Sagging NFL TV ratings leave owners scrambling for answers

[BigRedRage]

I am sure the World Series match-up was a huge factor in it.

You would think that the Cowboys would draw a bigger audience though

funny thing is I was watching the game thinking to myself this has been a great game i bet they are getting good ratings tonight.

I forgot the WS was on at the same time.

 

[RugbyMuffin]

over saturation doesnt bother me as I never have watched all of the games really. My viewership hasnt gone down at all but if we continue getting as many flags as we have the last 2 games my interest could start dying off.

Yesterday's game was abysmal. As if the game itself was not boring enough, anytime it got interesting....FLAG! And then it would go right back to unwatchable.

HORRIBLY officiated game yesterday, one of the worst I have ever seen in the NFL, and that is saying something.

 

[BigRedRage]

Yesterday's game was abysmal. As if the game itself was not boring enough, anytime it got interesting....FLAG! And then it would go right back to unwatchable.

HORRIBLY officiated game yesterday, one of the worst I have ever seen in the NFL, and that is saying something.

A game or two before it was even worse. I dont remember which one but it felt like there was a flag on every single damn play.

Then I watch highlights of the top 5 runs this week (dj was number one) and in one highlight, I see an OL grabbing a guy with a clothesline from behind and tackling him for a block. Yet we get a penalty if we turn our hips the wrong way.

Officiating is becoming a BIG problem.

 

[cardpa]

I am sure the World Series match-up was a huge factor in it.

You would think that the Cowboys would draw a bigger audience though

Guess the Cowboys being America's team just isn't so anymore. This WS matchup is very intriguing. I haven't really watched the WS in years but this one does have me checking in on it. I was switching back and forth and finally stuck with the WS instead of the NFL game.

 

[Jersey Girl]

I flipped back and forth last night between the World Series and Eagles-Cowboys.

I am definitely watching less football, though I have a 16-month old, so there ya go. I used to spend all day every Sunday watching hours and hours. I just don't have that kind of time anymore. And, honestly, it isn't as important to me as it used to be. Yes, I still watch the Cardinals every week, but that's about the only game I plan my day around.

Oh and Thursday football, like many of you have said, just plain sucks. And I think it's unfair to make teams play on a short week just because you are a greedy, I'm-gonna-do-what-I-want-to-do commissioner.

 

[Russ Smith]

A game or two before it was even worse. I dont remember which one but it felt like there was a flag on every single damn play.

Then I watch highlights of the top 5 runs this week (dj was number one) and in one highlight, I see an OL grabbing a guy with a clothesline from behind and tackling him for a block. Yet we get a penalty if we turn our hips the wrong way.

Officiating is becoming a BIG problem.

Pereira said this last year when it came out that NFL refs don't like FOX and CBS using former refs as experts. he said the problem is the more that stuff gets exposure the more obvious it becomes that mistakes are still made. as a former ref that's not his intent at all, he isn't there to show up the guys he used to work with. But if he sees a bad call his job is to say that's a bad call and explain why.

I don't think refs are any worse than they used to be we just see it in more detail now so we think there are more bad calls.

 

[AZCrazy]

There just isn't much that is likable about the NFL right now.

Oversaturation.
Excessive commercialism.
Excessive parity - the only good team are known cheaters.
Lots of bad guys, and lots of poor handling of them.
If you think the commercials on TV are bad, try going to a game. They won't give you a moment of silence.
They actually think we want an unending barrage of white noise from end to end.

 

[82CardsGrad]

IMO, the NFL is on the verge of becoming unwatchable.
The amount of flags thrown each game is crazy. They've made it nearly impossible for DB's to play their position - unless you're Richard Sherman of course.
Goodell has an issue on his hands. Hope he fixes it soon!

 

[MrYeahBut]

I find it interesting that those who voted they are watching less football (myself included) are posters here I've always thought of as 'hard core'.

To me, that speaks volumes about the current state of the NFL. We're unhappy with
the way the situation is right now. Even though I'll never stop watching the Cards
and a few select games, my interest has totally waned. I keep the TV on with games
on but a lot of the time it's just background while I'm doing other things around the
house. I do the same thing with the NBA but I do watch the playoffs and you can't get me to watch a regular season baseball game. Yankees and Red Sox is all they have on anyway.

