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NEW ORLEANS — If history is a guide, the NFL is on track to expand its regular season to 18 games but commissioner Roger Goodell indicated Monday that nothing is imminent and the league will be very deliberate in making that decision.
In his annual state-of-the-NFL news conference, Goodell said he has had informal conversations on the topic with Lloyd Howell Jr., executive director of the NFL Players Assn., but there’s “a lot of work to be done.”
Before the 2021 season, the league added a 17th game and trimmed the preseason from four games to three. Goodell raised the possibility of eventually adding an 18th regular-season game and going down to two preseason games.
“We know fans love football and they want more football,” he said. “But we have to be incredibly sensitive and smart with the balance and how we deal with that.”
Goodell also kept alive the notion of having a franchise beyond the U.S. borders.
“I do think there’s a potential that someday we’ll have an international franchise,” he said. “We do like to have, being here in New Orleans, this is a great thing for the New Orleans Saints … have the world’s attention. I think the same would be true of an international franchise.”
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Not music to Chiefs’ Bourbon Street ears
With an unorthodox schedule and endless media obligations, Super Bowl week challenges even the most disciplined teams.
Now add the midnight sounds of trumpets.
Staying two blocks away from Bourbon Street, the Kansas City Chiefs are fighting off media distractions and New Orleans’ bustling nightlife while chasing their third consecutive Super Bowl victory.
Cornerback Trent McDuffie said the hotel’s central location has challenged players to stick to their routines and stay in their rooms as jazz music blares late into the night.
Last year, the Chiefs stayed 45 minutes away from the strip in Las Vegas. The distance helped players fend off any Sin City distractions en route to their victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
The greatest advantage of New Orleans, which is hosting its 11th Super Bowl, is the food, McDuffie said. In a city known for its culinary traditions and signature dishes, the former Bellflower St. John Bosco High star surprised a throng of media members when he reported his favorite meal so far was shawarma.
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Nick Sirianni’s subtle Eagles adjustments
The Philadelphia Eagles are in the Super Bowl for the second time in three years, and once again they are facing the Chiefs.
In Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes engineered a late drive for a game-winning field goal and 38-35 victory.
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni and his players said they have learned from that experience.
“I won’t get into the things that were changed through the daily organization of a Super Bowl week,” Sirianni said, “but there’s some things that we’re doing a little bit different to try and get better from our last experience.”
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