I had the NFL Network subscription and it's rubbish as all the shows premier in the early hours of the morning and it's a pain having to find out when the repeats are on. There isn't an archived function with it so it's watch it live or don't watch it. You can't access it on your iPhone either.

I would recommend getting Gamepass, obviously you get every game in HD live and archived, all the NFL Network programs are archived so you can watch them on demand and you can also access it on your iphone. Price has been reduced to £99.99 this year which is a bargain.

So with Gamepass I can watch the games anytime I want on my iPad? Live or on delay?

yea, including the condensed 30 minute every plag games! :p

Yes and if you get Apple TV you can send the video from your iPad to you TV. Part of the reason I'm currently considering purchasing an iPad

Something I've always wondered, why is the NFL season so short?

Surely the nature of it means it's not overly taxing on each player and there are so many stops in play they're rarely out of breath so wondering why it's only about 5 months long

Not having a dig, now in Aus I watched a lot more NFL last season and really enjoyed it (used to watch in the 80s and support the Pats when they were nowhere near as good as they are now!!)

Good god. Not sure if it's the first or second episode of the second series of Friday Night Lights, but wow!

I would think that it has a lot to do with both logistics and how tough the game is. Concussions are a massive part of the game as are other injuries. I wouldn't think many players would be left to play if they extended it considerably.

Injuries, it's not too bad in terms of stamina, but it's ridiculous in terms of high intensity activity, and high intensity contact. Where as most sports you can have a breather while stuffs happening, in the NFL every play you are having to work and are making contact with the opposition.

Last year, during the lockout, the owners wanted to extend the season to 18 games, but the players refused, I believe citing increased risk of injuries as the main reason not to increase it.

Gunna try my luck... Any spare NFL Wembo tickets? lol.

Cheers Ardeo / Jazman, not convinced it's that much more physical than something like rugby, plus they wear a lot of protection, though I've heard it said often when a sport has that much protection then that protection can be used against your opponent

2 more games would surely not have been that much to ask! :)

It's an odd one. I've often tried to work out why Rugby and NFL get compared so much. Having watched NFL for years now some of the hits that you see massive. I have seen some big hits in rugby but I think becuase of the protection in NFL players have that mindset that they are protection so they don't need to back off.

There are quite a lot of injuries already, and it really is a different level of intensity to any other sport. As you say they have lots of breaks, not just between plays but also when the offence is on the defence rests. But that just means everytime players are on the field its 100% effort from every player (pretty much) for short bursts.

The other reason there are so many injuries is due to the nature of it being a 360 degree sport, in that you can pretty much be tackled from any direction and often you won't even see it coming. Generally in rugby you are bracing into tackles and it's a simpler equation of moving in one direction!

That's useful mate; cheers :p

Think it was the 3rd episode last night, absolutely hooked on it! The wife loves it as well.

Rugby is also played at much closer quarters with somewhat of a slower pace at times. NFL is a lot faster and the hits are generally a lot bigger and as Ardeo says, can come from any direction.

You only have to look at the Harrison hit on Massaquoi or the Robinson (Scum) hit on DJax

Edited for accuracy. :p

I agree that football does have more intense hits than rugby but not by much. The difference for me is largely the aforementioned, 360 degree nature of football but also that the 'protection' in football actually is a weapon and changes how people use their bodies to stop each other (in rugby using the shoulder and arm in a broad position to 'wrap' whereas in football usually just colliding with the shoulder or sometimes head). For example, here Manu Tuilagi hits someone really hard, but it certainly doesnt look as bad because he gets his arms out around him.



However as rugby players get bigger and bigger, injuries are becoming more and more common as the collisions become more and more ferocious. The test series this summer between South Africa and England was incredible and as physically punishing as any NFL game I've ever seen. Here as Manu is running with the ball he neednt get his arms out and really hits the poor South African like how you see the hits in the NFL clips above. The only diference is there is no weaponry ('protection').

I think its a combination that NFL players don't really get taught to tackle as well as the fact you fight for every yard, so arm tackles would give up an extra couple of yards everytime, probably.

For me the most important is the 360 degree, rarely is anyone lined up straight on to make a tackle, like in rugby, even with those big hits you showed both players knew about the contact and were in position for it. Players are just never properly in position for contact in the NFL.

Ryan Mathews in two fantasy leagues! God damn I'm pissed off right now.....4-6 weeks. SOB!

I still recall the fateful day I picked him in round 1 draft. Never again will I select a rookie that high.