NFL Schedule 2012: League Moves Giants' Opener to Wednesday, September 5

The Super Bowl champion New York Giants are going to open the 2012 season on a rather unusual day for NFL football.

Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post has the scoop:

Yup. Wednesday Night Football. Get used to the sound of it.

There's a good reason for the switch. Hubbuch subsequently noted that the Giants are opening on Wednesday instead of Thursday because the NFL doesn't want to conflict with President Barack Obama's convention address.

Hubbuch also noted that it is being speculated that the Giants will open the season against the Green Bay Packers, whom they beat in the divisional round en route to their Super Bowl victory.

So, when was the last time the NFL played a game on Wednesday night? NFL historian Jon Zimmer has the factoid you're looking for:

Though the day will be unusual, everything else will presumably remain the same. The NFL's season opener is always a party, and that's not going to change just because the league is doing something it hasn't done in 60-odd years.

The NFL has yet to release a full schedule for the 2012 season, but the league did release lists of opponents that each team will be taking on next season way back in early January. The Giants are indeed slated to face the Packers, not to mention the New Orleans Saints and the Pittsburgh Steelers. This is in addition to an NFC East slate that is sure to be tough.

The Giants have plenty of things to work out between now and then. The draft is fast approaching and the guys in the front office have some tricky decisions to make in terms of the team's free agents.

Today's announcement means they have one less day to figure things out.