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There's no way you can get a team ready to play in just four preseason games!

                                                        -Former Buffalo Bills coach Chuck Knox in 1978

When the NFL expanded its regular season from 14 games to 16 in 1978, it reduced the preseason from six games to four. And I recall Chuck Knox implying that it was a disaster for coaches.

Now the league is pushing to expand the regular season to 18 games in 2012 and drop the no-count games to two. So what does that mean for ... uh, as I wrote those words, my phone rang.

"Hello."

"Hey, there, you white-haired ol' man, whatcha doin'?" And instantly I realized I should've noticed caller ID and not picked up the receiver. It was, of course, you-know-who.

"Good morning, Billy Bob. How are you?" I said with a sigh. Yes, it was my cousin down in Louisiana, the one and only Mouth of the South. And he must've been reading my mind when I started this column.

"I guess you heard the news," he said, sounding as if he had won the lottery. "NFL going to 18 games after 2011. You gotta love it, cuz!" I didn't answer, and after about 10 seconds of silence, he said loudly, "Well, doncha?"

"Actually, to be totally honest, no. I don't like the idea," I said.

"What?!" He semi-yelled, bruising my eardrum. "You gotta be kiddin'. Then you obviously don't love the game as much as I thought you did. I feel sorry for you!"

"Well," I said, "love the game is a little strong, but sure, I like the game a lot. I just don't eat, sleep and breathe football. I'm not an addict anymore, and I haven't been in a long time."

"Look, snow-top, for those of us down here in football heaven, adding two more games that count is a big deal. Not only that, but it's gonna bring in more big bucks for all the teams. And you know as well as I do, the preseason stinks!"

"BB, just relax," I said. "Take a deep breath, stick a sock in your mouth if you have to, but just listen to me for a minute, OK?"

"I'll try," he said.

"First and foremost, football players, college and pro, take a tremendous beating. How many 300-pound players are there now? Dozens, maybe hundreds. And I don't care if a guy can bench-press an SUV; his tendons, ligaments and bones can still get torn or broken. As the season wears on and on, players' bodies take longer to recover after 60 minutes of pounding.

"Want a testimony to that, BB?" I continued. "Chicago Bears tight end Desmond Clark told the media, 'I would vote to eliminate two preseason games and then keep it at a 16-game season, because the longer you're out there playing, the more your body breaks down. When you get into December, you're like walking zombies. You can't feel your joints.'

"The bottom line, Billy Bob, is that expanding the season would increase the physical risk dramatically, shorten careers and who knows what else. How many players' bodies are shot by the time they turn 50? Quite a few.

"Not that the owners give a hoot, because it's all about money. The NFL reportedly will be getting millions more in TV revenue in 2011, and they want the players to play more games and make less money in 2012? Makes zero sense.

"Another player-Cincinnati quarterback Carson Palmer-said adding two more games would take away from each game's importance. Want more?"

"No, that's enough. Does that mean I can talk now?" Billy Bob said in a surprisingly quiet tone dripping with sarcasm. "The bottom line is, cousin, that if the owners want to go to 18 games, they're gonna do it. And the players will have to live with it. I mean, what they gonna do, go sell cars for a living?

"As for their bodies takin' a beatin', cuz, all they gotta do is use more players-you know, give the backups more playing time. Plus, real football fans like me, which you ain't, are gonna love it. I know you love baseball, but our new national pastime is pro football, buddy boy."

"OK, so you made your point," I said, "My guess is the owners will vote sooner than later to go to 18 regular-season games, which I'm sure will make a lockout after the 2011 season even more likely. Deep down, the owners know the players union can't win a contract battle over the long haul. Remember the 1987 players strike? Then there's the ... hello?"

There was a click in my ear, and as always after one of our debates, disgusted Billy Bob hung up on me. But this time he didn't even say his usual "See ya."

It'll be interesting to see who's right about this one.

Rick Woodson's column appears each Thursday on the Rochester Business Journal website at www.rbjdaily.com. His book, "Words of Woodson," is available at www.authorhouse.com/bookstore. Listen to his weekly program, "The Golf Tee," at 9 a.m. Sunday on WHTK-AM 1280 and FM 107.3.

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