Fox analyst and NFL Hall of Fame inductee Howie Long gives his perspective on how an expansion of the NFL regular season from 16 to 18 games would impact players and the quality of play.

Like Mr. Long, this writer sees more downside than upside with the proposed expansion – more injuries, injuries playing an even larger role during the playoffs, the resultant drop in quality of play, and the increased cost of an expanded roster seem like a high price to pay for the possibility of higher ticket sales.

Some have speculated that the talk of expansion has been no more than a threat wielded by money-hungry owners in prep for the serious negotiating soon to come. If not, I sincerely hope the league solicits input from experts such as Howie Long and weighs the negative impact of prolonged exposure to players before a final decision is made.