Why yes, please do send more NFL games to Europe!!!

[MMXcalibur]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...ium-in-london/

NFL reaches deal to play games at Tottenham’s new stadium in London

Posted by Josh Alper on July 8, 2015, 7:30 AM EDT
Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City - Premier League
Getty Images
In April, there was word from London that English Premier League side Tottenham wanted to share their new stadium with an NFL team when and if the NFL put a team on that side of the Atlantic.

There’s no team heading there on a permanent basis, but there will be games at Tottenham’s building when it opens in 2018. The EPL team announced that they and the league have struck a 10-year agreement to play a minimum two regular season games a year at their stadium, which is under construction. The stadium is being built with the NFL in mind and will have two fields — grass for soccer, FieldTurf for football — that can be swapped out as needed.

“With growing enthusiasm for the NFL in the United Kingdom, we are committed to hosting NFL games in world-class venues and are excited to partner with Tottenham Hotspur to play games at their future stadium,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement from the team. “We share a vision and commitment to creating the best experience for our teams, fans and the local community.”

The deal does not mean the league will stop playing games at Wembley Stadium, which will host three games during the 2015 regular season. NFL executive vice president of international Mark Waller said, via Daniel Kaplan of Sports Business Journal, that the league has a “great relationship” with Wembley and that securing another site in London gives the league more flexibility in scheduling as well as the opportunity to play more games in London as either a visitor or permanent resident

I wish I could quit the NFL sometimes.
I really do.

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by alnorth

That is not a problem, whatsoever

Said the nba before Jordan retired. The nba grew in international popularity. But the game took a huge dent with avid fans on the US.

[Amnorix]

Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501

Said the nba before Jordan retired. The nba grew in international popularity. But the game took a huge dent with avid fans on the US.

Perhaps, but the style of play -- the actual on-the-court-product -- changed significantly.

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by Amnorix

Perhaps, but the style of play -- the actual on-the-court-product -- changed significantly.

I agree.

But so has the nfl. It's a passing league now. It's quick snap offense. You can't have rb superstars because their career span is so short. Theres a qb drought that's getting worse. Who knows how concussion stuff will affect the way the game is played. Like the nba they're about lose 2 big superstars leaving Rodgers as one of the few marketable superstars left.

[Bugeater]

Originally Posted by alnorth

If you live in SoCal or have a great desire to hunt/fish every weekend, sure. That doesn't describe most people, and there is not a lot of more compelling alternatives for a few hours in the afternoon unless your team happens to suck.

If your local football team is competitive or good, you aren't going to have a lot of people who would have been football fans recently now go "eh.... I'd rather watch a matinee, whats on, lets check rotten tomatoes"

Well i suppose i can only speak for myself, but i wouldn't have trouble finding other stuff to do. It almost seems as if the league is daring me to...kind of a dangerous game to play if you ask me.

[Amnorix]

Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501

I agree.

But so has the nfl. It's a passing league now. It's quick snap offense. You can't have rb superstars because their career span is so short. Theres a qb drought that's getting worse. Who knows how concussion stuff will affect the way the game is played. Like the nba they're about lose 2 big superstars leaving Rodgers as one of the few marketable superstars left.

Don't think the QB drought is getting worse. Seems ot me there are always a very small handful of guys who are awesome.

What may be happenign is that the impact of QB position is heightened because of the NFL's increasing emphasis on passing, and reduced ability to defend the passing attack.

Brady isn't leaving anytime soon. Manning will be back this year and has, maybe, one more year in him after this I think. Brady -- I honestly think he could still be playing at a pretty high level 5 years from now. His entire life is dedicated to staying in shape and playing football. Hell, he has increased his mobility the last few years.

I honestly think there's a chance he shocks everyone and is still a pretty damn good quarterback in 2020, which would be amazing, but...

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by Amnorix

Don't think the QB drought is getting worse. Seems ot me there are always a very small handful of guys who are awesome.

While it's true that there's always been a small percentage of guys that are HOFer's, it hasn't always been true that the overwhelming majority of the league has struggled finding competent QB's.

While guys like Manning and Brady would have flourished in any era, could you imagine 24+ other current NFL QB's having any success in the early 80's, when CB's could mug receivers?

I can't.

When you throw out names like Geno Smith, Josh McCown, Matt Cassel, Brian Hoyer or Blake Bortles, who currently enjoy rules that favor the WR's and QB's, yet still struggle to even be adequate starters, it's impossible to imagine most of the starters today having any success pre-2004 rule changes.

I believe this situation will only continue to decline. The best arm talent is going to MLB due to guaranteed contracts and little risk of long term injury (especially concussions) along with the fact that very, very, very few college QB's have been coached to read defenses and are ill-prepared to play in the NFL.

[Amnorix]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

While it's true that there's always been a small percentage of guys that are HOFer's, it hasn't always been true that the overwhelming majority of the league has struggled finding competent QB's.

While guys like Manning and Brady would have flourished in any era, could you imagine 24+ other current NFL QB's having any success in the early 80's, when CB's could mug receivers?

I can't.

When you throw out names like Geno Smith, Josh McCown, Matt Cassel, Brian Hoyer or Blake Bortles, who currently enjoy rules that favor the WR's and QB's, yet still struggle to even be adequate starters, it's impossible to imagine most of the starters today having any success pre-2004 rule changes.

I believe this situation will only continue to decline. The best arm talent is going to MLB due to guaranteed contracts and little risk of long term injury (especially concussions) along with the fact that very, very, very few college QB's have been coached to read defenses and are ill-prepared to play in the NFL.

Go and look at the stats for what an average NFL QB was doing in the 70s or 80s or even into the 90s. An average QB stats today would have been epic for back then.

