It's 16 going on 17 - or 18

Lengthening season now seems inevitable

ROBERT KRAFTRevenue is there

The NFL adopted the 16-game regular season in 1978, but a combination of factors is likely to lead to a change - and it could be coming quicker than many are anticipating.

"The bottom line," said Patriots owner Robert Kraft, "is that I think you'll see us going to 17 or 18 regular-season games in the future."

The drumbeat on the issue has been growing louder.

In May, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell first floated the idea of extending the regular season. Earlier this month, he mentioned it again to reporters in Cincinnati, this time laying out a reason for his thinking: He believes preseason football is a poor reflection on the NFL product.

That's probably music to the ears of fans who don't enjoy seeing second- and third-string players toil in the preseason, while paying regular-season ticket and parking prices to do so.

Yet it's not just the poor quality of the preseason that has Goodell and NFL owners discussing an expansion of the regular season.

The uncertain labor forecast with players is also driving the discussion.

In short, owners feel that too much of their profits go to players. The players don't agree.

Expanding the regular season, which would be the fastest way for owners to generate more revenue, is one possibility to help the sides resolve the tug-of-war.

"We have to grow the pie; the biggest way of quickly growing the pie is in the media area," Kraft said. "The feeling is that we would get greater revenue for media if we had more regular-season games.

"Now, you'd have to balance that with the need that coaches have to develop and get a team ready to play. Could it be two preseason games, or three? I personally wouldn't be adverse to either one."

A 17-game regular season would create some scheduling issues. Which teams would get the extra home games? Or would neutral sites be chosen so there was no advantage?

Even an 18-game regular season, which would eliminate those issues, comes with some questions. Are two preseason games enough to prepare a team for such a long season? Would it lead to more injuries?

While Goodell and owners explore such expansion, not to be overshadowed is the players' role in such a discussion.

Linebacker Mike Vrabel, the Patriots' player representative, believes that any agreement to lengthen the season must include added benefits for players.

"It's always negotiable, but certainly they'd have to pay us more for 18 regular-season games," Vrabel said.

Vrabel's thoughts are tied to the fact that players don't receive their full salaries until the regular season starts. Veteran players make $1,225 per week during the preseason, plus $200 per preseason game. Rookies make $800 per week, with no additional pay for games.

As Vrabel pointed out, that's a nice arrangement for owners, because "they can pay us less for the preseason and they're making the same as the regular season."

So from Vrabel's perspective, if owners elect to expand the regular season, the players' salaries must expand with it.

It's hard to argue with that logic, although it could be a point of contention with owners.

In his visit to Cincinnati two weeks ago, Goodell made a few other points that indicated how strongly owners are considering expanding the season.

The commissioner said owners aren't concerned with the season running deeper into February, because they "find a longer season to be attractive" and that "we've made accommodations with our Super Bowl dates that we can move them later in the year."

Furthermore, Goodell said that the two-week window between conference championship games and the Super Bowl is preferred. He also noted that if the preseason were indeed shortened, a two-week window between the final preseason game and the first regular-season game could be adopted.

NFL teams have been scheduled to play 16 regular-season games for the last 31 years. But more than ever - with lackluster preseason performances diluting the product and the opportunity there to increase revenues - the push is clearly on to adopt change.

An imprefect solution
There was the journey toward a 16-0 regular season and the AFC championship, then the bitter ending of a crushing defeat in Super Bowl XLII. When top Patriots officials gathered this offseason, they pondered the best way to celebrate a season that had such exhilarating highs and one crushing low.

In the end, after declaring the season the fourth-greatest achievement in team history, they elected to have a private ceremony to commemorate it last Monday at Gillette Stadium.

Owner Robert Kraft and team president Jonathan Kraft presented the players with rings. On one side of the ring, it reads "16-0 -- perfect season." On the other, it reads "18-1, AFC Championship."

In addition, a banner was made to commemorate the season, and it was unveiled at the ceremony, with Kraft pulling a rope as it came down from the ceiling. It will be displayed at Gillette Stadium, next to the team's Super Bowl banners.

"I think there were two things going on from last year - and one was that it was an extraordinary year that I don't think we got to savor and enjoy," Kraft said. "We accomplished something special as a team and organization last year, under tremendous scrutiny, more scrutiny than any team has ever been under.

"We went 16-0, we won 18 straight games, and then the 19th game ended so abruptly that all of us have had a sick feeling in our stomach.

"I think in 10-15 years from now, when people look back and start to realize what happened here, it probably will never happen again. I can't say it won't, but you have to have a confluence of so many things coming together. We wanted to congratulate the team and the coaches for what they accomplished."

Added coach Bill Belichick, "It was a very special and historic year, and I want them to look back with pride when they look at the ring and remember the week-to-week approach.

"When you're in a season, you're always moving on to the next game, the next challenge, and because there is always something ahead, you never look back. I thought it was a good time to talk about it and acknowledge it, and also talk about how I appreciated their approach and superior performance they gave throughout the year."

Cowboy spurs Bronco into action
One reason the majority of NFL teams avoid practicing against other clubs is the likelihood of fights and injuries. So when the Cowboys and Broncos got together for joint practices last week leading into their second preseason game, there was little surprise that some headlines were generated.

This time, the "fight" was a verbal scrap between Cowboys cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones and Broncos receiver Brandon Marshall.

