As the National Football League continues its strides to become a global league, what if it changed some of its rules and took on more futbol-like style?
As the National Football League continues its strides to become a global league, what if it changed some of its rules and took on more futbol-like style?
Loan system
The loan system is a critical aspect of European football, or soccer as we call it, that has a positive impact on all parties involved.
In essence, a team allows one of their players to go on loan, typically to a weaker team, offering the player an opportunity for more first-team experience and return to the original club as a better prospect.
But what if the NFL had this?
When Tony Romo or Nick Foles went down, the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles had to call on their backups, Brandon Weeden and Mark Sanchez, respectively.
The loan system would have allowed either of those teams to bring in another quarterback, such as Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel, who could be a better option and would also give the rookie quarterback experience as a starter.
Theoretically, both the Browns and the Cowboys/Eagles win.
No salary cap
Goodbye salary cap, hello unlimited spending.
It’s not fair — at all — but unlimited spending would allow the heftiest spending teams to buy-out NFL talent, leaving scraps for the cheapskates.
Beloved teams like the Green Bay Packers, a franchise publically-owned by the fans, would be left behind because it couldn’t afford to sign Pro Bowlers.
And then you’d have the Cincinnati Bengals, with owner Mike Brown, a man who ESPN sportswriter Rick Reilly claims is “cheaper than your local Goodwill.”
No salary cap would also mean that owners like the Cowboys’ Jerry Jones or the New England Patriots’ Robert Kraft would become compulsive buyers and assemble fantasy teams.
Transfer Windows
In soccer, clubs can only sign players during the windows in January and then July through August.
A new year and an offseason window create a hectic transfer period as rumors swirl and ungodly amounts of money are thrown on the table to sign players.
Sure, teams can spend — oftentimes too much. Some of the best clubs in the world (Manchester United, Barcelona and Real Madrid) are hundreds of millions of dollars in debt. Perhaps the same would happen in the NFL.
But as injuries or suspensions ensue, there are situations where a team doesn’t have enough players on their roster, forcing them to call up players from their youth academies.
The transfer period in the NFL would create an added emphasis on franchises developing their practice squads, creating more competition to make rosters and thus improve the overall quality in the league.
Let’s be honest, the likelihood of any of these rules happening is more doubtful than the winless Oakland Raiders making the Super Bowl. But it’d be interesting, and make the NFL more profitable.
Isn’t that what the league wants, after all?
@charliehatch_
gh181212@ohio.edu
