Does Size Really Matter....for QB's in the NFL? Pt.2

By:  Bobby Shores

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With NFL training camps about to open up (or just opening up, depending on when this gets finished and posted) I decided to write a series (or article depending on time and content) about current trends that we are seeing in the NFL, and I am going to try and go beyond the obvious like "it's becoming a passing league",  "workhorse backs are a thing of the past, it's a committee approach now", etc. The first one is about the size of quarterbacks and whether or not height really matter, the first part of this article has already been posted here and is about what the shorter quarterbacks bring from a physical standpoint. Now we are going to look at how schemes, offenses, coaches have made shorter quarterbacks better.

We all know that the NFL has been transforming over the 20 years to a passing league from a running league, with it really becoming pass heavy the last few years. Part of this is the fans desire to see more scoring and the league helping offense's out with rule changes and also the culture of football has changed from the Pop Warner leagues all the way up the ladder to the NFL with more wide-open passing games.

As the spread of spread offense's (does that make sense) reached the NFL level, it opened the door for shorter quarterbacks to excel by, well spreading out the field making it easier for the guys with less stature to see the entire field. They also run a lot of zone-read plays which require the quarterbacks to sometimes carry the ball (mostly at levels below the NFL), and this opens up opportunities for smaller and quicker QB's that can make things happen with their feet.

As offense's spread out their players with multiple receivers, tight ends and backs across the length of the field, it means that there are less blockers in tight to form a nice clean pocket, this leads to more roll outs and throws on the run, which again lends itself to more agile QB's that can move easily inside and outside the pocket. These schemes value accuracy on the move more than a 6'4 monster who can stand in the pocket and deliver a shot down the field. Those tall guys are also more likely to stand there and take a hit, thereby increasing the chances for injury.


While you do not see a lot of zone-read offense's in the NFL (yet), having a smaller and more mobile quarterback gives offensive coordinator's more wrinkles they can add into their playbook. They may decide to run the occasional zone-read option play because like the "Wildcat" a few years ago, it makes opposing defenses HAVE to study for the possibility or be caught off guard and get burned. Every minute spent by an opposing defense studying the "non-conventional" packages the offense may throw at them that week, is a minute that they are not working on stopping the base plays.


Another benefit that was touched on in the first article is the extra advantages that a moving quarterback provides. If he stays in the pocket there are not a lot of places for him to go as the defensive players collapse the pocket, but when you move him and there is nobody open down field it's much easier for him to pick up that last 3-5 yards for a first down while also avoiding a hit by stepping out of bounds. Now you have a dual-threat quarterback who avoids getting hammered in the pocket, even though in the Dictator Roger Goodell era of the NFL, defensive players can only hit a quarter sized spot without getting flagged and fined.


So while a few years ago a 6'2 quarterback would've been given next to no shot of making it, and one under 6'2 wouldn't have been given a chance at all, in today's NFL, undersized quarterbacks are slowly taking control. Don't believe me? Just take a look at the quarterbacks drafted this year, nearly 50% were under 6'3. Robert Griffin III is barely 6'2 and he was drafted second overall to be the franchise, and a 5'10 quarterback in Russell Wilson is seemingly being given a legit shot to start as a rookie (and I think he will win it)! Welcome to the evolution of the NFL, where no sacred cow is safe.


If you want to know about the evolution of NFL offenses and defenses up to this point, you must read Tim Layden's book "Blood, Sweat And Chalk", it's become my new favorite book and the information it contains is invaluable.

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What Will Happen To Dez Bryant? From the Top Down

By:  Bobby Shores
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With the news  breaking today that Dez Bryant had been arrested for "domestic violence", my first thought was, "Now we will find out if the Cowboys have any leaders in the locker room". First let me say that I think "leadership" is WAY overblown in today's NFL, it seems to all boil down to every good team has "great leadership", while every average-to-bad team "lacks leadership", and the Cowboys are under the microscope more than most. Does anybody else remember how Eli Manning was not a leader, didn't demand accountability, etc. until the playoff run last year when it all switched to how he demands perfection and respect in the huddle, born leader like his brother, etc.