 

[oaken1]

that was a solid football game too, I imagine that has more to do with the two teams in the world series than anything else.

and the two teams in the football game. who outside of the nfce really cares about an eagles/cowboys game?...other than espn of course

 

[oaken1]

Pereira said this last year when it came out that NFL refs don't like FOX and CBS using former refs as experts. he said the problem is the more that stuff gets exposure the more obvious it becomes that mistakes are still made. as a former ref that's not his intent at all, he isn't there to show up the guys he used to work with. But if he sees a bad call his job is to say that's a bad call and explain why.

I don't think refs are any worse than they used to be we just see it in more detail now so we think there are more bad calls.

they really need to cut down on the number of cameras at the game. the officials see from one angle, the fans see it from five different angles...
I have adjusted to replay, fine.... but all the added cameras make it a certainty that fans are going to be dis satisfied with the officiating.

 

[Russ Smith]

IMO, the NFL is on the verge of becoming unwatchable.
The amount of flags thrown each game is crazy. They've made it nearly impossible for DB's to play their position - unless you're Richard Sherman of course.
Goodell has an issue on his hands. Hope he fixes it soon!

Josh Norman was flagged five times in the Washington game this past weekend.

I think the problem is it depends by crew so much, one week you're a great player the next week you're getting flagged multiple times for doing the same thing.

It's not an easy game to referee, I can handle PI and holding calls because they miss them on both sides so often. Floyd seems to get away with OPI regularly for example.

But the really aggregious calls they gotta get right.

 

[vince56]

they really need to cut down on the number of cameras at the game. the officials see from one angle, the fans see it from five different angles...
I have adjusted to replay, fine.... but all the added cameras make it a certainty that fans are going to be dis satisfied with the officiating.

What? Why not the exact opposite? Have a group of officials on the field and another 2-3 in a booth. The ones in the booth have highest authority, and they can stop play immediately when they see a wrong call and have it corrected. Even if they had only the TV feed, we almost always as fans see and know the right answer minutes before the official on the field that has to use the replay booth.

There are easy ways, common sense ways to fix this.

 

[BigRedRage]

and the two teams in the football game. who outside of the nfce really cares about an eagles/cowboys game?...other than espn of course

how cares about any game besides fans of the team and fans of NFL in general? At least those two teams have rabid fanbases and a chance at the postseason along with two up and coming rookie QBs. Far more watchable than say, TB vs Jax.

 

[ajcardfan]

IMO, the NFL is on the verge of becoming unwatchable.
The amount of flags thrown each game is crazy. They've made it nearly impossible for DB's to play their position - unless you're Richard Sherman of course.
Goodell has an issue on his hands. Hope he fixes it soon!

Agreed. I increasingly turn off games besides the Cardinals games or switch channels. The QB play sucks, and the officiating takes over the game way too much. Hell, there was even a point in the Cardinals-Jets game when it was in the bag and I almost turned it off because, even with my biased eyes, I knew it was a terrible game as far as entertainment.

 

[ajcardfan]

and the two teams in the football game. who outside of the nfce really cares about an eagles/cowboys game?...other than espn of course

The Cowboys, Steelers, Patriots and Packers have national followings.

 

[Dback Jon]

There just isn't much that is likable about the NFL right now.

Oversaturation.
Excessive commercialism.
Excessive parity - the only good team are known cheaters.
Lots of bad guys, and lots of poor handling of them.
If you think the commercials on TV are bad, try going to a game. They won't give you a moment of silence.
They actually think we want an unending barrage of white noise from end to end.

The Seattle game was awful in person (not just because of the result. 3 minutes of dead time, with blaring music everytime there was a change of possession. They need to limit the commercial breaks in a half to a set amount.

 

[RugbyMuffin]

IMO, the NFL is on the verge of becoming unwatchable.
The amount of flags thrown each game is crazy. They've made it nearly impossible for DB's to play their position - unless you're Richard Sherman of course.
Goodell has an issue on his hands. Hope he fixes it soon!

