2010 regular-season schedule -- why the wait?

[Tunescribe]

Why does it take the league so long to set the schedule? I know it comes out in April, but it seems like forever. Here are the Patriots opponents:

New England Patriots

Home: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings

Away: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Diego Chargers, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions

This is a TOUGH lineup.

 

[HarkDawg]

at least we will finish better than Buffalo.



sad excuse of a franchise


that is a tough schedule.

19-0 maybe

10 and 6 is a reach imo.

In Bill we trust.

 

[WhiZa]

We are still not sure what type of teams we are getting in the AFC East. All the starting QBs besides TFB only have 1 year's worth of experience.

Teams we know will be tough: Indianapolis Colts, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings (if Favre comes back)

Teams that have questions marks: Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Diego Chargers, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions

We could very easily be 13-3, but a 10-6 or 9-7 is more likely. It really depends on what we do in FA. This team could use some leadership.

 

[Sean Pa Patriot]

Why does it take the league so long to set the schedule? I know it comes out in April, but it seems like forever. Here are the Patriots opponents:

New England Patriots

Home: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings

Away: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Diego Chargers, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions

This is a TOUGH lineup.

Well Im not going to predict the schedule just yet, , since we dont know who is on our team...

But how bout a prediction of when we play..

Week 1- At NYJ- MNF
Week 2- Baltimore
Week 3 Minn
Week 4 at San Diego
Week 5 at Miami
Week 6 bye
Week 7 Buffalo
Week 8 at Clevland
Week 9 Indy - SNF
Week 10 at Chi
Week 11 nyj
Week 12 at Det- Thanksgiving
Week 13 Cincy
Week 14 Miami
Week 15 at Pitt
Week 16 at buffalo
Week 17 GB.

lets see how it plays out..

 

[patsinthesnow]

That is a pretty tough schedule. You can't predict what will be hard games but I only see one gimme game. Buffalo will be better when they draft a real qb, Cleveland ended 4-0 luckily finding a good RB, detroit is the only stinker.

 

[woolster22]

Atleast most of the tougher match ups will be played at home. The only away game outside of the AFC to worry about too much would be the SD game. I think Pitt has another off year, and cleveland/Det, what needs to be said? Bears could go either way depending on how that d rebounds (will Urlacher come back at a high level after missing most of the year?), and if Cutler can get something going on that O. On the other hand, they could very well lose every home game against non-AFCE opponents...

 

[mgteich]

We play Detroit, Cleveland and Buffalo twice; not a terrible base.

That is a pretty tough schedule. You can't predict what will be hard games but I only see one gimme game. Buffalo will be better when they draft a real qb, Cleveland ended 4-0 luckily finding a good RB, detroit is the only stinker.

 

[jmt57]

Why the wait for the schedule to be announced? Because the NFL is no longer a business that is only 'open' in the fall. It's a year round enterprise and as such it needs to space out its off-season events. Case in point would be how the draft has gone from something that you knew about by reading the smallest sized print on the back page of a newspaper, to a four-day highly rated televised event. The NFL carefully plans events - even events it creates, like the televised release of the season schedule - and doesn't go more than a couple of weeks without something occuring in order to keep itself relevant all year long. From free agency to the combine to the draft to rookie mini-camps, schedule announcements, OTA's, etc., the NFL keeps itself in front of their customer's face all year long.

 

[supafly]

Looking forward to being able to see the game here in Pittsburgh, as well as traveling to Cleveland too.

Will be nice to piss the locals off

Hopefully it won't be a repeat of the SF at Philly fiasco that happened when everyone bombed them with snowballs this year. That would suck

Cleveland shouldn't be too bad, but the Pittsburgh locals can be pretty rude and classless--then again I've gotten used to that.

 

[jmt57]

I think I have reached a point where trying to determine if a team has an easy or difficult schedule is futile, especially when it is before the start of free agency and the draft. Every year there are plenty of surprise teams, both good and bad. Basing a prediction based on the records of the team's opponents from the previous year right now is fun speculation for the offseason, but not much more than that.

