Wrote about the NFL's ratings decline in the Monday paper and received a lot of responses.

A few people said the protests during the National Anthem are the reason. I disagree.

A lot of people have said that the decline in quarterback play or the starpower of the position isn't the reason for the decline - that it's the quality of the programming.

Too many officiating mistakes. Too many replay reviews. Too many commercials. Too many ugly hits that we now know lead directly to concussions that can ruin lives. Too many unappealing games in prime time.

It's probably a combination of all of the above. Of course, with an undefeated and generally likeable team in town, this is probably not the best market to test theories about fan viewership, but I do think the NFL is facing serious issues with its brand.

Now, the league ratings could decline by 30 percent and it would still be the most successful league, financially, in North American history. But the arrow is suddenly pointing the wrong way.

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