NEW ORLEANS — Roger Goodell might have been speaking at this year’s Super Bowl, but the NFL commissioner had next year’s big game in the Big Apple on his mind yesterday.
With organizers of the 2014 New York-New Jersey Super Bowl already making noise about wanting to join the rotation of future hosts beyond that date, Goodell said the fate of all potential open-air sites in cold-weather locales will depend on how the game fares next year.
“The answer is, undoubtedly the game next year is going to have an impact on future decisions for open-air, cold-weather sites,” Goodell said during his annual Super Bowl state-of-the-league press conference.
Goodell said the league hopes the weather conditions at the Meadowlands next February “are not extreme,” but added that he’s confident in the ability of the Giants and Jets to put on a well-run game.
“Some of our most classic games in our history were played in extreme weather conditions,” Goodell said. “I’m confident the people of New York and New Jersey, the two teams, [and] the host committee are going to do an extraordinary job next year, and we’re looking forward to it.”
Also among the topics addressed yesterday by Goodell:
* Low blocks like the one by the Jets’ Matt Slauson this season that ended Houston linebacker Brian Cushing’s year are under review by the NFL’s competition committee and could be a thing of the past as soon as next season.
“There is a focus to try to get back to the fundamentals of tackling [and blocking],” Goodell said. “The No. 1 issue is, [let’s] take the head out of the game.”
* The 18-game regular season, thought to be dead amid rising concern about player safety, is still very much on the table.
Goodell indicated the dramatic cutback in full-contact practices during the regular season and workouts in the offseason has left the players fresher and better able to withstand two extra regular-season games.
The owners can’t expand the regular-season schedule without the agreement of the NFLPA, but it now appears they plan to do exactly that.
“We’re always going to reevaluate our season structure,” Goodell said. “We’ve been very open about the fact that we want to address our preseason. Do we need four preseason games? Do we only need two or three? The fans’ reaction to the quality of preseason is a big concern.”
* Goodell said he is confident that HGH testing will be in place by the start of next season, though the NFL Players Association continues to balk at what it considers an overly invasive process of drawing blood even though the baseball players’ union recently agreed to it.
“The science is there [to test effectively],” Goodell said. “There is no question about thatbaseball, Olympics, everyone believes that the science is there and are utilizing the tests, so we need to get to that agreement.”
* Goodell offered no apologies for his handling of the Saints’ Bountygate controversy, though — in a humiliating turn of events — his suspensions of the players allegedly involved were ultimately overturned by former commissioner Paul Tagliabue.
“My biggest regret is that we aren’t all recognizing that this is a collective responsibility to get them out of the game to make the game safer,” Goodell said. “That’s what I regret, that I wasn’t able to make that point clearly enough with the union.”
Goodell also remains adamant the Saints had an organized, cash-for-injuries system in place from 2009-2011.
“Let me … make sure everyone is clear on the record — there is no question there was a bounty program in place for three years,” he said.
* Goodell said he has been greeted warmly in New Orleans, despite lingering fan anger here over Bountygate that included at least 10 restaurants refusing to serve him and a crude parade float in his honor last week.
“I couldn’t feel more welcome here,” he said. “I’m serious, really. The people here have been incredible.”