Falcons owner says 4-game preseason 'is not necessary'

If the NFL is to ever cut down its four-game preseason format, the league's 32 team owners will need to be on board.

One apparently already is.

Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank said Tuesday that the NFL would be a "happier place" for everyone if it had fewer preseason contests.

"I think four (games) is not necessary," Blank told ESPN's Vaughn McClure. "We need some preseason games for talent evaluation, for sure, with our first-and second-year players and developmental players; players who are free agents coming into our scheme.

"The vets need some of that, but not a whole lot of it. So, I think we can do with less preseason games. I think the world of the NFL would be (a) happier place, from all perspectives."

NFL owners are reportedly continuing to push for an expanded season during negotiations for the next collective bargaining agreement.

It's been speculated that the league would need to shorten its preseason as a concession in order to get players on board for a 17- or 18-game regular season, or an expansion of the playoffs.

With teams around the league increasingly opting to rest star players in recent preseasons, it appears it's only a matter of time before the league office gets the message.

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