NFL Thursday Night Football: League Denies Report About Adding Another Weekday Game

ANOTHER NFL Thursday Night Game?
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Anquan Boldin is brought down by St. Louis Rams cornerback Cortland Finnegan, rear, and safety Rodney McLeod (23) after catching a pass for a 42-yard gain during the second quarter of an NFL football game Thursday, Sept. 26, 2013, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Tom Gannam)
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Anquan Boldin is brought down by St. Louis Rams cornerback Cortland Finnegan, rear, and safety Rodney McLeod (23) after catching a pass for a 42-yard gain during the second quarter of an NFL football game Thursday, Sept. 26, 2013, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Tom Gannam)

The NFL is not ready for some more Thursday night football despite a report indicating otherwise.

Citing a source familiar with the the league's strategy, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that the NFL is exploring the idea of a weekly double-header on Thursday nights to "create more national interest" due to the disappointing viewership of the current "Thursday Night Football" broadcast on the NFL Network.

Two league spokesmen subsequently denied that such a double-header was being discussed.

Count Anquan Boldin among the players who likely would not be thrilled by the addition of another game on Thursday night. The San Francisco 49ers wide receiver recently cited the midweek game as evidence that the NFL was not truly concerned with player safety.

"I mean if you're so concerned about player safety then why do you have every team in the league playing on Thursday night when they just competed on a Sunday, knowing how difficult it is for guys to get back to being healthy after playing on Sunday?" Boldin asked earlier this week, via the San Jose Mercury News. "Guys really don't feel like they're back till probably Thursday or Friday to prepare for that next week."

Another game on Thursday might not do much to generate fan interest anyway, unless the quality of the teams and the performances were to improve.

"Most of the games have been sloppy and lacked marquee opponents," wrote Jeff Fedotin of National Football Post. "The NFL Network’s slate has yet to feature a contest between two over .500 teams this season."

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