Schedule release now planned for Wednesday, maybe Thursday

Posted by Mike Florio on April 21, 2014, 11:13 AM EDT
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The NFL still doesn’t have a firm plan for the release of the 2014 regular-season schedule.  A source with knowledge of the process says the current target is Wednesday, with the possibility it will be nudged to Thursday.

As of last week, Tuesday was the target, with a caveat that the release date could slide to Wednesday or Thursday.

One factor that surely will influence the process is (or at least should be) the daily schedule of NHL and NBA playoff games.  By not releasing the slate of games last Tuesday, before the postseasons in basketball or hockey, the NFL squandered a chance to clearly own the day.

Instead, the NFL will be trying to box out two other sports that have advanced to their postseasons.  If the league fails to build the kind of buzz it usually does by adding the “when” to the “who” and “where” for 256 regular-season games, guys like Mark Cuban will have another reason to crow.

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40 responses to “Schedule release now planned for Wednesday, maybe Thursday”

  3. It has to be done, they are just making us wait so they can pump it more with teasers like this from media. And suckers like me are waiting at the edge of their seat. I WANT TO PLAN MY DANG AWAY TRIP!

  5. I’d watch preseason football before I’d watch NBA or NHL playoffs. Or a rerun of Inside Access…

  6. Just artificially generating anticipation, so that next year b/c of the “buzz” surrounding this year’s rollout, they’ll make it another “event” and make money off it.

  11. Before we know it they will start taking this same approach to the draft. “We might have it Thurs-Sat…no wait let’s do Mon-Wed”

  15. Take as long as you need to NFL Commissioner Office, just make sure there are no scheduling conflicts with other sports or events.( Case in point, last years opening Thursday night game was not scheduled correctly.)

  16. The league treats us fans like employees are treated in bankruptcy, we get the end of the line while the big shots go first for the crumbs that are left. Bill

  17. Just release it already. I can’t remember the NFL being so nonchalant about it in the past. I feel like they usually just announce a date and then hit that date for the release.

    It doesn’t change a thing in terms of strength of schedule against last years results, which is what much of the analysis is after the schedule is released. It’s already known.

    More important when looking at the schedule is the order of games (for example, is there a road game on the opposite coast followed by a good team at home). Also where does the bye week fall and what opponent does the team play coming out of the bye week. What opponents does the team play after monday night games on the short week, and where does the thursday game fall.

    That is what is interesting to me. Then you can go through the schedules and see what teams should have a good start and what teams could struggle.

    I believe only 2 teams have won the Super Bowl after starting 0-2. 2001 Patriots and 2007 Giants. I don’t think anyone has won it starting 0-3.

    The start of the season really matters.

  18. Looking forward the the AZ Cards vs SF and Seattle games… Not discounting StLouis as they might be this years sleeper team

  19. What a joke…set a date and stick to it. And I love this “it will be released when it’s released” mantra like they are doing all of us (the fans) a favor. Like it’s a privilege of sorts to see when our team plays.

    It probably is about money on some level…all anyone cares about these days with absolutely no regard for the fans.

  21. The schedule release is hard to pin down because they have to send multiple drafts to all 32 owners until all grievances are finally settled. It’s hard to satisfy all 32 teams, but they try to get as close as possible.

  22. The Mariners will be eliminated from playoff contention by the time September rolls around. So no need to worry about repeating the Ravens-Orioles debacle or 2013.

  24. Please NFL hurry up and release the schedule. I have no interest in the NBA playoffs, my baseball team is floundering, and although the NHL playoffs are great they are not the NFL.

  25. Different networks are probably bidding on which games they will get to broadcast. The NFL is probably playing the ‘agent’ and each team is their player while this is the equivalent to free agency for the networks.

  26. I think Florio is right on point. The NFL deserves to have the attention to their schedule release diminished by the NBA and NHL playoffs. They’ve known since December who plays who. It is an outrage that they drag this out the way they have.

  28. Pats schedule: play the tough teams at home. They’ll have a bye week before their toughest game or whoever goodell thinks will be their competition in the east. The tough teams they play will be coming off a game on the west coast or a tough game theirselves.

  29. The Bears, Lions, and Packers will benefit with 3 bye weeks again this season. The Vikings are horrible. This is a fact. Did you know they play funeral marches at their practices?

  31. The Vikings in Super Bowl XLIX? It’d just another opportunity for their 5th Fail in 5 tries.

    But there’s nothing to fear, Vikings fans. You have a better chance of hitting the Powerball Mega Jackpot two consecutive draws in a row than the Vikings have of making an appearance in Super Bowl XLIX.

  32. “Lo, a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the land, and the people were afeared, knowing great discomfit. And the Lord spoke unto them, saying, ‘Take these, my peoples, for they are the names of the 16 teams scheduled to fall to the New England Patriots this year.” Job 1:18-19

  34. Probably Thursday. NFL is trying to get “Thursday” and “pro football” joined in the public’s mind – games on Thursday, draft starting on Thursday, etc.

  35. How can MLB plan 162 games for all 3o teams only weeks after the season ends, and the NFL can’t plan 16 games a week, for 17 weeks? Every team knows who they are playing after week 17, so it shouldn’t take this long.

  36. I called this last week. The target date was always Thursday, April 24th – exactly two weeks until the draft. The NFL wants to milk it as long as they can.

  38. The NFL mocks Baseball at all times throughout the year. Spring training starts. ..all anyone cares about is the NFL Combine. Baseball attendance starts to pick up because summer starts and BANG the NFL Draft happens and will monopolize all sport talk weeks before and after. NFL gives Baseball the lazy days of summer, then BANG backs and recievers report and Hard Knocks is on. Baseball races finally start to heat up and BANG NFL pre-season…and finally Baseball is into September and October and the NFL is trying to schedule the best possible games to take away from baseball…I LOVE IT!!!

  39. They are lining up sponsors for a big Thursday night prime time TV show to let the Commissioner announce the schedule.. and on Sunday Nov xx the Seattle Seahawks host >>>>>>>>>.. I am tired of all of their crap

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