Forget about the 18-game season because the NFL has a new rule in place. As if the head coaches aren’t already annoyed with the media constantly pressuring them, they now have the responsibility to handle in-game interviews as well. Coaches and analysts aren’t hyped about the league’s new approach and Mike McCarthy was the first one to break the silence. The rule is a bit controversial and there are mixed reactions about it all over the NFL space.

So, what’s this new rule, and what are the ramifications of it being implemented? Well, the NFL will now require head coaches or their coordinators to speak to the media in the first and second half of the games. It applies to all teams and TV partners. In hopes of getting more fan engagement, the NFL is following the approach taken by MLB and the NBA. Here’s what the Dallas HC thinks of this.

Mike McCarthy seems excited about the new antics

Mike McCarthy’s answers painted the real picture of how he is taking it in. It’s the redundancy, the loss of precious time, and the risk of fabrication of news that’s bothering fans and analysts alike. However, McCarthy was strangely excited about the new rule, even though it was not received well by the NFL analysts in the media space.

“Yeah, excited,’’ Mike McCarthy said when asked about the change. “Really excited about it.’’ Though McCarthy seems excited, it’s an added weight on the coach’s shoulders because why would they reveal their next course of action during a live in-game interview? Isn’t there a risk of being tipped off? This is a trial run, but history repeats itself, and the past hasn’t been receptive to these shenanigans.

Consider how the WNBA, UFL, and MLB tried implementing the rule and fell short of gathering any engagement. A very famous example of this might be Gregg Popovich, who famously hated being interviewed on the sidelines. Remember Popovich’s famous “Turnovers” 2013 Western Conference interview with Doris Burke? It nearly made the reporter cry. The crassness of the coaches and their desire to not give anything away is a reporter’s nightmare. Burke saw that firsthand. The football equivalent of this is the infamous Bill Belichick.

Forget the in-game interviews, Belichick was aloof, and at times rude to the media. Belichick’s death stares, stoicism, and knack for being closed off were not appreciated by the media. Mike McCarthy, though a bit patient by nature, is also pretty sarcastic towards the media at times. Remember when the reporters pressed him about CeeDee Lamb not reporting to practice?

The Dallas Cowboys HC was fuming when the reporters kept pressing him about CeeDee Lamb’s contract. So how does it all relate to in-game interviews? First, it might take away the coach’s focus from the game. Secondly, the coaches might say the same thing over and over again, which might be redundant at some point. But this news wasn’t something new for the Dallas Head Coach and it looks like he was anticipating something like this to happen.

“I mean, I’m not surprised by it,’’ McCarthy said. “Access is something that’s always talked about.’’ That’s not all because the Dallas Head Coach is excited about what’s to come. “Fired up, man, can’t chain me down.’’ Though McCarthy was cheerful, his dialogues seemed a bit sarcastic. However, unlike the Super Bowl-winning coach, NFL analysts have a different standpoint.

What do the big shots think about the new rule?

McCarthy’s true feelings were a bit mysterious, but the NFL analysts aren’t very keen about what’s about to go down in a month or so. Mike Florio also gave his two cents about the state of the NFL and this new rule. He thinks that it’s “unnecessary.” Florio clarified the nuances of the rule and said that it can happen during halftime or a time-out. The head coach, the OC, or the DC can choose to address the media.

“One of the things that I’ve seen, people don’t want this,” said Florio on NBC. “Like, the NFL is creating something under the impression that the fans are going to say, ’Yes, give me give me give me…’ The fans are saying, ‘We don’t want it, we don’t want it,’ because number one, let them [coaches] do their jobs number two, it’s going to be useless. It’s going to be cliché. It’s going to be pointless. It’s going to be the bare minimum crap that we hear all the time.”

But Florio isn’t the only one bothered by the policy.

Dan Patrick, a stalwart commentator and radio personality, was also displeased by the NFL’s new initiation. The point he tried to make was the media will slander coaches if they say one thing and do another. There’s something called situational football, and the game is dynamic. Anything can happen and the play calling isn’t a constant thing.

“I hate when they go off the field at halftime because they’re never going to tell you anything,” he said. “We don’t get much from it. ‘Hey, what kind of second-half adjustments are you going to make, coach?’ Yeah, as if I’m going to tell you right now.”

So, fans don’t want it and the analysts don’t want it either. Then there’s a risk of news fabrication which might make the coaches look bad and also tarnish a player’s reputation at the same time. Not to mention the number of ads the viewers have to watch before getting into the real action. Do you think this rule is valid?