Anyone on the conf call (season ticket holders)

[Maxman]

Press *3 to ask the commish a question. This should be interesting!

Press *0 to be transferred to a representative, lol. Classic.

[Maxman]

This is a recap (not literally translated word-for-word). I paraphrased here, do not quote this....

John a season ticket holder from 1978: Free agency, both college and professional, when can they sign?

RG: We are opening our gates, conf call today with the teams on player transaction rules. We must respect the decisions of the court and inform the clubs, which we will do shortly.

Jason season ticket holder from 1975: I always look forward to the draft, the 1st pick is always greeted with applause. You were greeted with boo's, did it hurt and how do you feel about the fans frustration?

RG: I understand that, it is the fans frustration. I hear it directly from them, they want football, everyone is frustrated, we all want football. The reality is solving this is my job.

BE: (silence)

RG: laughs

Stan: It seems like a covert operation that you weren't upfront, the schedule had provisions for a lockout (same bye week).

RG: The bottom line is we put together the best schedule for a full 16 week but we built in flexibility. You do have some issues that you have to balance in there and we do that every year. In large part because we want to make sure every game on the schedule is played on the date scheduled.

Daniel: The most frustrating penalty is called on contact to the QB's helmet. When the defender is being blocked and his hands come down and hit the head, a penalty is called. can that be changed to more of an intent to injure?

RG: We just talked about that with the competition committee. The issue is -- is it more of a glancing below. They are working towards getting it done so that only forceful blows are called.

Philip: Preseason ticket prices, the league sets postseason prices, the Jets told him that it is league policy that preseason tickets must be

RG: The most important issue is the quality of what you are buying. This is why we want to move to an 18 games schedule with 2 preseason games, this will improve the quality of what you get. We are looking into alternatives.

Dan: What do you think fans want to get out of the resolution of this conflict?

RG: The agreement will hopefully be good for the fans and the clubs. If that happens, the fans will benefit as the league continues to grow. Specifically with an 18 game season. Ticket prices and the costs of the events can not continue to rise, this must be addressed. Innovations for the fans, investing in the NFL Red Zone and NFL Network requires an investment. Same for the investments in the facilities, it is good for the game and the fans.

Cory 15 year season ticket holder: What type of heat have you been getting from coaches and the coaching staffs as they try to improve their teams?

RG: I talk to coaches frequently, they love to coach, work with players and improve their teams. That is what they do best. Right now they are focused on the draft, the reality is they want to be on the field, working with players, wanting to win. They have frustration as well with the uncertainty. As soon as we get to an agreement we can remove the uncertainty and make this game better.

Mike: My concern was the other day when players showed up and they weren't allowed to work at the facilities, what kind of message does that send?

RG: I understand how it looks from a fan and I respect your perspective. What happened is we had a judgement from the court late in the day. It is important that you respond to the court but do it in an organized fashion. There were motions being filed by the players and owners, and they had to be ruled on in the court. Litigation is not a good option, both parties need to negotiate and agree to a new CBA.

Chuck: Silence

Edward: At what point in time will you have to cancel games, is there a drop dead date?

RG: Good question, right now our focus is on negotiations, we have not set any drop-dead dates, I hope that will not be the case and we can prevent even getting close to that determination.

Bob said a caller had a question about the 9/11 games. What went into the process on that date, the Jets\Giants possibly playing etc.

RG: We schedule 256 games so there are a lot of factors, a number of things have to be balanced. We were very mindful of 9/11 and the impact it has especially in NY and Washington. It didn't work out where the Jets and Giants could play that day but we are going to make 9/11 a very important day in the NFL and honor it appropriately. We will announce in the coming weeks how it will be honored.

Russell: Super Bowl is coming to NY in 2014, the 1st Super Bowl in cold weather since Super Bowl Five. What preparations will go into this?

RG: Being in a northern climate, outdoor stadium provides challenges. I think it is a good thing, the game of football was made to be played in the elements. Al Kelly was hired and will work with host committee on the logistics. It is a great facilty and we are excited to be there. We will think about ways to improve and prepare for fan comfort with access etc. It is going to be a great event for everyone.

Eugene: Officials, how are they rated? What is required of them for training?

RG: Our officials are the best in the world, officiating a very fast game without missing much. The vast majority of calls they do a great job with. They are human and they make mistakes. Every play is reviewed and they are graded. Those grades determine what officials do the postseason. If the grades are below a certain level they are replaced.

Michael: Hello. Hello. Oh. Uh, I have been a season ticket holder for 40 years. We go to the 8:30 games, now I live in Cape May, I get home at 2 or 3am in the morning. Is there anything that can be done for that? Make them earlier?

RG: It is an inconvenience if you have to drive a few hours. But the national games give a team a chance to play in front of a broader audience. I recognize that having them at that hour on a repeated basis can be tough for the season ticket holders. They try to balance national exposure vs the fan inconvenience.

Tom D: I have season tickets for two teams. The other team has an advisory panel with season ticket holders that meets regularly. Fan safety is the focus, do you think all NFL teams should put together a fan committee like this to make recommendations?

RG: This has been a big initiative around the league, improving the fan experience. We want to make sure we have full stadiums, this includes cost, inconvenience, safety and entertainment. As well as safety getting in and out. Clubs are working hard on that front, like this call they want to hear and be responsive to their customers. I am sure the Jets will take it under advisement. I encourage all of our clubs to engage in that dialogue.

Cosmo: Your Wall Street Journal op-ed, you praised collective bargaining -- how can you defend the disparity between saying negotitaing is important and then locking the players out?

RG: The system has produced high quality entertainment, the draft works very well but is being attacked in the anti-trust case. That is why I speak out about that. Some things work well but others need to change (rookie pay scale).

Wayne: I know you are busy and will have to watch the royal weddings reruns. I have concerns over the preseason, do you think that is going in a positive direction 18 games regular season?

RG: We would address players concerns by shortening the amount of work and contact during the off season that was the players concerns. We will continue to look at this and make a joint decision with the players that will be good for all parties, including the fans.

Bob W -- said for the 100th time that this is a rare opportunity for the fans to talk directly to such a powerful commissioner.

[JoeC36]

you suck at spelling