2010 Schedule Analysis- Part 1

Over the next few days and weeks, I will be breaking down the 2010 NFL Schedule. I love analyzing the schedule, and I love really analyzing some of the decisions that the schedule makers come up in putting together the schedule. Today's analysis is the opening weekend primetime slate and the Thanksgiving lineup.


Thursday Night Opener:
Minnesota at New Orleans (NBC)

MY ANALYSIS: I don't really like the fact that you go right back to the scene of the crime with the rematch of the classic NFC Championship Game on opening night. I originally thought that the Steelers would be the right choice for this slot, but I guess with all the Ben Roethlisberger stuff going on, it was probably better to go somewhere else. The problem was the Saints' home schedule was horrible. Many people thought the Falcons would get the nod, but Falcons-Saints just doesn't have the appeal for a Thursday Night Kickoff opener. If Favre comes back, then this game will need no hype, and it will be fun to watch. If Favre retires, then this game has no appeal. Everyone will still watch it because it is the first game of the new season, but the game loses everything if Sage Rosenfels or Tavaris Jackson starts it. Overall, a good choice but the Steelers should have been the pick here.

Sunday Night Football Opener:
Dallas at Washington (NBC)

MY ANALYSIS: A great pick by the league and NBC. You get the Cowboys to start off the SNF schedule, and you pit them against their rival, the Redskins. With the addition of Mike Shanahan and Donovan McNabb, the Redskins are one of the most intriguing teams to watch in 2010. The Cowboys are the clear choice to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, and the fans in D.C. are going to be waiting all summer to see this game. I love this pick and this matchup for the first SNF game of the year.

Monday Night Football Opener Game 1:
Baltimore at NY Jets (ESPN)

MY ANALYSIS: I understand the league wanted to give the Jets a chance to also host a game on opening weekend, so I'm not going to complain about the Jets getting the MNF opener. I don't think the NFL needed to waste Baltimore here in Week 1. The perfect choice would have been Miami. The Dolphins are a hated rival to the Jets, there is bad blood stemming from Rex Ryan's incident at the Super Bowl in Miami, and the Dolphins and Jets both have a good shot of winning the AFC East and making the playoffs. The league could have saved Baltimore and the Jets for a later date in the season.

Monday Night Football Opener Game 2:
San Diego at Kansas City (ESPN)

MY ANALYSIS: What an awful choice here by the NFL. First, you are starting the game at 9:15pm local time in KC. Second, this is the third time since 2007 that SD is playing the second half of the MNF doubleheader. How about you change it up a little bit? Plus, why not just give KC a primetime game earlier in the season instead of sticking them in the late slot on MNF? This selection makes no sense at all. If you were going to go AFC West, you should have had Oakland at Denver (Denver hasn't hosted an opening weekend game since 2004) or a NFC West matchup (Take your pick: Seattle at SF, SF at Arizona, or Arizona at Seattle).