A year ago the defending Super Bowl champs were supposed to have a cakewalk in 2009. Based on the 2008 records of their opponents they were facing only six teams with winning records, and half of their games were against teams with dougle-digit losses the previous year. Net result: the Steelers miss the playoffs despite a schedule that many assumed guaranteed them a first-round bye.

About the only teams I will say probably have a relatively easy schedule are the teams in the two conferences that play the NFC West. That conference has been the worst in the NFL for a while now.

 

[pats1]

Don't you remember last year (or was it the year before?) when they delayed the schedule by a week or two because they "weren't ready yet."

 

[Jackson 2]

Well Im not going to predict the schedule just yet, , since we dont know who is on our team...

But how bout a prediction of when we play..

Week 1- At NYJ- MNF
Week 2- Baltimore
Week 3 Minn
Week 4 at San Diego
Week 5 at Miami
Week 6 bye
Week 7 Buffalo
Week 8 at Clevland
Week 9 Indy - SNF
Week 10 at Chi
Week 11 nyj
Week 12 at Det- Thanksgiving
Week 13 Cincy
Week 14 Miami
Week 15 at Pitt
Week 16 at buffalo
Week 17 GB.

lets see how it plays out..

I have read in more than one place that the NE/Ind game this year will be on CBS due to some inter-network language. Thus, a 4:15 p.m. start seems likely.

 

[jmt57]

Don't you remember last year (or was it the year before?) when they delayed the schedule by a week or two because they "weren't ready yet."

Maybe they were doing that to see if there was enough interest to turn the announcement into a prime time television show.

http://www.patsfans.com/new-england...l-delays-release-regular-season-schedule.html

 

[spacecrime]

I have read in more than one place that the NE/Ind game this year will be on CBS due to some inter-network language. Thus, a 4:15 p.m. start seems likely.

Except for TNF (NFLN), MNF (ESPN) and SNF (NBC), NE-Colts is always on CBS. CBS has games where the visiting team is AFC. Fox does games where the visiting team is NFC.

 

[pats1]

Except for TNF (NFLN), MNF (ESPN) and SNF (NBC), NE-Colts is always on CBS. CBS has games where the visiting team is AFC. Fox does games where the visiting team is NFC.

I think he means that it will be on CBS instead of in primetime.

 

[Jackson 2]

Except for TNF (NFLN), MNF (ESPN) and SNF (NBC), NE-Colts is always on CBS. CBS has games where the visiting team is AFC. Fox does games where the visiting team is NFC.

Yes, you're right and I know that. My point was that for several years NBC or ESPN have had this game and this year it seems as if NBC has dibs on it. The night game stations (NBC and ESPN) are only entitled to poach certain games so many years in a row from the networks which "own" those conferences, so to speak, and CBS "owns" the AFC. Colts/Pats could never be on Fox and Saints/Minn. could never be on CBS.

 

[pherein]

Why does it take the league so long to set the schedule? I know it comes out in April, but it seems like forever. Here are the Patriots opponents:

New England Patriots

Home: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings

Away: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Diego Chargers, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions

This is a TOUGH lineup.

yikes nasty schedule. Not to correct but don't forget the Patriots vs Saints game week 19 in Dallas, after your #1 seed, or there will be no gumbo for you.:eat3:

 

[jah]

Home: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings

Away: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Diego Chargers, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions

----

Being optimistic, I can see NE going 13-3 with losses to Green Bay, Jets (in New York) and Miami (in Miami) just because they tend to lose more often than win when they're playing the latter two teams on the road. I honestly think they have the Colts this time, being at home for once.

Being realistic, I see a 9-7 with losses to the Ravens, Packers, Vikings, Jets, Dolphins, Steelers, Chargers.

Of course it really depends on if NE can actually find a defense that doesn't collapse in the 4th quarter, if the Vikings keep Favre, if the Steelers can be good again, and if the Chargers find a running back.

 

[carolinatony]

I'll tell you EXACTLY why there is a wait.
So guys like Polian can lobby and tell the leage; Hey don't make us play at NE in December.
Remember 2 years ago when the Bronoc's owner cried...we don't want to open on Thursday @ Pittsburgh.
Its all politics and nothing more.

 

[Jackson 2]

I think he means that it will be on CBS instead of in primetime.

Right. 4:15, November 7.