't have to stand around wondering half the time who the call was on. I know they throw flags in the backfield and stuff which is somewhat helpful but half the time we are standing around wondering what the call is. At least if we know the team that helps the fans. We do this with (real) wrestling already when refs award points.

[BR-549]

On 3/26/2017 at 11:35 AM, oldunclemark said:

That's a very good question. I didnt know they did that.

I remember when  the NCAA Basketball tournament used to be on one network and they would switch to the 'more exciting game' angering fans of the two teams they abandoned.

 

Explain this to me. I don't get 'Sunday Ticket'

If all games are available on the 'ticket'. what's the need to switch.

Is not the selling point of 'Sunday Ticket' that you could watch any game you want,. no matter how close it was. ?

 

That might be worth an email to the Sunday Ticket folks

 

Yes and another gripe I have... pay for Direct TV(not cheap) and then also pay for Sunday Ticket (again not cheap) and STILL have to watch so many commercials... I get it, but it is aggravating.  

 

I am generally aggravated during most Colts games anyway so I guess it doesn't matter, lol.

[Coffeedrinker]

On 3/25/2017 at 3:33 AM, rock8591 said:

More like a 30 second soccer game.

That is still about 29.5 seconds too long.