NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell spoke in Houston on Wednesday, holding his annual pre-Super Bowl press conference, and addressed a wide variety of topics.
Among those topics were a few highlighted below.
- Relationship continues: The NFL will return to Mexico for a second-straight year when the Oakland Raiders host the New England Patriots in Mexico City during the 2017 regular season.
"We had a great experience last year," said Goodell. "We couldn't have asked for a better reception from our fans in Mexico."
Steelers President Art Rooney II said during an interview with Bob Labriola on SNR that the Steelers have shown a willingness to play a game there.
"We have thrown our name in the hat," said Rooney. "I don't know how quickly it will happen. We think we will be on that schedule one of these years, but we haven't been given any time frame so far."
- Changes coming?: The NFL is continually working to improve its product, and that includes the pace of games. Goodell discussed potential ways to do that, which includes adjustments to instant replay speed, a play clock that could speed up the time between an extra point and the kickoff that follows, and reducing the number of television commercial breaks from five to four per quarter, something that was tested during Week 16.
"We have been focused on this before this year," said Goodell. "What we are trying to do is make our games as exciting and action packed as possible. There are a number of ways we think we can shorten the management of the game, focus less on stoppages of the game and more on action.
"We think less is more in this area and we can do it with the right balance that will improve the quality of the experience in the stadium and also on television. That is what we are focusing on. I expect to see a lot of those changes this offseason."
Thursday Night Football: Goodell said he was pleased with the quality of football that was played on Thursday Night Football this season, but some changes could be coming. This past year all 32 teams played on Thursday Night Football, something Goodell said they could re-evaluate this offseason. He also said he would like to make adaptations to how the games air on networks, bringing more consistency on a week-to-week basis.
"Thursday Night Football is something we are very committed to," said Goodell. "It ended up being the No. 2 rated show in all of primetime on NBC this year, and No. 4 on CBS. We see our fans reacting positively to that. As it relates to the quality of the game, we have seen that be incredibly positive. We have seen less turnovers, less penalties. As far as almost every aspect of what you would say is the quality of the game, we have seen high quality football on Thursday night."
