NFL Crawl: Hooray for the commish!

By MARK CRAIG, Star Tribune

Last update: September 4, 2008 - 7:35 PM

Hooray for the commish!

An NFL commissioner who's in step with the fans in believing it's an absolute joke to have four preseason games.

Roger Goodell didn't put it quite that way, but his response during a Q&A with the Newark Star-Ledger suggests he's ready to move as quickly as he can to shorten the preseason.

The Star-Ledger asked Goodell, "How long before the NFL shortens the exhibition season and lengthens the regular season from 16 to 17 or 18 games?"

Goodell said: "I think a thing that's clear from a football perspective is that four preseason games are becoming unnecessary. The earliest there would be any modifications of this, I think, would be the 2010 season. But it would be subject not only to labor negotiations but also media negotiations [with the television networks]."

The Star-Ledger asked Goodell if preseason games have become a "joke and a ripoff" because fans are charged full price for tickets.

Goodell said: "I don't like that sort of comment about an NFL product, which is why I've been so focused on it the last two years. I don't think the quality of the preseason matches the standard or expectation of the NFL or our fans."