It started when Jones was asked by a reporter to compare Marshall with Cowboys receiver Terrell Owens. Jones pulled no punches, saying Owens was 10 times faster and stronger, and that Marshall simply "ain't no T.O."

Marshall, who last season joined Isaac Bruce and Larry Fitzgerald as the only players in NFL history to total 100 or more receptions in a sophomore campaign, heard those words loud and clear.

So when the teams came out for the next practice, Marshall wrote "21's no Champ" and stuck it to the back of his shoulder pads.

His message to Pacman: You're no Champ Bailey.

"Like I said last year, football, to me, is like Pop Warner - halftime, Pop-Tarts, and Kool-Aid," Marshall told reporters. "And all I'm doing out here is having fun.

"I meant what I said. I'm pretty sure he meant what he said. Tomorrow's another day to go out there and compete. And like I said, 'He's no Champ.' "

Etc.
Media pass
Vikings coach Brad Childress acknowledged that he's both amused and annoyed by reports calling his training camp "soft." Childress was considered too tough in his first year as coach in 2006, scheduling full-padded practices on 12 consecutive days. This year, he had the Vikings in full pads four times out of the first 26 sessions, but he feels it's been anything but soft. Childress was perturbed enough to challenge any media member to take part in one of his practices, making reference to author George Plimpton spending time in Lions training camp in the 1960s and writing about it in his book "Paper Lion." No one took Childress up on the offer to sign an injury waiver and join running back Adrian Peterson in the huddle.

Man with a planA.J. Smith took some heat for trading up in the 2008 draft - with the rival Patriots, no less - to select Louisiana State running back/fullback Jacob Hester in the third round. To land Hester, the Chargers surrendered a 2009 second-round draft choice. In Smith's view, the move was similar to the Patriots' acquisition of receiver Wes Welker prior to the 2007 season. At the time, the Patriots were questioned by many for giving up too much (second- and seventh-round picks), but Smith appreciates how they had a role in mind for Welker, and knew how he would fit into their system as a slot receiver. In the case of Hester, he looks like a viable candidate to replace Michael Turner - an important role behind LaDainian Tomlinson - and the early returns show he's worthy of the investment.

Does the Buc stop here?
The performance of quarterback Chris Simms will be one interesting subplot in the Buccaneers' preseason game tonight against the Patriots. Simms and Tampa Bay coach Jon Gruden seemed to have irreconcilable differences just a few months ago, but Simms played well in the team's 17-6 win over Miami last Saturday. Entering the game in the third quarter and playing into the fourth, Simms was 8 of 10 for 60 yards, led one touchdown drive, and took two sacks. He played after Luke McCown and Brian Griese. Given the never-ending search for quarterbacks across the NFL, if the Buccaneers part ways with Simms, it's unlikely he'd be unemployed for long.

Playing the home game
It's an unlikely pair - football and the Boston Federal Reserve Bank. But for Eric Rosengren, president and CEO of the Boston Fed, it just might be a combination that alleviates some of the country's big problems when it comes to home foreclosures. Rosengren was at Gillette Stadium last week for a foreclosure prevention workshop, and he believes the power of football contributed to an unexpected turnout of 2,176 residents who are struggling to pay their mortgages. "Football tends to be a central force in the community in bringing out civic pride," he said. "Because of how extensive the problems have become, and how many people are affected, NFL stadiums are ideal for these types of events. They are an uplifting type of place."

On the move
In the process of installing a new passing game, first-year Redskins coach Jim Zorn has made an adjustment in terms of how to utilize Chris Cooley (66 catches, 8 TDs in 2007), who is more an H-back than a traditional on-the-line tight end. "I think I am going to catch a lot more passes from 4-8 yards, and then it will be 'what can I do with the ball after that?' " Cooley said in a round-table interview prior to the Hall of Fame Game. "Last year, I think there was a major goal to get the ball down the field."

Battering the Rams
Solid first impression from Titans rookie Chris Johnson, the speedy running back from East Carolina who darted 66 yards for a touchdown in the preseason opener against the Rams last week. The Titans were criticized (including in this space) for selecting Johnson 24th overall, but he's looked like a difference-maker. Then again, the Rams' defense has made a lot of players look like difference-makers over the last year.

Extra points
Oft-injured running back Chris Perry, the Bengals' first-round draft choice in 2004, returned to action for the first time in 21 months last week. Perry has missed more regular-season games (42) than he's played (22) in his four seasons, but if healthy, he could be an important cog in that offense . . . Florida defensive end Derrick Harvey, whom the Jaguars selected at No. 8 after trading up, is the only first-round draft choice yet to sign a contract . . . The Browns are planning on using veteran outside linebacker Willie McGinest only on early downs, pulling him in passing situations . . . Veteran Redskins left tackle Chris Samuels on his first impressions of Zorn: "I really like him. The No. 1 thing that stands out to me is that he's a good Christian guy. I think he'll treat us fair. As far as coaching, he's pretty laidback. At times, he will scream and yell when we're out there making silly mistakes." . . . For the second year in a row, Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt surprised players by canceling practice one day and taking the team to the movies.

Did you know?
Players under contract who do not report to training camp are fined $15,116 per day. That means Rams running back Steven Jackson, who has stayed away for 24 days, has accumulated a total of $362,784 in fines as of today.

Mike Reiss can be reached at mreiss@globe.com; material from personal interviews, wire services, other beat writers, and league and team sources was used in this report.