Let's look at the flip side though. The players are not excited about this. Look no further than Ray Lewis, a future Hall of Fame linebacker, and see what his opinion is concerning the 18 game season. Lewis was quoted as saying: "If fans want to show their love, they should let everyone know that we are not machines. I've been blessed to play this game for so long, but it's time to start thinking about what legacy and impact changes like this will leave for the players of tomorrow, and us after we retire. I know our fans may not like preseason games, and I don't like all of them, but swapping two preseason games for two end-of-season games — when players already play hurt — comes at a huge cost for the player and the team. I know our union is on top of it, and players need to stay in touch with the union and our Executive Director to stay informed."
Tom Brady, quarterback of the New England Patriots and currently the NFL's highest paid player had this to add: "I've taken part in several postseason runs where we have played 20 games. The long-term impact this game has on our bodies is well documented. Look no further than the players that came before we did. Each player today has to play three years in order to earn five years of post-career health care. Our Union has done a great job of raising the awareness on these issues and will make the right decision for us players, the game and the fans."
Analyze this logically. Aside from the wear and tear on their bodies, the players have another reason not to expand the regular season. That reason? The same reason the owners want to expand. Money. Let's look at the trend at the running back position. In the 80's and 90's most teams had a clear number one running back, their "horse." Names like Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, Marcus Allen, Emmitt Smith come to mind. Now fast forward to today. We have multiple teams utilizing a two back system, alternating their backs throughout the game in order to maintain their bodies fresh. The Miami Dolphins are an easy example because I live in Miami. Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams are one of the best running back duos in football. How did we get here though? Well Ricky Williams had a few great years when he first arrived to Miami and as I have mentioned many times before, he bolted to smoke marijuana. But Ricky has stated several times his body needed a rest. He felt the Dolphins were over-using him. Then you have Ronnie Brown, who is talented but injury prone. Hence, we need a two back system here in Miami. The New York Jets have Ladainian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene. The Kansas City Chiefs use Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones. The list goes on and on. Teams do this because they fear losing their number one backs to injury, so they "stash" two legit starting running backs on their teams as an insurance. Moving to 18 game season will only cause this trend to become the norm for every single team in the league. This will translate into star running backs getting paid less money. It should be no surprise then that running backs like Steven Jackson of the St. Louis Rams is not fascinated with the idea of a two back system, or players with specific packages. Read Steven Jackson's thoughts on two-back system
More games is going to lead to an expansion of the roster size. Anyone who knows anything about sports knows that expansion always leads to a worst product. Some may argue it leads to parity, but in reality it means we will see a lot of athletes wearing uniforms on Sundays who really have no business being there. Additionally, an athlete's career will most likely be shortened due to the new 18 game schedule. I've heard people say it isn't going to be much of a difference, that in reality all the league is doing is making some of the pre-season games actually matter. I feel this argument is ignorant in the sense that most teams don't play their starters full time during the pre-season (actually all teams) and teams are very careful in how they utilize their star players. If I was a player, I wouldn't be happy about the NFL moving towards an 18 game schedule.