Unconfirmed Pic of NorthPark Mall Security that busted Dez

I wanna start this off with saying that I do not think Bryant is a bad guy, yes there have been a few incidents he has been involved in that made news, but were ultimately very minor in nature. I mean seriously, who cares if the guy is like 40% of America and can't manage his money, or if he is like 45% of American youth and wears his pants to low and talks back to the "rent-a-pigs" at NorthPark mall, or like 90% of America and wants to beat the hell out of Lil' Wayne. Of course this latest incident has the potential to be more serious, I do not want to make you think I am taking a "domestic violence" accusation seriously, I am.

This article is not going to be judging Bryant on what happened, with the lack of details and different stories floating around out there, let's get the truth before we tear Dez apart. Yes, Bryant is a very passionate guy, especially on the field, but nothing I have ever seen or read made me think he was either violent or even capable of violence. I have respect for any guy that can sit there calmly while another man calls his mom a prostitute, no matter what the situation is. While we are waiting on the facts of the case to make their way into our hands, let's begin the speculation on what could happen to him on the football side.

Let's start at the top of the food chain and work our way down. Commissioner Roger Goodell may decide that Bryant has put himself in enough bad situations that it's time to act and discipline him, and he doesn't even need charges to be pressed, an arrest or conviction to use the god-like powers given him as judge, jury and executioner. Since this is his first "real" issue with legal involvement, I do not expect much more than maybe a meeting or phone call from Rog letting Bryant know that he is on his radar.

Moving on down, the next level of discipline can be imposed by Jerry Jones and/or Jason Garrett, we know that Jones is kind of a softy and will probably not due anything more than a good stern talking to, but rest assured this will be brought up again when it comes time to negotiate a new contract. This incident, more than any other, can and will be used by Jones and his son to not only sign Bryant for less than he would have gotten without it, but he will also be able to write in language that protects the Cowboys, their money and their cap space if he screws up again. Above all else, Jones is a businessman and will pounce on any weakness to get what he wants.

Garrett on the other hand has spent his time as head coach building a team full of "good" guys, respected players with no baggage, great work ethics that are disciplined. The fact that he approved bringing in Bryant shows the amount of talent that he has. If this had happened during the season I could see Garrett ripping a page from his coach, Jimmy Johnson, and sitting Bryant for a series; much like Johnson did to Irvin years ago. Since this will likely be forgotten by most of us the day players report to training camp, I believe Garrett should use this as a way to not only punish Bryant, but also fix his biggest deficiency....conditioning. We all know that Bryant was in such bad shape last year that he literally disappeared during the second half of nearly every game, even when he was blowing it up during the first half. So punish him by making him run, and run, and run, and run, and run every single day after practices; it will help Bryant and the team!

What intrigues me more than anything else though, is how the guys in the locker room will react to this. There has been lots of negativity surrounding the Cowboys locker room because it lacks true leaders. The guys that you would expect to be the leaders, Jason Witten and DeMarcus Ware, tend to be "lead by example", and nobody is apparently a real "rah rah" vocal leader type, similar to Ray Lewis and Drew Brees. If the Cowboys have one, this is the time he needs to step up, get on Bryant and hold him accountable as his actions affect the entire team.

Who is this player? Is there one? Maybe it will be a group of veteran players that form a "leadership committee", much like the one that Tom Coughlin created with the Giants back in 2005. Regardless of who it is, somebody needs to take control before this gets out of hand. I still don't think that all of Dez's incidents COMBINED are as bad as the DUI issue that the NFL has......(sorry I will get off my soapbox).

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NFL Quick Hits

By:  Bobby Shores

Well this off-season just never really slows down, there has been amazing story after amazing story every week. Usually now since OTA's are over the stories are few and far between until training camps kick off in late July. Regardless though I will always have some things to talk about in the Quick Hits column. Unfortunately, due to time constraints this is a shorter "Quick Hits" than usual.

Bounty Gate Keeps Getting Worse for Goodell & NFL - This story just keeps getting weirder and weirder and I don't even know where to start. First off the NFL has horribly mishandled this, they have screwed it up to the point where I think most NFL fans are starting to doubt that they have the evidence to prove the system existed. After the appeal hearings the players all made very passionate statements declaring their innocence and the NFL responded by showing evidence to 12 reporters, unfortunately that evidence was typed copies of hand written notes (how do we know the typed versions are accurate, and who wrote them?), they also showed the video that supposedly shows Anthony Hargrove saying "Pay me my money" but Hargrove's head is blocked and the words dont't line up with the video.

