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Jon Gruden makes passionate plea to cancel Thursday Night Football
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Many NFL fans regretted their choice to watch an AFC West battle between the Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos last week. Despite a strong defensive effort on both sides, the collective sloppiness was unbearable at times and is causing some people to closely examine the pros and cons of Thursday Night Football. Former head coach Jon Gruden thinks it is time to pull the plug on the concept, and he is not conflicted about his feelings whatsoever.
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"What a treat it is," the Super Bowl 37 champion said sarcastically on Barstool Sports' "The Shred Line" podcast, via Awful Announcing. "No preparation, no time to recover, no chance. Get rid of these Thursday night games! Dump them! It's not fair to the players, it's not fair to the coaches. Who goes out and tries to perform at a high level with no preparation?"
Is TNF sustainable under its current format?
Football is a brutal sport that pushes athletes to their limits both physically and mentally. Injuries are essentially unavoidable, and pain lingers throughout the season. Players are not supposed to endure this type of adversity on short rest. Unless a team is coming off a bye, taking the field in the middle of the week makes little sense. But it makes plenty of money, and the NFL is not about to forgo all the revenue brought in from these Amazon Prime broadcasts.
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TNF games have actually been better this season, producing plenty of thrills and stunners through nine matchups. The Seattle Seahawks overcame a fierce Arizona Cardinals comeback, the San Francisco 49ers survived the Los Angeles Rams on the road, the New York Giants thumped the Philadelphia Eagles and Joe Flacco outlasted Aaron Rodgers in a clash of quadragenarians.
This action-packed four-week stretch helped people forget about all the duds they have suffered through since the league began regularly implementing Thursday Night Football games, but the excitement is wearing off. Before the Broncos squeaked by the Raiders, 10-7, the Baltimore Ravens and Los Angeles Chargers each won in blowout fashion. Although quality of play is definitely a factor, it is hard to overlook the negative impact that abbreviated rest can have on the gridiron.
Jon Gruden has had enough, that's for sure. His words will not influence the NFL, especially given their tense legal dispute , but perhaps the league office can make some tweaks to its scheduling format moving forward.
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