NFL schedule changes

[Craig S.]

Although the contract doesn't renew until 2006, it looks like there could be big changes in store for those of us who loaf around on NFL Sunday afternoons:

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/footb...-changes_x.htm

The biggest changes are moving the starting times back an hour to 2 and 5 p.m., along with moving the start of the season back a week so they can get more playoffs on TV during a sweeps month. There's also talk of moving MNF to Thursday (won't happen) or of adding Thursday night games on a regular basis.

As a fan, do you like the proposals? My only problem is with the 2-5 thing, because I like the games being done earlier, especially on a Sunday night. And I like the idea of having playoff games in February, because it's currently a pretty weak sports month.

[Skip]

Games at 2 and 5: Good idea.

Delay season start one week: Don't care nuch, but since I only start really paying attention around Thanksgiving, I guess it would give me an extra week to care about.

MNF move to Thursday: Won't happen, dumb if it did.

Add a game to Thu: Would probably work for NFL, but how much would the colleges complain - and would the NFL listen. For mid-level teams, the way to get on TV recently has been to play a lot of midweek games. If the NFL bites into this, I expect a loud cry, but those crying may not have enough power to be heard.

[KCBOOMER]

I'd be concerned about how moving the start times back an hour would effect the ESPN Sunday night game.

Doesn't bother me if the season start a week or two later. People would pay more attention to baseball longer.

As for Thursday games, I really don't care, but it seem to me the NFL ought to be cleaver enough to be sure that teams that play on Thursday's have a bye week the previous Sunday. This would avoid teams going out there on three days rest.

[Crash Course]

On moving the games to 2 and 5............

.........just a step in the direction towards having all the games at night, for better ratings................maybe.

[SmedIndy]

I wouldn't move Monday Night Football and I assume that that's the biggest longshot anyway.

Otherwise, I don't care. I love to see more cold weather games, anyway!

[rcartman28]

I would be okay with moving the games to 2 and 5, because I don't think it would make that much difference, but I'm not really in favor of pushing back the start of the season because the playoffs are already played in bad enough weather conditions without the chance of playing Saturday night games in Green Bay in January (oh, wait, they've already done that) or somewhere else with sub-zero conditons (oh, yeah, it was about zero in Foxboro for that Tennessee-New England game, too). Not sure about the Thursday game idea, yet, but wish they've move up the Monday night games by an hour so I'd have a chance of watching the entire game.