NFL Seeks To Speed Up Games

This is a few days old but I’ve been writing ahead to cover the blog this week while I’m on the road.

The NFL is worried about the length of games, which is a good thing. Much like baseball, the game has gotten way too long. It’s very annoying when a game sails past 1pm and we get cut-off at 4:15. I stopped watching SNF and MNF because I can never see the end. I stopped watching the baseball playoffs this year for the same reason. I don’t even start the games, I just live without it.

Anyway. the NFL is putting the onus on the refs.

The league hires professionals to calculate different variables each week – total plays, instant-replay reviews, injuries, penalties called – to project how long games should have taken. Refs overseeing contests that go over that specified time are graded down.

Interesting:

As scoring has steadily increased over the last three years, from an average of 41 points per game in 2005 to 45 through last weekend, it’s a challenge for the league.

Each point adds an average of 43 seconds to a contest, according to league data.

And silly:

The NFL has also steadily cut the length of halftime by about 15 seconds in the past three years.