Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta Falcons: Mohamed Sanu vs NFL, A Battle of All Time

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 12:08 a.m. ET

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Fansided, Nafisa H/FanSided via NFL Spin Zone

Time is money. Time is irrelevant. When it comes to the battle of time, Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Mohamed Sanu and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell appear to be on different sides.

The Atlanta Falcons' Super Bowl 51 collapse, during which they blew a 25-point lead over the New England Patriots and subsequently lost in overtime, is one of the most historic NFL losses and will remain so. It was horrible. Another thing that's part of NFL history? Rules. Throughout NFL history, the League has attempted to improve the game for players, coaches, and fans by revamping its rules and guidelines.

On Wednesday, the NFL released an email written by commissioner Rover Goodell addressed to fans in which he explains the league's goal to quicken the pace of the game and improve the viewing experience for fans. Proposed changes include standardizing the start of the clock after a player goes out of bounds and the duration of halftime, as well as instituting a play clock after extra points and possibly touchdowns.

However, perhaps the biggest and most influential rule change is the NFL's intention on decreasing the number of commercial interruptions during a game. In his email, Goodell explains that he understands and can relate to fans' frustration at "how annoying it is when we come back from a commercial break, kick off, and then cut to a commercial again. I hate that too."

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As evident as rule changes are in the evolving (or as some people believe, devolving) sport, it is abundtly clear that players, coaches, League officials, and fans will take different stances on these issues and they won't agree with all of the rules. For example, Goodell plans to decrease the frequency of commercial breaks, but extend the length of each break from 1:50 to 2:20. According to Goodell, the NFL's research has led him to conclude that fans will notice fewer breaks but not the length of the breaks.

He is essentially arguing that the length of a break is irrelevant. The proposed changes won't actually decrease the length of a game. They'll simply improve the flow of the game by having fewer, yet longer breaks.

The NFL relies on its commercial partners for revenue and drastically cutting down on commercial time will be detrimental to the League, so they're restructuring the action and pace during the time without changing the time of  regulation. And while many support Goodell's stance, others, like Atlanta Falcons receiver Mohamed Sanu, might not necessarily agree with the way that all of the time in a game passes considering how he felt after the Super Bowl.

Sing it with me now: "Gaga oh-la-la! That's his bad excuse."

Sanu is convinced that Lady Gaga's extended halftime show led to the Atlanta Falcons' collapse (per CBS Sports), causing him and his teammates to miss out on Super Bowl rings, potential bonuses and so on. Had halftime not been so long, his team would've been back on the field sooner and surely would've been able to sustain their lead.

Luckily, Sanu and the rest of the Falcons won't have to deal with extended breaks this season since the NFL's current TV contracts don't expire until 2022. Perhaps Goodell and Sanu can debate this in the meantime.

Which side of the debate are you on? Weigh in down in the comment below.

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