Three Problems with the NFL Schedule

(Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

The release of the 2009 NFL schedule on Tuesday has brought with it many questions from fans.

Why are the Cowboys featured in six primetime, nationally televised games?

How, after last season’s implosion, did the Browns get back on Monday Night Football?

Is the NBC Football Night in America line up of games superior to ESPN’S MNF line up?

While the surface of the heated discussions focuses on what teams will be on and when, there are some deeper issues surrounding the 2009 schedule. You will find little argument against the NFL being the country’s most popular and profitable sports league. 

Yet, even the best have a few hiccups from time to time.  Here are three glaring setbacks with the 2009 schedule.

1.)  An NFC South team loses a home game for the second season in a row.

The London game is a novel idea, but there are major issues in its execution. Saints’ coach Sean Payton was quick to call out the league last year, despite beating the Chargers in Wembley Stadium. The league has taken some measure to ensure fairness between the two teams playing. 

Both Tampa Bay and New England will host games the week prior to London, both will have a bye the week following, and both will be at home when they resume play in Week Nine. 

Yet, the obvious problem with this year’s game is that Tampa Bay is considered the “home” team. This marks the second consecutive year that an NFC South team will lose a home game—in 2008 the Saints were the “home” team.

With eight divisions, you would think that the NFL might do a little more to create equity when selecting the teams for the London game.

Now in its third year of existence, the match up has or will feature two NFC South teams (New Orleans, 2008; Tampa Bay, 2009), two AFC East teams (Miami, 2007; New England, 2009), one NFC East team (New York, 2007), and one AFC West team (San Diego, 2008).  Something has to be done to include teams from other divisions.

I do not know much about the inner working of the league scheduling office, but something tells me that it cannot be incredibly difficult to spread the participation in this game out more equitably.

2.) What did the Falcons do to deserve this?

At first glance, the Falcons’ schedule appears to be just another tough schedule that is the result of the cross-divisional rotation used by the NFL in determining non-divisional games. 

The Falcons, who not only have to play NFC South division foes New Orleans, Tampa Bay, and Carolina twice (remember, the NFC South did not have a team below .500 last season), draw the AFC East and NFC East in the rotation - two of the most competitive divisions in 2008.

If that isn’t bad enough, with a closer look, you can see that the Falcons’ road to the postseason is undeniably bumpier than any other team in the league.

“How so?” you might ask. 

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