Commissioner’s press conference will be eclipsed by Opening Night, which might have been part of the plan

The 408-page transcript of Commissioner Roger Goodell's deposition in the litigation aimed at forcing insurance carriers to foot the bill for the concussion settlement contains several revelations. One of which is that ample preparation goes into the Commissioner's annual Super Bowl press conference, with talking points crafted and practice questions posed and effort expended to anticipate the topics that will be addressed, so that the Commissioner will always have a good answer ready.The project becomes less daunting this year, with the annual press conference (which had been a Friday staple for years) moved from Wednesday to Monday. Throw in the invitation-only approach (i.e., it's no longer good enough to have a media credential for the week), and it makes for a far more predictable and manageable experience - especially with the muckrakers and rabble rousers not allowed in.In the event that tough questions are asked and in the event that less-than-ideal responses are given, it might not matter. That's the other benefit of the timing of the press conference. It's now the opening act to Opening Night. As noted by Peter King in his Football Morning in America column, the annual...