Roger Goodell makes it sound like a reduced preseason is possible

The NFL preseason is way, way too long, but give the league credit: They seem to understand that too.

Preseason games are cash grabs for owners — if you have season tickets and therefore forced to pay full price for these sham games, you're nodding right now — so it has always seemed unlikely that the NFL would just cut a game or two from the longstanding four-game preseason format without adding to the regular season.

While there doesn't seem to be an immediate push to add regular-season games, cutting the preseason back sounds like a real possibility based on NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's interview with "The Doug And Wolf Show" in Phoenix.

"(W)e have spent a great deal of time talking about the quality of our preseason," Goodell said according to a transcript that was produced by the league. "The question from a football standpoint point, Wolf, is do we need three preseason games? Four preseason games? Or could we even go to two?

"I think the general view from our Competition Committee and many of our football people is that you certainly could get through with three preseason games. We have not talked about adding a regular-season game because that would have to be collectively bargained with the union. We would not have to, if we reduced from four to three, to do that through collective bargaining."

That's a pretty surprising angle from Goodell, who works for the owners. Perhaps they wouldn't fight the shortening of the preseason? There's more money to be made, but there were also more than a few really crushing injuries this preseason. Ask the Green Bay Packers, who aren't the same without receiver Jordy Nelson. Nelson tore his ACL in a preseason game. And anyone who has sat through the fourth preseason game understands how meaningless it is. The other topic that Goodell was asked at length about on "The Doug and Wolf Show" was the Los Angeles relocation possibility. When asked if the Arizona Cardinals would be affected from a scheduling standpoint by a team in Los Angeles, Goodell said, "We're a long ways from that at this stage." He reiterated that the NFL is trying to work out solutions in the current markets. The St. Louis Rams, San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders have all been rumored as possibilities to play in Los Angeles.

"I think our focus right now has been obviously one, can we make sure that there are no potential solutions in their current markets that can work to keep their teams there successfully for the long-term," Goodell said. "If someone doesn't and can't reach those kind of long-term agreements, then how would they necessarily qualify for the Los Angeles opportunity and which of those projects makes the best sense for long-term success in Los Angeles."