NFL schedule release: May 12th 8pm

[Chandler#81]

40 minutes ago, Buftex said:

It keeps people talking, for weeks.  Every sports talk radio station is talking about the NFL schedule.  While it is almost as annoying as hearing everyone talk about gambling now, or fantasy football.  If we aren't speculating about what the schedule might be, we are talking about how much we hate how everyone is talking about the NFL schedule!  I have to admit, as mind-numbing as it is, it is kind of genius

I’m a sucker for this. Been locked on all week.🤦‍♂️

1 hour ago, Starr Almighty said:

🤷🏻‍♂️

Welp, there goes my Xmas. Now what’ll I do??

[strive_for_five_guy]

4 hours ago, Buffalo03 said:

If yoy think we don't a huge fan base, you're nuts.

I never said the Bills don’t have a huge fan base as well.  BUT, if only four other teams out of 32 have had more primetime games than us in the past couple of years, the last thing I’d say is we aren’t getting enough respect.

[Alphadawg7]

6 hours ago, Chandler#81 said:

But @Alphadawg7 says it’s at Detroit T’giving. I’m goin’ with my Dawg til proven otherwise.

🤷‍♂️

 

Thanks for the vote of confidence, but keep in mind I got that tip like 3 or 4 weeks ago too.  Not out of the question more changes came up since then.  But I mean it came directly out the TV Network in Detroit from the sports marketing department.  So given his boss is the one who informed their team there, I would say it was at least at that time what was scheduled.  I did check in with him on Monday and he had not heard anything new since then, meaning nothing about the Lions thanksgiving game had been brought up again since that day.  So, he couldn't say if it changed or if its still Bills at noon.  

[wjag]

I think I would rather play in the dome on Thanksgiving than a night game in Baltimore.  Lions are 37-42-2 on Thanksgiving.

[Mango]

12 hours ago, Buffalo03 said:

But that's my point, what's the point of the 2nd MNF game? And why week 2? I understood why the NFL did it the opening week before but even then the games were one right after the other, not overlapping. Why would they schedule another game that they know is gonna take some viewership away from our game on the same night? That just seems odd to me. The fact that they're doing it and that it's some random week they chose

 

The NFL has been running double headers for a while now. I read they noticed they were losing viewership on the second games because the east coast was going to bed. So they are trying to get people locked in for Buffalo v Ten then get those people to keep watching the Minnesota game. I don't know if it will work, but it makes a ton of sense. Buffalo Tennessee will be the game of the week most likely. If they can keep the audience around for another hour that is a big win for the league. 

 

Also, the NFL is in the click game. All 365 days are planned to keep people engaged with the league. They are creating interest by giving sporadic and exciting information. They won't release the opening game of the year early because that game is the headliner for the entire schedule release. Buffalo v. Tennessee in primetime is a match up people will start to talk about without taking away from the excitement of their whole NFL Network Schedule release show. 

 

[KingBoots8]

Here’s a leak: the last game of the Bills schedule is set to be played in Arizona on 2/12/2023 😎

[njbuff]

1 hour ago, HereComesTheReignAgain said:

Gotta love that this idiotic narrative is still alive and kicking in the minds of some ignorant football fans...

 

From the comment section:

Rams - Bills will be a great game whenever it happens. I'm not sure that Josh is elite from the pocket. If the Rams can keep him there, I think they'll be in good shape.

 

You're not sure that Josh is elite from the pocket?

 

Have you been living under a rock the last few years?

[nucci]

6 minutes ago, njbuff said:

 

You're not sure that Josh is elite from the pocket?

 

Have you been living under a rock the last few years?

He's quoting someone from the comment section. He's not saying it

[njbuff]

1 minute ago, nucci said:

He's quoting someone from the comment section. He's not saying it

 

Duh, my bad.

 

Sorry to herecomesthereign.

[416BillsFan]

Anyone else hoping we don't have the kickoff game? It would be cool to see them get the exposure (do we even need it at this point?), but LA in November or December would be a great away game trip.

[May Day 10]

I love the build up to the schedule release.  This gradual leaking of games from the NFL enhances this because it forces everyone to play (to steal that writer's metaphor) soduku with the schedule.  

 

Schedule release day is one of the things I look forward to the most in the NFL calendar.  Always, once it is out there and locked in, it doesnt really seem that interesting anymore.  The build-up is better than the thing itself.    