GOODELL IS THE ONE WHO CREATED THE ISSUE! Its not on his hands, it is because of it.

Guy was given a golden goose, and he is strangling it in the name of his own pride and hubris. He is the shining example of what is wrong with the leadership in this country in regards to national businesses.

 

[Dback Jon]

GOODELL IS THE ONE WHO CREATED THE ISSUE! Its not on his hands, it is because of it.

Guy was given a golden goose, and he is strangling it in the name of his own pride and hubris. He is the shining example of what is wrong with the leadership in this country in regards to national businesses.

All the while getting $30-$40 million a year...

 

[oaken1]

What? Why not the exact opposite? Have a group of officials on the field and another 2-3 in a booth. The ones in the booth have highest authority, and they can stop play immediately when they see a wrong call and have it corrected. Even if they had only the TV feed, we almost always as fans see and know the right answer minutes before the official on the field that has to use the replay booth.

There are easy ways, common sense ways to fix this.

why not the opposite?
Because I remember football before dozens of cameras and instant replay.
Occasionally there was a very controversial call and that mistake was acknowledge when the league made a rule change following the season. But when holding or PI or some such was called it really wasn't an issue because most times you never got to see the penalty anyway as they happened off camera... and remarkably, there were less calls.

 

[MrYeahBut]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it's the FCC that determines how many
commercial minutes per hour are allowed.

I did a late night jazz show on the radio many moons ago and it was around 16min IIRC. I think it's up to around 20-22 min now.

I heard a discussion on NFL radio about this a few days ago. A lot of people who
called in were complaining about commercial time. The host looked it up and said
minutes allotted for commercials are the same as they were last year.

Edit to add: It infuriates me to no end that they are still allowed to play commercials
at a higher volume than regular programming... it was supposed to have been
curtailed but I can't tell the difference.

 

[82CardsGrad]

Josh Norman was flagged five times in the Washington game this past weekend.

I think the problem is it depends by crew so much, one week you're a great player the next week you're getting flagged multiple times for doing the same thing.

It's not an easy game to referee, I can handle PI and holding calls because they miss them on both sides so often. Floyd seems to get away with OPI regularly for example.

But the really aggregious calls they gotta get right.

They need to let the DB's actually play their position Russ. Interference has been stretched way beyond the letter of the law. Yea, they miss a few here and there (particularly with Sherman), however, far more often than they should they are tossing flags when a DB is barely, if at all, impacting a WR's ability to catch the ball. It's a flat out joke and it's horrendous to the game. It also reinforces to the refs the practice of reaching for and pulling out their laundry on many other "calls" - see the "hands to the face" call on Humphries in Carolina.... It's brutal to watch and makes the game far less enjoyable... The NFL has created a massive problem.

 

[vince56]

why not the opposite?
Because I remember football before dozens of cameras and instant replay.
Occasionally there was a very controversial call and that mistake was acknowledge when the league made a rule change following the season. But when holding or PI or some such was called it really wasn't an issue because most times you never got to see the penalty anyway as they happened off camera... and remarkably, there were less calls.

I don't understand. Holding and PI are not reviewable now. I agree that replays slow down the game, but that's because it's more of the way they do it. We see the replay on the TV broadcast and almost instantly know what's happened. Why can't the NFL adopt that kind of speed? It's mind-boggling they still retain the dog-and-pony show of making the head ref run over to the sideline and spend 2-3 minutes under the hood.

 

[oaken1]

I don't understand. Holding and PI are not reviewable now. I agree that replays slow down the game, but that's because it's more of the way they do it. We see the replay on the TV broadcast and almost instantly know what's happened. Why can't the NFL adopt that kind of speed? It's mind-boggling they still retain the dog-and-pony show of making the head ref run over to the sideline and spend 2-3 minutes under the hood.

no. but when they get called, or not called,..and fans see it,...it makes everyone mad.creates controversy...and too many calls are either based on opinion,..or whether or not the officiating crew is just letting the players play.

I agree on replay...if they have to do it every play that calls for replay should be reviewed at the studio and the ref should just wait for the voice in his ear to tell him the call.