Football games are universally 3-3.25 hours long (omitting overtime games.) They keep to the same schedule each week. Do you even watch football?
The league knows it has a problem but inertia, greed and a clueless front office are impediments to change. Let's call it like it is: The league has become greedier with every passing year. And please don't believe the hype: They don't care for the players health and safety either, despite the rule changes [2].
Having been in the stands at a number of games, it's obvious that the players want to go and dislike the commercial breaks because it breaks their flow. To summarize, players aren't happy, fans aren't happy; no surprise then that ratings are falling.
The path forward is to rein in game time (2-2.5 hours a game) and make more games available on interactive, online platforms like Twitter. Additionally, it is time that the league revise their monetization strategy for game broadcasts. What works for soccer might not work for the NFL given that a season is 16-weeks, but what's in place today isn't future-friendly. The league needs to evolve with the changing milieu or perish.
Fortunately for a fan of the game like me, the league has shown that it can change its spots.
1. https://www.google.com/search?q=average+actual+play+time+NFL...
2. http://www.theplayerstribune.com/richard-sherman-nfl-player-...
[1] http://www.oregonlive.com/nfl/index.ssf/2015/11/nfl_games_ru...
[2] http://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/how-long-is-t...
You: > "...college games average longer than your "universal" time you mentioned." is not an accurate statement
Your second link: > Football Bowl Subdivision games averaged 3 hours, 23 minutes (i.e. 3.38 hours long)
So it is a 100% accurate statement, even if the difference is small. Regardless, the GP asking if GGP watches or saying someone's statement is not accurate (when it clearly is) does not help the discussion. Games are long and not a subject worth being dismissive about.