NFL Season will kick off on Wednesday night

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on February 28, 2012, 4:31 PM EST
AP

We’ve just started the long, dark time of year called the “offseason.”

Some good news arrived Tuesday, delivered straight from the NFL Mountaintops: The offseason will be one day shorter than expected.

The Giants will host the season opener on Wednesday, September 5. The game was moved a day earlier than usual in deference to President Barack Obama’s Thursday speech at the Democratic National Convention.

The last NFL game on a Wednesday was a nail biter between the Rams and Lions on September 22, 1948. A pre-toupee Florio was in the crowd that night.

We’re not sure who the Giants will face in the season opener, but the Packers, Saints, and Steelers all make strong candidates. The NFL usually avoids scheduling a division game for the first game of the season.

Faith Hill will be singing “Al and Cris are the best on TV” right around 8:30 p.m. ET on this rare edition of Wednesday night football.

Permalink 54 Comments Feed for comments Back to top

54 responses to “NFL Season will kick off on Wednesday night”

  4. Stupid move by the NFL.

    Doesn’t really matter though as I won’t be watching the BIG O anyway. Watching paint dry would be more interesting….and honest.

    Question is: Will the BIG O be using his presidential voice or his ghetto/from the hood voice?

  6. WTF… this is America – we want our NFL! Why is it getting bumped for politics?

    Oh.. we’re getting it a day earlier – never mind. 🙂

  7. Why Wednesday night, should have made it Friday night. This would have lead into the weekend, not as many people would have had to work next day.

  11. Gotta do Giants Eagles.Who cares of they want to avoid scheduling a division game?thats silly

  12. Pretty courteous move by the NFL. They could have crushed Obama’s television audience if they wanted to. I can see why the NFL wouldn’t want that on their hands… they would have been accused of being pro-conservative. I’d rather live in a world where I can hate someone not because they’re liberal or conservative, but because they’re a Jets fan.

  14. Wednesday Night Football? An abomination! Almost as bad as Tuesday Night Football!! What is this, the WFL?

  19. Despite the nfl not liking division games to be the first game, it would be ultimate FU if it was the cowboys vs giants. The look on Jerry’s face would be priceless when they bring out the lombardi

  21. Adding credence to the Steelers as the opponent is that Pirates are home opening weekend which means Steelers are away due to shared parking.

    Would Eli and Ben….4 SBs between them and out of the same draft class. Same year as Rivers with how many SBs?

    Hope not for Steelers sake. When was the last time the SB champ lost at home in one of these kickoff games?

  22. NFL should leave the game on Thursday night.Maybe all the morons in the government will finally understand what the bulk of America thinks of them when the ratings are won by the NFL…..

  23. Definitely gonna be Packers/Giants. Rematch of the past two Super Bowl champs, and a rematch of their playoff matchup in the divisional round. Wednesday night football will be a little weird, but I see no reason why it won’t be any less exciting.

  25. Nothing to do with being conservative or liberal. He is the president and any president Bush Clinton Regan Obama whoever shouldn’t have to compete with opening night in the NFL if it can be avoided

  26. As a Saints fan, please give someone else a chance.

    If placed,that would make ’07, ’10, ’11, ’12. Enough is enough and we are 1-3 in those games. No thanks

  27. pretty sure last time the giants won the super bowl they opened the season against the redskins so there goes saying the nfl stays away from divisional matchups

    jacobs ran landry over in that game

  30. Actually it’s a leap year so the offseason is the same length as always. I know looking at tomorrow’s date on the calendar is difficult research, but thank God you had the time to fit in a pointless toupee joke.

  31. I’m glad I can watch football and the President. I hope all the people on here who made negative comment about him realize that he’s gonna be around till 2017 so you better get used to it.

  32. Giants fan here who was originally against playing New Orleans in the opener. I thought our best chance at finally beating them would be later in the season when its cold. However, now that Saints fans have enlightened me to their recent opening night records, I change my tune. Give me New Orleans first!

  33. Just happens to be in the last crucial months of a presidential campaign that is in dire straits, so let’s make sure the world is listening to me say the say old crap I have been fertilizing the country with for 4 years.

  34. PFT.. do a little research before you post statements like this..

    The NFL usually avoids scheduling a division game for the first game of the season.

    Who did the Giants play and beat following there 2007 Superbowl win??

    The DEADSKINS.. and just to be clear to PFT staff I mean the Redskins and they are in the same division as the Giants..

  36. Thanks NFL for being respectful and making the right call….. Besides, at that point Mr. Barry O will be in a cake walk back to the White House through 2016…. I say you start Giants vs Eagles…. The champs in a divisional game with Vick…. Huge ratings!

