Roger Goodell details several changes that could speed up NFL games
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell took the stage in Houston on Wednesday to field questions from an eager pool of reporters on the state of the NFL. He was calm, cool and collected as he was asked about everything from Deflategate to the Raiders’ home in 2017, addressing several issues throughout the league.
One that stood out was the fact that the NFL is going to look into speeding up the pace of play. Ratings were down for the most part this past season – partly due to several primetime games being blowouts and the presidential election – and Goodell believes cutting down on TV timeouts could speed up games.
"What we're trying to do is make our product as exciting, and our games as exciting and action-packed, as possible," Goodell said. “ … There are a number of things we think we can shorten the management of the game, focus less on stoppages in the game and more on action.”
"We think less is more in this area," Goodell said. "And we can do it with the right balance that will improve the quality of experience either in the stadium or on television."
All of these potential changes will be created by the competition committee, which would then present them to the owners at their meetings this offseason. Goodell expects to see “a lot of those changes,” which will hopefully improve the quality and pace of play in the NFL.
