Fansided

Quarterback injuries and a watered-down product – it’s Week 15 in the NFL!

By Jonathan Bass

Dec 13, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Jimmy Clausen (2) throws from the end zone during the first half against the Seattle Seahawks at M&T Bank Stadium. Seattle Seahawks defeated Baltimore Ravens 35-6. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 13, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Jimmy Clausen (2) throws from the end zone during the first half against the Seattle Seahawks at M&T Bank Stadium. Seattle Seahawks defeated Baltimore Ravens 35-6. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /
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A barrage of quarterback injuries headlines a watered-down product in the NFL.

Case Keenum. The Matt Cassel Experience. Jimmy Clausen. Johnny Manziel and Brock Oseweiler.

That’s a smorgasbord of backup mediocrity.

And if those five guys don’t get your blood pumping, maybe Blaine Gabbert battling A.J. McCarron, and 40-year old warrior Matt Hasselbeck dueling T.J. Yates for the AFC South lead will make it move.

Sixteen games; nine backup quarterbacks starting under center: it’s Week 15 in the NFL!

Cutting through all the half-cocked snark, this is a watered-down product. In fact, it’s just plain awful. We are at a time in the season where games mean something, and intensity should be at an all-time high. Teams have all shuffled through their bye weeks and divisions are starting to shake out. And yet what we get to watch on the field is, in many cases, the equivalent to a Spring Training split squad.

Every offseason the debate for expanding either the NFL regular season to 18 games or extending the playoffs by an extra round seems to crop up. Either option would, after all, boost revenue for a league that basically prints money. From a fiscal aspect it makes complete sense. From an aesthetics point of view, not so much.

The NFL engaged in a steady march across the 12-month calendar over the past half-decade, owning the narrative in nearly every month – from preseason to regular to post to Super Bowl to combine to draft to free agency – and has yet to hit a saturation point. However, one glance at the Week 15 slate will hopefully give pause for some reflection.

Aside from the fact that 28% of the league’s teams will have a backup (or third-stringer) under center in Week 15, the slate of games is absolutely terrible. There are no games between teams above .500 starting both of their starting quarterbacks. That’s pathetic.

Popularity in the NFL is at an all-time high, but that’s largely buoyed by fantasy sports and gambling. The product, in its current state, is abhorrent. Players can’t stay on the field, and two divisions have nary a team over .500. That is 25% of the league. And it’s disgusting.

At this point in time the league represents less of a competitive balance, but more of a Stockholm Syndrome for fans tethered to their daily fantasy squads and the fantasy football playoffs. It’s a paper tiger of enjoyment. We watch, but begrudgingly.

Minting seven billion dollars every year is a nice balm. But when peeling back the veil, there is little positive to say about the current state of the National Football League. When off-field story lines are more engaging than on-field product, that’s a sad, sad state of affairs. The money is great, too bad it’s not on the back of something a little more appetizing.

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