One of these days, it’s going to dawn on them.
… During his state of the NFL address on Friday, commissioner Roger Goodell announced that the league would expand the number of Thursday night games.
Under the plan, there will be a Thursday night game on the NFL Network from the second to the 15th week of the season. Previously, the NFL didn’t start playing games on Thursday night until mid-November.
The move could seriously cut into ESPN’s exclusive Thursday night coverage of college football. Teams from the SEC, ACC, and Big East Conference usually highlight the schedule.
Get The Picture 
This is the sort of thing the NFLPA should really get after. Didn’t the Bears or the Lions have a Thursday game after a Monday night? I think it was the Lions, perhaps, at Thanksgiving. That’s insanity.
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Always thought the NFL should play some on Friday nights since they don’t have the conflict with HS coaches. The NFL could make that a big bar night for the folks in big cities. That is probably the only way I would get to watch the NFL before the playoffs begin, although this expansion is supposed to be for the lesser teams who never get much national exposure. I wish the NCAA would expand to a few more Thursday night games, I really like them and some weeks there just isn’t much to see.
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This means I’ll have another option for Thursday night other than watching an epic GTU snooze fest now.
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Haha. Option.
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I am never bored watching GTU when they’re losing.
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I don’t know what kind of ratings they were getting on the NFL Network for these games, but I can’t imagine they were that big. The matchups were terrible. I didn’t even watch most of the ATL Thursday night game because it was such a crummy game. I think Oregon or some other Pac 12 team was playing, and I ended up watching that. I think ESPN’s Thursday games will be just fine.
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The ratings don’t have to be that big. They’re pulling from a stack of Sunday 1PM and 4PM games. Some other game will take its place on Sunday. Even for a terrible Thursday game, they probably gain more total viewers than they lose.
IMHO, I’m far more upset that colleges now play Friday night games. Thursday is a no man’s land. If you think you can get the viewers, then do whatever you want. Don’t like it? Play on your traditional day.
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Yeah it’ll hurt, but I’ll still watch the college match-up first, as I would imagine most of the Southeast would. Then if it turns into a blow-out I can turn it over to the other option – another vanilla, evenly matched, dink-and-dunk, no plays over 8 yrds, parody-soaked professional game. Yay. Hey, how bout that Super Bo…(snooze….).
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Or parity-soaked…but maybe they both work there?
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“Yeah, that’s right, ACC. No soup for you. Tuesday nights are lookin’ better all the time, aren’t they?” — The MAC
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I generally like college more than pro but I’m glad they’re doing this. Most of the Thursday night college games are snoozers. The more options, the better.
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There is nothing sacred anymore. Nothing surprises me with the level of money out there.
I’ve always thought that Fridays should be for high school ball in this country but that said bye bye years ago.
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Only in a nation like ours can there exist something called the ‘State of the NFL’ address; don’t know whether to laugh or cry over that one. Maybe I’ll laugh to keep from crying, like the astute bluesman would recommend.
Looks like some owners need new stadia again, so they aare grovelling around for additional revenue.
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Obviously *are* —- this ain’t Holland.
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I just thought you left the “gh” off.
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Wonder what Paul Johnson thinks about this. Not only won’t Tech have anyone in the stands but their Thursday night TV audience probably goes away as well.
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Is the NFL adopting the Peter Principle? Could probably save themselves some trouble by taking a poll, but who am I to inform them that the choice between NFL and College Football is a no-brainer. I only watch Cincinnati and Detroit for obvious reasons and catch a Falcons game from time to time, but don’t keep up with stats nor other ninteresting data as is found in CFB.
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You’re right on about that, stats don’t seem to lend as much perspective in the NFL as in the college game. I fear, though, that the NCAA will ultimately drift into semi-professional territory on many of its principles and with that will come a homogenization (that may well be a word…) of statistics.
Still feel agin’ the SuperConference line of action, too.
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Homogenization IS statistics.
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First we give them a free farm system. Now we give them free market testing.
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