NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell knows “how annoying it is when we come back from a commercial break, kick off, and then cut to a commercial again.”
Goodell hates that part of the game and his goal is to get rid of it, he wrote in a letter to fans Wednesday.
Annoying commercial breaks are just part of Goodell’s plans to make the game more enjoyable for fans.
According to USA Today, most games will have four commercial breaks per quarter instead of five or six. The breaks will be 30 seconds longer to make up for the fewer interruptions.
Another consideration is removing commercial breaks after extra points. When they don’t take a break after an extra point, there will be a play clock to help speed up the game. A play clock following touchdowns might be next.
If a runner goes out-of-bounds, they’re going to re-start the clock immediately. Goodell didn’t explain if the rule will only apply during certain times of a game. Re-starting the clock late in a game could prove critical if a team can’t rush a field-goal unit out or attempt one final play. If this rule is the standard, it will make timeout management far more important.
Next week, teams will vote on a new replay system that would force referees to consult with replay officials in New York before deciding the outcome of a review. It’s similar to what the NHL does with reviews being decided by league officials in Toronto.
Goodell is expected to provide more detail when he joines NFL Network at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Thursday, NFL.com says.