  37. I don’t think it matters who they play, they are going to lose anyway! One big OVERRATED team.

  38. Predictable that the white trash, trailer park losers, with missing teeth, would weigh in on the NFL respecting the President of the United States.

  39. so, let me get this straight – moving a game that most of the country can’t get because of a speech most of the country don’t care about.

    whatever

  42. dontouchmyjunk says:Feb 28, 2012 9:34 PM

    Predictable that the white trash, trailer park losers, with missing teeth, would weigh in on the NFL respecting the President of the United States.
    ———————————————————-
    nyyjetsknicks says:Feb 28, 2012 10:04 PM

    Always great to read the uneducated opinion of the flyover states.
    ———————————————————-

    You two are why those of us who are capable of rational, original thought choose not to live on either coast. Doing so would mean having to deal with d-bags like you on a daily basis. I hope you enjoy the tax refund you received on the taxes you did not pay last year. Have a nice nap on your union job tomorrow!

  43. I don’t think it matters who they play, they are going to lose anyway! One big OVERRATED team.

    —————————————-

    I hate the Giants, but calling the Super Bowl champions overrated is pretty juvenile.

  44. I do not why people are complaing about a football game being moved a day earlier it just means one less day without football so it really is a good thing if you think about it

  45. I know the NFL doesn’t like playing on Fridays, but Wednesday? C’mon, man! Friday would have been a great day for the working people, but it looks like Goodell caved for Obama. Anyway, I wanna see the Pack take on the G-Men. Green Bay hosted the game last year . . . now it’s their turn to be the sacrificial lamb as opening night roadie.

  46. For those talking about not seeing the game because it’s a Thursday… the opening Thursday game is on NBC, not NFL Network. The opener is part of the Sunday night TV package, not the Thursday night package… and starting this season, the late game on Thanksgiving moves from NFLN to NBC as well – making all three Turkey Day games on regular network television.

    As for moving to Friday instead of Wednesday – can’t happen. The NFL never plays on Fridays (high school football) or Saturdays (college football) until those school football regular seasons are over, unless there is an emergency like the Metrodome roof collapse in 2010.

  47. mikeyman321 says:Feb 29, 2012 12:03 AM

    I do not why people are complaing about a football game being moved a day earlier it just means one less day without football so it really is a good thing if you think about it

    ———————

    You are right, but I do get it… it’s because they all vote republican and they dont like Obama or anything he stands for and would complain as long as his name is mentioned in a post, regardless of the content.

    If the artice only said “Obama plans to watch football in 2012” there’d be the same number of comments.

  48. peytonwantsaflag says:
    Feb 28, 2012 10:03 PM
    so, let me get this straight – moving a game that most of the country can’t get because of a speech most of the country don’t care about.

    whatever
    +++++++++++++++++++++
    Tony Reali just MUTED you for that comment.
    It’s on NBC. I think ALL of the country can get that network.

    whatever

  49. Hey, allright. Football on a Wednesday, one less day in the offseason. And then Obummer can have his last little hoorah speech prior to being voted out. And then Obummer can be like Plax and spend some time in jail. Considering Obummer had a membership at a purported gay gym in Chicago, he might like the clink.

  50. More than happy to give Thursday to the returning Prez in 2012. It will be even better to be watching the Packers play them. How could ratings get higher than showing the Giants tee off against last year’s “supposed” juggernaut in the Packers? Easily the second biggest game (to the Super Bowl) of the postseason last year.

    Of course, it won’t be as sweet as election night when Obama crushes Romney. GO BLUE!

  51. txxxchief says:Feb 28, 2012 11:29 PM

    dontouchmyjunk says:Feb 28, 2012 9:34 PM

    Predictable that the white trash, trailer park losers, with missing teeth, would weigh in on the NFL respecting the President of the United States.
    ———————————————————-
    nyyjetsknicks says:Feb 28, 2012 10:04 PM

    Always great to read the uneducated opinion of the flyover states.
    ———————————————————-

    You two are why those of us who are capable of rational, original thought choose not to live on either coast. Doing so would mean having to deal with d-bags like you on a daily basis. I hope you enjoy the tax refund you received on the taxes you did not pay last year. Have a nice nap on your union job tomorrow!

    ———————————————————————–

    Troglodyte.

  53. You two are why those of us who are capable of rational, original thought choose not to live on either coast. Doing so would mean having to deal with d-bags like you on a daily basis. I hope you enjoy the tax refund you received on the taxes you did not pay last year. Have a nice nap on your union job tomorrow!

    ______________________________

    8 hour work days
    insurance
    vacation days
    sick leave

    all brought to you by the “evil unions”

    seriously, go read a book

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to leave a comment. Not a member? Register now!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.