They also kinda threw Joe Vitt under the bus saying that one of the notes was him pledging $5,000 to knock out a QB, but they never formally accused him or punished him for it, and Vitt now says he never did that. The twice convicted felon Mike Ornstein who the NFL said admitted to everything, but now Ornstein is publicly saying he NEVER said that there was a bounty program or that him or anybody else contributed to the pool.

While the CBA doesn't require the NFL to do much of making evidence or witnesses available, they need to stop this now! Their credibility, which when it comes to discipline is already non-existent, if the NFL has a "smoking gun", they need to release it and release it NOW.

At the beginning of the "bountygate" scandal I believed the league that the players were guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt; now, I still believe that they did it (like nearly every other team) I just don't believe that Goodell has any evidence that can't be torn apart or doubted in the minds of the fans.

I have found the best coverage and analysis of this case so far (like most everything NFL) is at ProFootballTalk.com, and I suggest you go there and see what Mike Florio has to say, because as a former lawyer he understands this and will really make you go "Say Whaaaaaaaaaaat?!?!?!?"

Bryant McKinnie Overweight Again - Former Vikings and current Ravens Left Tackle Bryant McKinnie has apparently reported to OTA's overweight......again. This has been an ongoing issue with McKinnie since he was drafted by the Vikings and when he was young and athletic enough to overcome it they looked the other way, but when his play started to slip due to the extra small child he was carrying, they cut him.

Then here come the Ravens who desperately needed a solid left tackle and probably believed that McKinnie would be motivated to keep his weight in check, which he was the first year. Now he is reportedly only 9lbs. away from his target weight of 345, which I have watched enough "Biggest Loser" to know that a big guy like that can lose 9lbs. in a day or two, if he cuts out the chalupas.

McKinnie will lose the weight, because he was one of the guys during the lockout that went broke and apparently had to take out a loan to the tune of $4.3 million at probably the highest legal interest rate, I have a feeling if paying that back isn't motivation enough, once that guy's enforcers come and break a few fingers or a kneecap (which would severely damage his earning potential) than he will get motivated.

After all the issues that McKinnie has had during his career, from nearly eating himself out of the league multiple times, getting himself kicked off the Pro Bowl team, suspended for 4 games due to a brawl in Miami, and was a key figure in the "Love Boat" scandal that rocked Minnesota years ago. Lots of guys have been blackballed from the league for a lot less, and it just shows that in the NFL talent trumps everything.

LaDanian Tomlinson Retires As A Charger - LT announced this week that he would sign the worthless "1-day contract" to retire as a San Diego Charger. Tomlinson was the most electrifying running back of my generation, and is no doubt a Hall of Famer [Editor's Note:  The whole idea of "1st Ballot Hall of Famer" is the stupidest thing I have ever heard, either a player is a Hall of Famer or he isn't, I mean they don't have a special wing or an asterisk on the plaque for 1st ballot guys....do they?].

LT accomplished a lot during his career, including setting the single season rushing touchdown record at 31, which will probably not be broken for a long time as the aerial attacks have taken over the NFL and most teams rely on multiple running backs rather than just one.

In my opinion he is also one of, if not the, most versatile players/running backs in the history of the NFL. He showed this by rushing for over 1,000 yards and catching 100 passes in the same season, the only player to ever do so. During a time where running backs are blowing out knees and other body parts rapidly, LT made it through his entire career without a major surgery, and that was while he was a "workhouse" back, another great accomplishment. Check out Kerry J. Byrne's piece over at SI.com for a full breakdown of LT's impact and greatness.

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NFL Pro Bowl - Who Cares? Everybody!

