Gainzo

Pats/Broncos wasn't protected by CBS. CBS protected the Jets/Eagles game a few weeks ago.

CBS got screwed last weekend when the Broncos/Vikings game was moved to FOX after the NFL flexed Lions/Saints into primetime.

jmt57

It's not as simple as allotting the best game to NBC. In theory games are only removed from the Sunday night slot if they are deemed to be uncompetitive; e.g, someone like this year's Rams or Colts are playing the 49ers or Steelers. Baltimore-San Diego does not fit that description. The flex scheduling was not intended to replace the 2nd or 3rd best game with the game of the week. Perhaps it should be, but that is a separate debate; that is not the way flex scheduling is set up right now.

If there was ever an opening of Pandora's Box, it was not with the participating team's input; it was with the NFL's decision to move a game from one network to another (i.e., the Broncos-Vikings from CBS to Fox) to compensate Fox for having one of their afternoon games flexed to Sunday night.

Wolfpack

I never said it was. Fox and CBS are able to protect a certain number of games. Plus, teams are limited as to the amount of times they can be on a night game, so NBC can't grab, say, the Cowboys every week.
If there's a decent game, NBC is content to keep it. But they generally can't just grab the best game of the week if it belongs to Fox or CBS because that is likely a protected game. Although in week 17 they can grab whatever game they darn well please, and do so on only 6 days notice.
Puh-leeze. That's literally what? A once-every-decade type of thing? It only came about because the 1:00 games last week were 7 - 2 in favor of CBS (despite Fox having the double header) so the NFL decided to make it 6 - 3, and the only reason the schedule was so lopsided in the first place was because of all the quirks the league put it this year in case of a prolonged lockout.

ctpatsfan77

Great read.

There's one rather disturbing fact there re: protected games, though.

Marion Barber's mistakes, Matt Prater's*OT field goal lead to Broncos comeback - Peter King - SI.com

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jmt57

Three teams can be on primetime six times a year, and once those limits are met the maximum is five times for all other teams. I think you may be exaggerating the effect this rule has.


The number of games that can be protected is quite limited: only five for each of the two networks from week 10 on, and no more than one in any given week. I believe you may be overstating the effect of games being protected has on these decisions.


You're numbers appear to be off. CBS had 8 games and Fox had 5 games in week 13 before giving up the Denver game to Fox; the switch made it 7-5. Furthermore the switch was unprecedented; no game had ever been moved from one network to another in order to make the number of games each had that day more equitable.



The conspiracy angle makes for good headlines and discussion, but check out this article that ctpatsfan77 found:

Marion Barber's mistakes, Matt Prater's*OT field goal lead to Broncos comeback - Peter King - SI.com

The NFL would have moved Denver-New England to prime time if Jacksonville beat San Diego last Monday. There was still some internal debate to be had when San Diego won the game, but the NFL decided it couldn't justify taking the game from CBS.

Flex scheduling was designed with this primary objective -- to avoid a dog game. Baltimore-San Diego's not a dog at all. It's not Tebowmania, but those are the breaks.

Yes, Kraft did tell the league he wanted the game kept in the afternoon. No, Kraft did not strongarm the league in any way about it. "Categorically not,'' said a league source. "It's baloney. Whoever says that doesn't know what he's talking about.''

Remember that the networks had to make their choices back on the Tuesday following the week four games. At that time the Broncos were 1-3 and had just lost by 26 points.