NFL considers playing two regular season games each season outside the US

Michigan

NEW YORK (AP) - NFL owners will consider next month whether to play two games a year outside the United States, starting with contests in Canada, Mexico, Britain and Germany.

The league has played numerous exhibition games overseas for the past two decades. The New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks will play a preseason game next August in Beijing.
But last year's San Francisco-Arizona game in Mexico City is the only regular-season match played outside the United States. It drew over 100,000 fans to Azteca Stadium.

Mark Waller, senior vice president of NFL International, said Thursday the league believes fans in a number of countries are now ready for the real thing. NFL games regularly have been televised live in Mexico and Canada and more recently in Europe, notably the United Kingdom.

"The preseason games and American Bowl games have worked well to introduce fans to the game," Waller said. "Once fans have gotten to know it and understand it, they are very aware that the regular season, playoffs and Super Bowl are the real thing."

Waller already has spoken to the owners about the plan and received an enthusiastic response, with most of the questions about logistics rather than economics. Under the plan, which would probably be put in place for the 2007 season, there would be a rotation so that each team would lose only one home game every 16 years.

Coaches have tended to be less enthusiastic about going overseas, especially to Europe and Asia, primarily because of jet lag and travel time. Waller noted, however, that a trip to England or Germany isn't much different from a coast-to-coast trip.

League officials, who have been talking for years about regular-season overseas games, say that matches in Europe could be timed in a way that teams returning from them might go into a bye week. They are likely to be played in October, a period when the bye weeks always are in effect.

The plan, first reported by The Arizona Republic, will be discussed again during meetings in New Orleans on Oct. 24.

stevek

<<< Waller noted, however, that a trip to England or Germany isn't much different from a coast-to-coast trip. >>>


This guy is on drugs to make a statement such as this. I've done both - there is a difference. Considering transporting equipment, etc., to an unfamiliar stadium...a big difference. I can't see this ever happening during the regular season.

thegemmintman

It's a bad idea for the players, but who cares about them, right? I remember the Jets played a preseason game in Japan a few years ago. It was horrible for them.

Axtell

The Bucs I think played the jets in that preseason game in japan, and it's gotta be a huge burden....time shifts, playing so far outside the realm of where they are used to, etc.

Making it a regular season game is asking for problems.

Michigan, can you please start providing links with the stories you are lifting?

stevek

Yes, preseason of course is a big difference versus the regular season. The players as well as possibly the coaches could look at a preseason trip to Europe as sort of a mini-vacation for the team in between training camp and the regular season. Probably mostly rookies and probable cuts would play much of the game anyway. If something got screwed up - who cares because it's only a preseason game. There just isn't the time or the necessity to do all this during the regular season - and each regular season game is too important to screw around with. This just isn't going to happen.