By:  Bobby Shores

I have written about the Pro Bowl a few times, about how horrible it is, how painful to watch it is, how the players play harder during a walk through in shorts and shirts. So why am I writing about it again? Because its in the news, and no matter Roger Goodell, the NFLPA, owners or the league owned network says, they were NEVER seriously considering canceling the game....it makes to much of what they all love the most...money$$$

Regardless of how bad it is, or how much myself and other fans complain about it, the NFL is still going to play it, and they came out and said it. Why you ask? For the same reason I know how bad the actual game is....because me and most football fans watch it, even if the league literally put flags on the players and skirts on the quarterbacks (just like Goodell wants to do in regular season games) we would still watch it. Don't pretend that you, yea you reading this article, don't watch the Pro Bowl....the ratings say otherwise.

Now that the NFL and evil commissioner/dictator  Goodell (and plenty of owners) have openly admitted that they are "disappointed" in the quality of the game, why would they still to choose to put a subpar product on the field and our tv screens for our viewing displeasure? Because we watch it! It's basic economics, the laws of supply and demand. The demand for football games currently outweighs the supply, which means they need more inventory (games) to meet current demand, which is why the NFL Network is now doing a full slate of 16 Thursday night games, along with games all day Sunday, a game Sunday night and another one Monday night. Do you really think that the owners are going to give up ANYTHING that makes them money? Hell no! Especially when the NFL's All-Star game is the highest rate of any sports All-Star game, even when they actually put meaning on the outcome (I'm talking about baseball for any of you living under a rock). 

In 2012, 12.5 million viewers tuned into the Pro Bowl, which is 1.5 million people more than baseball's "All-Star" game got, and like I mentioned above, the outcome actually means something in baseball. That is (calculator out) 25 million eyeballs (not including any 1-eyed pirates) that advertisers get to plug their products and/or services to. The owners also get over $4 million from Hawaii to host it, if I was an owner I would probably demand two Pro Bowls!

Wrap up but don't tackle

So we know that the owners make some serious bank off the Pro Bowl, but why do the players put themselves at risk to play in an un-glorified exhibition game? [Editor's Note:  While I don't know the exact #, more and more players make up excuses to not play in the game each year] Well, for starters there is the honor of being named to the All-Star team, plus many of them have bonuses in their contract for being named to the Pro Bowl, but they typically get that money just for being voted in, not tied to showing up. Besides that, they get a free trip for themselves and their spouse to Hawaii, and a $25,000 check for just showing up, and another $27,000 if they win! Hmmmm, get a free trip for me and my wife to Hawaii, PLUS a check for between $25k-52k and play what amounts to a pickup game of football? Count me in!!!

The players get a ton of extra publicity by going to the Pro Bowl, they will be interviewed endlessly both during the week and on the sideline at the game, and cameras will be video taping them during practice. So this is how they can show the fans their "softer" side, instead of the always super serious (for some of them) gameday persona that we see most of the time. They will also forever be known as "Pro Bowl Running Back/Quarterback/Wide Receiver/Defensive Back/Linebacker/etc" for the rest of their lives. That accolade plus all the extra camera time really enhances the players "public image" aka "Q Rating" aka "endorsement potential" aka MONEY, and we know that's all that really matters to 95% of the players.

So how do they improve the game, get even more fans to watch, and at least make it enjoyable for us fans that physically can't not watch it? 

The obvious way is to give pay the guys massive amounts of money for playing, like $250,000 for the losers and $520,000 for the winners, also make the bonuses in their contract payable only if they play in the Pro Bowl and not just "named" to the team. But maybe that would cost too much money....

How about they get rid of the game in its current format and turn it into a massive "skills competition"? I would be EXTREMELY interested in that. Seeing all the players run 40-yard dashes against each other, broken down by similar positions and position groups. Have the wide receivers & defensive backs race, O-linemen & D-linemen, running backs and linebackers, quarterbacks and....well Goodell would probably not want the quarterbacks to run as they might get injured and then he will have to fine James Harrison for it. 

They could have the quarterbacks doing throwing drills, kickers do "trick shots", punters do the old "coffin corner" and have the big guys do a bench press drill. Who wouldn't enjoy watching someone like Larry Allen bench 700 lbs and watching the bar get permanently bent from the weight on each side alone? Once they are done with a few days of "bracket" style (America loves brackets, heck we could even fill one out for this) skills competition, they could wrap it up with a 7-on-7 tournament, where the quarterbacks pick their teams playground style [Editor's Note: The video doesn't have much to do with this, but if I can even come close to a reason to use it, I will]

No matter what the Pro Bowl has to have some changes, as it currently stands it is an embarrassment and disgrace to the shield that Goodell has promised to protect and uphold. I hope that the league and NFLPA follow through on their promise to improve the product, because after they have publicly admitted its it stinks, the demand might go away....