Now it's about ultra-precision passing and keeping turnovers to an absolute minimum. Maybe it's harder to find guys who fit the bill of what offensive schemes WANT, but I'm pretty darn confident that we aren't suddenly in some kind of remarkable QB talent drought. Put the current QB into the SYSTEMS and teams that existed back then, and I'm sure they'd produce roughly comparable numbers to what those guys posted back then.

[Amnorix]

The more I think about it, the more this whole "dearth of QB talent" thing is BS.

The Jets have literally NEVER had a seriously great quarterback since Namath. Guys like Ken O'Brien to Chad Pennington to whoever the hell is the guy now have been their starting QB for like 40 years.

The Bills have had Jim Kelly and a whole lot of nothing before and after. A few decent years here and there from guys like Bledsoe, but mostly, it hasn't been good.

The Patriots had 40 years of just plain average at best at QB prior to Brady. I can name pretty much all of them. Steve Grogan is nearest and dearest to Patriots' fans heart, because he was gutty and gritty, but he's no HOFer. Bledsoe was above average. 3 Pro Bowls with the Patriots, but never an all-pro, and for good reason. Above average. Solid. But not great. An earlier era's Philip Rivers, perhaps.

Nobody remembers now, but there were alot of lean years in Packer-land between Bart Starr and Brett Favre.

The Bears -- 50 years of suck outside of Jim McMahon (who wasn't exactly Montana or Marino either).

The Detroit Lions -- 50 years of suck since Bobby Layne. Literally NOBODY. Rodney Peete and Scott Mitchell drove poor Barry Sanders into retirement.

I could go on and on and on. Hell, look at the Chiefs. Dawson retired in '75 and other than a cup of coffee with Joe Montana and some not-bad years with Trent Green, it's been pretty dry in the 40 years since.

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by Amnorix

The more I think about it, the more this whole "dearth of QB talent" thing is BS.

Nonsense

Originally Posted by Amnorix

I could go on and on and on. Hell, look at the Chiefs. Dawson retired in '75 and other than a cup of coffee with Joe Montana and some not-bad years with Trent Green, it's been pretty dry in the 40 years since.

Bill Kenney had 4,000 yard seasons in the 80's. Steve DeBerg was a solid QB for the Chiefs and others. There are plenty of QB's from that era that would have flourished in today's game where CB's can't mug receivers, such as Steve Bartkowski and Bobby Herbert and Ken O'Brien, Neil O'Donnell, Kenny Anderson and Brian Sipe and so on.

The rules of the game were different and it was a running back driven league. Now, it's a passing league and even with the rule changes, teams continually struggle, year in and year out, to find even competent QB, yet running backs are a dime a dozen.

[millz]

This is ruining the league. **** the UK...man NFL just isn't the same anymore. worst offseason ever, it's just lowering my interest in the league.

[beach tribe]

Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501

And that is the big problem I have. The nfl is more concerned about finding new fans than in keeping their avid fans. I'd rather watch an NFL game with a bunch of crazies than a bunch of bandwagoners

You really think the crazies will ever leave? I don't. It would have to get really ****ed up for me to ever consider walking away. Football is in my blood. And it always will be.

[Rausch]

Create a Canadian franchise first.

Simple economics.

Abandon Europe...

[Rausch]

Originally Posted by beach tribe

You really think the crazies will ever leave? I don't. It would have to get really ****ed up for me to ever consider walking away. Football is in my blood. And it always will be.

I'm close.

[beach tribe]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

While it's true that there's always been a small percentage of guys that are HOFer's, it hasn't always been true that the overwhelming majority of the league has struggled finding competent QB's.

While guys like Manning and Brady would have flourished in any era, could you imagine 24+ other current NFL QB's having any success in the early 80's, when CB's could mug receivers?

I can't.

When you throw out names like Geno Smith, Josh McCown, Matt Cassel, Brian Hoyer or Blake Bortles, who currently enjoy rules that favor the WR's and QB's, yet still struggle to even be adequate starters, it's impossible to imagine most of the starters today having any success pre-2004 rule changes.

I believe this situation will only continue to decline. The best arm talent is going to MLB due to guaranteed contracts and little risk of long term injury (especially concussions) along with the fact that very, very, very few college QB's have been coached to read defenses and are ill-prepared to play in the NFL.

I really think it has to a lot to do with college schemes, like you say. QBs need to sit and wait as Rodgers did, and learn the game before getting thrown in there and destroyed.
We know that will never happen, though, because teams are so desperate for QBs and the media and fans will have zero patience if there isn't already a Farve on the field.

[Amnorix]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Bill Kenney had 4,000 yard seasons in the 80's. Steve DeBerg was a solid QB for the Chiefs and others. There are plenty of QB's from that era that would have flourished in today's game where CB's can't mug receivers, such as Steve Bartkowski and Bobby Herbert and Ken O'Brien, Neil O'Donnell, Kenny Anderson and Brian Sipe and so on.

There are plenty of those guys today. You're talking about average QBs. We had them then and we have them now.

Look at the career passer ratings for those guys you name and you'll find they are lower than the average QB ratings for guys now.

The rules of the game were different and it was a running back driven league. Now, it's a passing league and even with the rule changes, teams continually struggle, year in and year out, to find even competent QB, yet running backs are a dime a dozen.

Teams struggled year in and year out to find "competent" quarterbacks then too. Maybe they were more ACCEPTING of average QB play, because they thought that paired with an awesome running attack or awesome defense they could win it all, but even then there were plenty of average, uninspiring QBs.

Or do you really mean to tell me the Chiefs fanbase would be happier with DeBerg or Bartkowski or Hebert or Sipe than Alex Smith or Trent Green?