I think Goodell wants to do the right things as Commissioner but he has somehow misplaced his efforts. For example, I am all for player protection when it comes to concussions. I think his stance on that issue is understandable. But I disapprove of how he has dealt with that issue. The excessive fines on players is not going to alleviate the situation because players were taught to tackle the way that they do. Fining players does nothing more than cause players to become more enraged and it creates an unstable situation for the game because players then begin to second guess how they tackle, which results in poor play on defense. Players were taught to tackle, and if you take away their ability to do that, the game becomes muddled. Also note, Goodell never came up with an alternative way to limit concussions. Simpy fining players doesn't work. He should have proposed ideas for coaching staffs to communicate with their players and form some sort of work around to keep concussions down. Goodell hasn't properly addressed the issue.
Also, Goodell hasn't addressed the lock out very well. He's been silent on the issue for the most part and hasn't used his authority to at least get both sides to compromise. He seems to be siding with the owners and NFL rather than working with both sides equally. If I were to grade Goodell on his job thus far, I give him a D-. Goodell has the right motives when it comes to certain issues, but he's failed to come up with the right results.