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Q & A: Why does the NFL still play the Pro Bowl?

By:  Bobby Shores
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Question:  Why does the NFL still play the Pro Bowl, players don't even care, much less try to do well in it? It is an embarrassment to the players and the NFL in general. Will the NFL ever consider canceling it, or at least changing it? What can they do to make it more enjoyable?

ReclinerQB Thoughts:  I agree 100%, the NFL Pro Bowl is a complete farce, the players only go because it is a free trip to Hawaii, and if you don't believe me, then why did so many players drop out the year it wasn't held in Hawaii. As a "super fan" myself who votes repeatedly for the Pro Bowl, and takes my vote more seriously than I should (I don't just vote for my favorite players, I vote based off of my scouting notes to try and help the best players get there), I think the NFL owes it to the fans that spend their time watching, pay to go, and use their time to vote to actually put on a decent show.

Roger Goodell did openly talk about canceling the Pro Bowl after so many fans and media spoke out about the pathetic play this past year. Will they ever actually cancel it? I seriously doubt it as the Pro Bowl still makes the league a lot of money, dominates its time slot on television and is by far the most watched All-Star game in professional sports. No matter how much we as fans and media (no I am not including myself in the media category), as long as we keep watching it than the NFL will keep playing it.

The reason that the players don't play hard is that for most of them after having escaped the pounding of a 16+ game season their bodies are worn out and they do not want to wear themselves out in a meaningless game. There are also a lot of players that are either free agents or going into a contract year, and the payout for playing/winning is not large enough to risk injuring themselves. The financial risk of playing hard is too much to risk for most of the players also. Along the lines of not a large enough payout, the winning players only make $44,000 while the losing team makes $22,000, which is a fraction of what most of the Pro Bowl players make on a weekly basis.

So how can the NFL improve the Pro Bowl? This is a tough one, without giving players a very large bonus (upper 6 figures), massive insurance in case they get hurt that covers all potential future earnings or somehow penalizing players for not playing hard (heck Goodell penalizes players for everything else); I am not sure what they can do.

One idea I have (and I would personally like), is to get rid of the actual game and do a series of skill challenges:

• Have the fastest skill players compete in a 40-yard dash. Wide Receivers and Defensive, Running Backs, Offensive line and defensive line, quarterbacks, running backs, and specialists each have their own categories along with an "Open Competition". I think the fans would enjoy watching their favorite players race, and the players that won/beat other players would be bragging about it for years.
• You could do all kinds of quarterback competitions (similar to the ones they used to do)
• Kicking and Punting competitions would be compromised of longest field goal/kick with no rush, coffin corner punting and a trick shot competition.
• Wide Recievers, Defensive Backs, Running Backs and Linebackers could do a sort of 7-on-7 competition (which is basically what the Pro Bowl game ends up as anyways), having them line up in true 7-on-7 form and also have a contest of them competing 1-on-1 in an elimination style tournament.Have them redo their combine bench press competition, these guys are some of the strongest athletes in the world, lets see how much they can bench. What fan wouldn't have loved to see Larry Allen benching over 700 lbs. and bending the bar with just the weight on each side.

The competitions that you can come up with are endless and I think they would be very entertaining. To make it work in prime time the NFL would have to be very careful to not "over commercialize" everything like they tend to do, and the replays would be popular for years to come.

I believe my suggestions save all problems, the fans will enjoy it still, the players will still get the honor and their trip to Hawaii and most important of all to the NFL and Roger Goodell is that they still make money.

How do y'all think the NFL could improve the Pro Bowl?

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Should this be Goodell's One and Only Term as NFL Commissioner

[Writers Note: I understand that Roger Goodell does what he is paid to do and every move he makes is at the behest of the owners, but since he is the “face” of the NFL League Office, he gets the blame and/or the credit.]

