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While it's looking more and more like the NFL will expand to an 18-game regular season, the vast majority of players are still against the idea.
That includes Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis.
The NFL owners will meet a week from today in Atlanta to discuss the possibility of an expanded regular season, which could begin as soon as 2010.
The plan that has been discussed to this point which would involve eliminating two preseason games and replacing them with two regular season contests. That proposal would thrill most fans and the television networks that rake in the dollars during the games that matter.
But the players have balked at the idea, citing health concerns as their main reason for wanting to stick to the current schedule.
Lewis elaborated on that thought yesterday.
"You're talking to someone who's played [in] the business for 15 years," Lewis said. "We're not automobiles. We're not machines. We're humans. After the first three, four months, your body feels a certain way. I don't care what type of shape you're in. I don't care what you try to do treatment-wise.
"You get to a certain point where you get to Week 15 and 16 and you're saying, 'OK, I've got to get my mind set for the playoffs.' But then now you're talking about adding [two] games. You've got to ask yourself, 'How many people are truly healthy in 18 games?' So, will you get your true football? Will you get the real football? Yeah, you're going to get the football for whoever is protected, but like I said, I just think it's a lot of football.
"I think if fans understood what we actually go through to play in December and January, I think a lot more people would fight with us. I don't think it's knowledgeable to make us play 18 games. It's rough."
Part of the owners' proposal apparently would include cutting down on the offseason schedule, which currently includes a number of mandatory minicamps and workouts.
The proposal would also likely add another bye week, which would give teams added opportunity to rest up and get ready for a stretch run towards the playoffs.
But many players, Lewis included, feel that it would be hard to strike a balance and make up for the added physical toll that the extra two regular season games would bring.
"16 games are enough," Lewis said.
