NFL Preseason Schedule 2012: Dates, Game Times, TV Coverage and More

It's never too early to daydream about the next NFL season. With that in mind, we bring you the glory that is the 2012 NFL preseason schedule.

There is no lockout to sully what will be a perfectly normal buildup to the season. We get everything we can hope for in the form of training camps, Hard Knocks and even a full complement of preseason games.

Here is a breakdown of the most intriguing games coming in just a few months' time.

Schedule

The full list of games has been released and is available at the official NFL website. 

Here are the games that will be nationally televised: 

DATES	MATCHUP	TV (TIME ET)
Hall of Fame Game
Sunday, Aug. 5	Arizona vs. New Orleans in Canton, Ohio	NFL Network (8 p.m. ET)
Week 1 (Aug. 9-13)
Thursday, Aug. 9	Green Bay at San Diego	ESPN (8 p.m. ET)
Monday, Aug. 13	Dallas at Oakland	ESPN (8 p.m. ET)
Week 2 (Aug. 16-20)
Thursday, Aug. 16	Cincinnati at Atlanta	FOX (8 p.m. ET)
Friday, Aug. 17	Detroit at Baltimore	FOX (8 p.m. ET)
Sunday, Aug. 19	Indianapolis at Pittsburgh	NBC (8 p.m. ET)
Monday, Aug. 20	Philadelphia at New England	ESPN (8 p.m. ET)
Week 3 (Aug. 23-26)
Thursday, Aug. 23	Arizona at Tennessee	ESPN (8 p.m. ET)
Friday, Aug. 24	Chicago at N.Y. Giants	CBS (8 p.m. ET)
Saturday, Aug. 25	Houston at New Orleans	CBS (8 p.m. ET)
Sunday, Aug. 26	San Francisco at Denver	FOX (4 p.m. ET)
Sunday, Aug. 26	Carolina at N.Y. Jets	NBC (8 p.m. ET)

Marquee Matchups

Let's get this out of the way: The preseason is a far cry from the actual games played in the regular season.

We all know this.

However, there are some exciting clashes with storylines that will have these as must-see TV.

Hall of Fame Game: Arizona vs. New Orleans

This is our first taste of football and will also be our look into the Saints as they embark on what will be the toughest season of their history.

Indianapolis at Pittsburgh 

This is the first nationally televised game to feature Andrew Luck, or Robert Griffin III. Hell, whoever the Colts take with the No. 1 pick will make for an enjoyable watch.

San Francisco at Denver

This brings us to Peyton Manning time. 

This takes place in Week 3, so don't blink or you will miss Manning chucking bombs before he takes a three-quarter rest.

Follow @gabezal