[corta765]

13 minutes ago, May Day 10 said:

I love the build up to the schedule release.  This gradual leaking of games from the NFL enhances this because it forces everyone to play (to steal that writer's metaphor) soduku with the schedule.  

 

Schedule release day is one of the things I look forward to the most in the NFL calendar.  Always, once it is out there and locked in, it doesnt really seem that interesting anymore.  The build-up is better than the thing itself.    

 

I kind of agree. I love the build and analyzing the schedule and trying to piece it together. Then it happens and by like Sunday I just start looking for what thursday night games I am going out to bar for lol

[Logic]

In his latest FMIA column, Peter King was asking for fan submissions of ideas to improve the NFL or make it more exciting in some way. I wrote to him about a scheduling idea that I think the league is missing out on:


 

Now that the NFL has added a 17th game, they ought to make the extra game something special and buzzworthy, rather than just a regularly rotating non-conference opponent, as it is now.

The slate of extra games should be hand selected by the league to draw interest and eyeballs, using specific themes and player matchups. Some games could feature "area rivalries", with, for example, the Jets vs Giants "battle for New York", the Bills vs Browns "Battle for Lake Erie", and Chargers vs Rams "Battle for SoFi". Another theme could be "Super Bowl Rematches", with games like the Patriots vs Giants or Cowboys vs Raiders. How about "Great Quarterback Battles", with Brady's Bucs vs Mahomes' Chiefs or Lamar's Ravens vs Kyler's Cards.

Using this method, the league could create opportunities for great matchups we otherwise don't get to see often. If they want Josh Allen vs Aaron Rodgers but the Bills aren't slated to play the Packers until 2025, no problem! Maybe they want one more bite at the Brady vs Belichick apple, but the Bucs aren't scheduled to play the Patriots any time soon...no big deal! The NFL would have the power to create 16 monster matchups each season, however they see fit.

Imagine, in the midst of schedule release mania, looking to see what "special feature" games were on the docket each year, the extra buzz and excitement those games could add to the season, and the frenzy of the TV networks battling for the best games. The NFL is really missing an opportunity here!

 

[Virgil]

4 minutes ago, Logic said:

In his latest FMIA column, Peter King was asking for fan submissions of ideas to improve the NFL or make it more exciting in some way. I wrote to him about a scheduling idea that I think the league is missing out on:


 

Now that the NFL has added a 17th game, they ought to make the extra game something special and buzzworthy, rather than just a regularly rotating non-conference opponent, as it is now.

The slate of extra games should be hand selected by the league to draw interest and eyeballs, using specific themes and player matchups. Some games could feature "area rivalries", with, for example, the Jets vs Giants "battle for New York", the Bills vs Browns "Battle for Lake Erie", and Chargers vs Rams "Battle for SoFi". Another theme could be "Super Bowl Rematches", with games like the Patriots vs Giants or Cowboys vs Raiders. How about "Great Quarterback Battles", with Brady's Bucs vs Mahomes' Chiefs or Lamar's Ravens vs Kyler's Cards.

Using this method, the league could create opportunities for great matchups we otherwise don't get to see often. If they want Josh Allen vs Aaron Rodgers but the Bills aren't slated to play the Packers until 2025, no problem! Maybe they want one more bite at the Brady vs Belichick apple, but the Bucs aren't scheduled to play the Patriots any time soon...no big deal! The NFL would have the power to create 16 monster matchups each season, however they see fit.

Imagine, in the midst of schedule release mania, looking to see what "special feature" games were on the docket each year, the extra buzz and excitement those games could add to the season, and the frenzy of the TV networks battling for the best games. The NFL is really missing an opportunity here!

 

 

I get the idea, but wouldn't want us to lose seeding because we played the Packers but another team got to play the Texans

[Logic]

Just now, Virgil said:

 

I get the idea, but wouldn't want us to lose seeding because we played the Packers but another team got to play the Texans

I definitely understand that, and I did think about the fairness concerns. Still, I feel like 17 games is a big enough slate of games that the argument of "our ONE hand-selected matchup was tougher than another team's and that's why we lost out on seeding" isn't compelling enough to avoid the idea altogether.

Under the current system, the odds that our regularly rotating NFC opponent each year is more difficult/imposing than another AFC team's are just as good. Say we're facing the Cowboys and the Dolphins get to face the Giants. That's the same type of disparity in non-common opponent difficulty, with the only difference being that it was randomly generated. At least with the "hand selected games" idea, the games would be exciting instead of random, and they'd be different each year, so it would ultimately even out over time.

