One of the main sticking points in the ongoing labor dispute between the NFL and the NFLPA is the proposal by the NFL to expand the regular season by two games (to 18). The Detroit Free Press questioned Lions QB Shaun Hill to weigh in with his thoughts, and he is "heavily against it":
↵"At a certain point it kind of starts hurting the level of play. It hurts career longevity, all those things. They always want to talk about player safety. But then again they want to put 18 games in the regular season, and that's not really taking players' safety into consideration at all. But we'll see what happens with all of that. If they say play 18, I'll certainly play 18, though. We're hoping it doesn't come to that."↵
I'll probably wind up writing more on this, but I tend to agree with Hill. Extending the season by two games will bring in more revenue for the NFL, more fantasy football games for the fans, and bigger contracts for the players, but it will also -- without a doubt -- minimize the importance of each game and, as a result of the inevitable increase in injuries, dilute the product on the field. All the leverage in the world is in the hands of Roger Goodell, though, because, as Hill said, if he says play 18, the players will play, bodies willing; and we'll likely still watch.