As a fan, how would you rate Roger Goodell's nearly 5 year tenure as the Commissioner of the NFL?  How about if you owned one of the thirty two teams, or you were one of the nearly 1,900 players? With the lockout nearing an end I think it is a good time to reflect on Goodell's reign as dictator.....I mean commissioner of the NFL.

Since Roger Goodell took over the job as NFL Commissioner in September of 2006, he has largely done what he is paid (nearly $10 million per year) to do by the owners; increase profits and international exposure for American football, set new records for television ratings and money, and appear to please an ever growing fan base.

While it is hard to argue with all the growth the NFL has experienced, both under Goodell's tenure and before (and I am sure after), many people would argue to say that the game would have achieved everything it has and more without him running the show.  The NFL seems to be an entertainment medium that can only slow itself down as it has no real competition, and a fan base that craves information and coverage 24/7/365.  Honestly, I think I could be commissioner of the NFL and break records every year, and I would do it for much less than Goodell makes.

The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about Goodell's term is:  Player Conduct Policy. This was a policy that was enacted/strengthened in April 2010 with the purpose of preserving the league's public image by punishing players for negative off-field behavior. It is easy to agree with this, NFL personnel are role models and should be held to high standards, on and off the field, to uphold the integrity of the shield.

The issue with the Personal Conduct Policy is the inconsistency in which it is applied, along with Goodell himself acting as judge, jury, and executioner.  For example, former Cowboys assistant coach Wade Wilson was suspended five games and fined $100,000 (probably 35% of his yearly salary) for trying to improve the quality of his life by taking human growth hormones to treat his diabetes.  On the other hand, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was only fined $250,000 (about 3% of his yearly salary) and docked a draft pick for compromising the integrity of the NFL by blatantly cheating when he was caught video taping practices and signals.

Goodell's explanation for the extremely harsh punishment on Wilson was that "coaches are held to a higher standard...", but in most people's opinions blatantly breaking the rules is worse than a coach taking a banned substance, agreed? While I am no lawyer or legal analyst, I also look at "intent", Wilson did not INTEND to break the rules, it is obvious that Belichick INTENDED to break the rules and knew that what he was doing was not only against the rules but morally and ethically wrong.

The biggest gripe that fans and players (especially myself) have with Goodell is the lockout, and not just with labor stoppage but the fact that Goodell did not posses the leadership ability to get the two sides together for meaningful negotiations (until recently).  Not only is this potentially alienating his fan base and slowing down the record growth, but he has already lost face with the players. Once you lose your employees it can be tough to get them back.

I also do not agree with the new rules on concussions, these are grown men, and if they want to subject themselves to repeated blows to the head for a lot of money, then let them do it.  The dangers of post career brain injuries seem to be few and far between, of the tens of thousands of former players, it seems only a slight handful of them suffer debilitating loss of brain functions, and who is to say that some of these "loss of brain functions" would not have happened after just one shot to the head that could happen by doing a lot of non-professional football activities, or even high school and college football which is played by millions.  There are a lot of non-football players that suffer the same brain trauma that football players do, and vice-versa

Another piece of his tenure that I do not agree with is the "over protection" of star players (i.e. quarterbacks, receivers, etc).  Yes, they are the "stars" and do need to be protected to a point, but the over protection of them has gone a little to far to where the officials err on the side of the offensive player, and these 15-yard penalties are game changing. The rules keeping defensive players from getting in the same zip code as the quarterback at anytime or a receiver either right before he catches, during the catch, or right after the catch is damaging the integrity of the game. Defensive players are now more worried about not losing game checks then playing with instincts. Football is an inherently violent game, everybody that plays or watches realizes this, protect the players but not at the expense of the product on the field.

All in all I feel that Goodell's tenure as commissioner of the NFL has been a complete failure and this should be his one and only term. Let me know what you guys think?

How Roger Goodell is ruining NFL for fans Part 1...

Ok, "Ruining the NFL" may have been a little to harsh, but I think we can all agree he has not done anything to improve the game for the everyday fan.  You can argue that he is improving the game for the owners in terms of expanding the game to a larger international audience, and by increasing revenue. Really the increasing revenue part is debatable because I think the NFL would continue to make money hand over fist even without the Goodell or with anybody as commissioner.  And again that last part about "making money hand over fist" is debatable since the NFL is currently locking out the players for precisely that reason, they are not making ENOUGH money..... 