At the end of the day, the excitement and fun and novelty that these games could generate outweighs whatever competitive imbalance their selection might create, in my opinion.

[corta765]

18 minutes ago, Logic said:

In his latest FMIA column, Peter King was asking for fan submissions of ideas to improve the NFL or make it more exciting in some way. I wrote to him about a scheduling idea that I think the league is missing out on:


 

Now that the NFL has added a 17th game, they ought to make the extra game something special and buzzworthy, rather than just a regularly rotating non-conference opponent, as it is now.

The slate of extra games should be hand selected by the league to draw interest and eyeballs, using specific themes and player matchups. Some games could feature "area rivalries", with, for example, the Jets vs Giants "battle for New York", the Bills vs Browns "Battle for Lake Erie", and Chargers vs Rams "Battle for SoFi". Another theme could be "Super Bowl Rematches", with games like the Patriots vs Giants or Cowboys vs Raiders. How about "Great Quarterback Battles", with Brady's Bucs vs Mahomes' Chiefs or Lamar's Ravens vs Kyler's Cards.

Using this method, the league could create opportunities for great matchups we otherwise don't get to see often. If they want Josh Allen vs Aaron Rodgers but the Bills aren't slated to play the Packers until 2025, no problem! Maybe they want one more bite at the Brady vs Belichick apple, but the Bucs aren't scheduled to play the Patriots any time soon...no big deal! The NFL would have the power to create 16 monster matchups each season, however they see fit.

Imagine, in the midst of schedule release mania, looking to see what "special feature" games were on the docket each year, the extra buzz and excitement those games could add to the season, and the frenzy of the TV networks battling for the best games. The NFL is really missing an opportunity here!

 

 

I remember he mentioned something like this. The problem becomes that eventually not everyone has a good rivalry and when Seattle is playing Las Vegas due to "proximity" it doesn't have the same ring to it. Truthfully the way they handled the 17th game made the most sense and teams want the most equitable schedule possible not the most entertaining.

[Logic]

Just now, corta765 said:

 

I remember he mentioned something like this. The problem becomes that eventually not everyone has a good rivalry and when Seattle is playing Las Vegas due to "proximity" it doesn't have the same ring to it. Truthfully the way they handled the 17th game made the most sense and teams want the most equitable schedule possible not the most entertaining.

Right, but as I mentioned, not every game has to be region/proximity based. That's ONE basis upon which they could create matchup. Another would be QB vs QB, or Super Bowl rematches, or new player acquisitions, or any number of things. For instance, if Broncos vs Seahawks wasn't on the schedule this year (I'm not sure if it is or isn't), that could be the extra game: Russel Wilson returns to Seattle as QB of the Broncos. If they want Brady vs Belichick again, they just schedule Pats vs Bucs. This idea gives the NFL the flexibility to ensure that such compelling matchups get to take place, even if the rotating NFL schedule system otherwise wouldn't allow it.




 

[corta765]

Just now, Logic said:

Right, but as I mentioned, not every game has to be region/proximity based. That's ONE basis upon which they could create matchup. Another would be QB vs QB, or Super Bowl rematches, or new player acquisitions, or any number of things. For instance, if Broncos vs Seahawks wasn't on the schedule this year (I'm not sure if it is or isn't), that could be the extra game: Russel Wilson returns to Seattle as QB of the Broncos. If they want Brady vs Belichick again, they just schedule Pats vs Bucs. This idea gives the NFL the flexibility to ensure that such compelling matchups get to take place, even if the rotating NFL schedule system otherwise wouldn't allow it.

 

Def some good thoughts and merit there. One of the things the NFL maximizes with its schedule is the fact certain matchups are only every few years. The NFL is the only sports league where every game matters week to week, there is a uniqueness to each matchup, and a pageantry that is unmatched. The NFL is getting close if they expand too far to ruining that and killing the golden goose in a sense. The 17th game should make so two great QBs like Rodgers and Brady don't have to wait 4 years to faceoff as often, but I think the balance is pretty solid right now. I will say I would be curious with what they would do if for one year they paused the 17th game rotation for something like you proposed and what would come of it.

[PromoTheRobot]

This has been the most leak-proof pre-schedule release in memory.

[BillsMafi$]