Ten easy steps to a better NFL
Posted: Thursday September 17, 1998 09:31 AM
Now that football has been rightly restored to Cleveland, I've got 10 other
items for you to consider.
1. Football in Los Angeles. I grew up in L.A. and played for the
Rams and the Raiders. Both teams released me in 1993. They were wrong. The
fans in L.A. were so angry that they then forced both teams out of town. At
least that what one of my friends told me. I forgive them and now we can
have another team come and play in my old hometown.
2. Instant replay. This time around with a time limit of 60 seconds
to review the play. Why 60? Ever played in Green Bay or in December? You
can freeze your little bunnies off.
3. Let's limit celebrations to end zone dances. I can't believe a
big old defensive player would sack the QB and dance like he was trying out
for the remake of "Saturday Night Fever" while his team is down by 20. Deion Sanders even has a
pre-play dance when he's getting ready to return a punt.
4. QBs who call their own plays. We'd see fewer guys get hurt if
they could keep in the extra blockers.
5. Middle linebackers who call their own defenses. Hey, if the QB's
can do it ...
6. An off-season for the players. If the QBs and MLBs are calling
their own plays, there would be fewer plays to go over from February till
July. Besides, don't the highlights from the '50s and '60s look more
exciting than some of the games we've seen lately? Draw it up in the dirt.
7. Get rid of those stupid little Polaroid snap shots that they take
from the booth upstairs and then Fed Ex down to the field before the next
snap. Besides, if the players are calling all the plays they are too
busy to look at the pictures. While we're at it, no more coaches in the
booths. And no more headsets for the coaches on the sideline. (With no
coaches in the booth, they'd have no one to talk with.) And no more speaker
helmets for the QBs.
8. A real salary cap. Stop with the $10 million signing bonuses.
Find out if the rookie can play first, or if the guy in S.F. will be any
good on your team. I'm tired of hearing you can't cut or trade a player
because of how it will affect the cap. What about the effect of carrying
dead weight on your team?
9. PLAY OUTDOORS! PLAY ON GRASS!
10. Acknowledge that the greatest record in all of sports is that for
Career Receiving Yardage. That way I'd be listed No. 2 in receiving
behind Jerry Rice
(instead of 7th in catches -- Cris Carter passed me this
week). You never hear that Barry Sanders is closing in
on Walter Payton's record for most rushing attempts. It's yardage, baby.
OK, maybe I went a little overboard on No. 10. But hey! It's my column.
James Lofton, who finished his 16-year NFL career in 1993 with 43
100-yard receiving games, is an NFL analyst for CNN/SI. His weekly column
appears every Thursday exclusively on CNNSI.com.
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