Everyday that I read and hear more and more about how the owners and players are fighting over $9 billion + in revenues, and constantly sniping at each other through the media, trying to get us to take sides, and how one side is getting "screwed" it makes me realize that they just do not "get it".  Each side wants us, the fans, to feel sorry for them and take their side, they seem to think that THEY are the ones suffering.  That's not true, we the fans are the only ones truly suffering.  Thinking about that got me thinking, what has the league done since Roger Goodell  became commissioner to improve the game for the fans?  More specifically, has Commissioner Roger Goodell improved the game for fans?  Let me make this clear before I start though, I do know that Goodell is an employee of the owners and everything he does is first approved by them.  Now lets get to it.

When I think about Roger Goodell's tenure as NFL Commissioner, the first thing that comes to my mind is:  Player Conduct Policy.  This was a policy that was enacted/strengthened in April 2010 with the purpose of preserving the league's public image by punishing players for negative off-field behavior.  I have always been torn on this issue as an adult, first off I do not care what player "x" does in his own free time as long as it does not affect his performance on the field, but I also understand that these players (like it or not) are role models for many children and young adults.  This is a policy that has no real rules to it, different people are punished differently and held to different standards based on one mans (Goodell's) opinion, and the appeals are also handled by the same man that hands out the initial punishment (again its Roger Goodell).  Regardless of your views on the "Personal Conduct Policy" I do not see how it improves the quality of the game for the fans.  If anything it has decreased the quality of the game because the best players are not always on the field.  Now some people may argue that "in the real world if you are arrested for DWI then you could get fired", but in the real world my boss would never find out that I got arrested for DWI on a Friday night unless I told him because it would not be reported by every media outlet in America, so it is not the same thing.  And in the "real world" I know of numerous people who have been in both misdemeanor and felonious incidents and not been reprimanded at the workplace. 

The other side of this argument is that the reason the players are punished (sometimes even suspended) is because they are "role models" for kids and that them being punished helps set the example for the kids that look up to them.  When NFL players are arrested or get in trouble off the field, they already face stiffer punishments than "regular" people (example A:  Michael Vick, Example B:  Plaxico Burress).  The reason I do not agree with this side of the argument is that ultimately it is the parents responsibility to make sure that their kids are taught "right from wrong" and to explain to their children the consequences of their actions and to even from time to time use professional athletes as the example.  It is not the responsibility of the league or Roger Goodell to make sure that the players are setting the proper example for children across America when they are away from the rules and regulations of the league (And by that I mean off of NFL and team property).  I am not saying that players should not be held accountable for off-field actions, I am just saying that as a fan the personal conduct policy has not improved my NFL experience, in fact it has done just the opposite. 

The next "change" that Goodell has been instrumental in is all of the new guidelines/rules for what is and is not a legal hit.  You all know what I am talking about, it took center stage this year in week 6 (I think) when there was a rash of what appeared to be vicious and in some cases dirty hits.  How do I feel about this?  I feel that Goodell is going to far, he has made watching games much less enjoyable because I am constantly worried if "my" team is going to get some bogus "illegal hit" call during a routine bang-bang play just because a WR slightly stumbled and ducked his head and a closing LB who was going to have a legal hit ended up hitting him in the head (i.e. James Harrison hit on Mohammad Massaquoi) all in a matter of less than 1 second.  There was no way for Harrison to change his momentum when Massquoi ducked at the last second.  And apparently the refs are told to err on the side of throwing a flag.  These are potentially huge game changing penalties, and if the ref "thinks" he sees something he is supposed to throw the flag?  Goodell, owners, GM's, executives, coaches, scouts, players, and fans all know that professional football is a violent game, and yet we all participate in it in one way or another regardless, and have been for years.  The worst part about it is that the NFL was profiting off of the hit until the media called them out on it.  Just let the players play, please!  You know what, lets all admit what this really was about, it was about Goodell "pretending" like he cared about the players safety so they could add more games to the schedule it never had ANYTHING to do with the safety of the employees of the NFL....It was a money grab!