Poll of the Week: NFL Games in 2011-12

Robert Kraft

Poll of the Week is a weekly (duh) feature appearing every Monday. Please vote on the right sidebar and back up your opinion in the comments. Feel free to email poll suggestions to ilrsmcblog@gmail.com.

According to a recent AP poll, it doesn't appear that many NFL fans across America favor an expanded NFL regular season.

An Associated Press-Knowledge Networks poll released Thursday shows only lukewarm backing at best for a switch from 16 to 18 regular-season games, one of the NFL's key -- and easiest-to-understand -- proposals in its labor negotiations with the players' union.

Of everyone surveyed, 27 percent strongly favor or somewhat favor adding two regular-season games and dropping two preseason games. When the group is narrowed to those identifying themselves as NFL fans, support for the change rises to a total of 45 percent -- yet only 18 percent who strongly favor it.

Check out the rest of the details on ESPN.

ESPN provides the player's perspective - Hines Ward is quoted in the article as stating that "no player wants to play 18 games" - but Sporting News provides management's perspective.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft told NFL.com that an expanded season would aid the league in a down economy. "I really think going to an 18-game season is critical to us getting a labor deal. There's not a lot of ways in this economic environment we can generate incremental revenues. That's the best way."

So how many regular season games will the NFL play next year?

Will the players - who note fatigue and injury concerns as part of their resistance against an expanded regular season - win out against the owners, who, as Kraft states, need the additional revenue?

Further, what would you, a fan of the game, prefer?

Voting is open until Monday the 28th.

Thanks to Gabe Gershenfeld for this week's question