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f-dallas
RE: Eagles at Saints, pre-prediction thread talk
1/9/2007 8:21 AM

The NFL wants the Saints to win and will give them any advantage they can. I'm not wearing a tin foil hat or joking...I have no doubt that they want to keep the feel-good Katrina recovery going and if they can put the opposing team on 6 days rest to give the Saints a slight edge, they'll do it " -FD


I have been sayin this for 2 wks now- if they win and go to N.O, theyd be takin on the Saints and the Refs- book it.

Book
It.

If it's based on Time Zones, the Seahawks would logically get the game that started later in the day. 4:00 pm PST as opposed to 10:00 am PST.

It was also because the Falcons (the lowest seed) upset the favored Packers in Lambeau.

Still, the Eagles were the #1 seed in the NFC that year and played on Saturday, so it can't be a rule that the #1 team plays on Sunday.

Whoever broguht up the networks could have a point.

I'm not crying about the schedule, but it does seema little unfair (no matter the reasons) that the Eagles get 6 days and the Seahawks get 8 when they could have given both teams a normal 7 days rest.

Johnson, don't you think an 8:00 pm time slot will garner more ratings on a Saturday than a 4:30 time slot on Sunday?

I dunno, I am just taking a stab at an explanation. For some reason, up until this year, the networks seemed wary of disrupting their normal Sunday night lineups throughout the season and playoffs.

"I have been sayin this for 2 wks now- if they win and go to N.O, theyd be takin on the Saints and the Refs- book it.

Book
It."

Exactly. That is how the NFL controls things... The non-scientific art of officiating.

Call the waaaaaaahmbulance

All I'm saying is they have to have a formula in place that they can rely on. They can't count on a "Feel good Katrina recovery" or a "Mike Vick is a hot commodity right now" every year.

I think the "Cinderella" Eagles vs. the "Post Katrina" Saints is a very enticing match-up. But LT versus "the team of this decade" is pretty interesting too.

Complaining about the refs before the game even starts makes you sound like a whiner with a built-in excuse.

Or shall we say, victim?

"Complaining about the refs before the game even starts makes you sound like a whiner with a built-in excuse.

Or shall we say, victim?"

Just ask any Raiders fan.

TUCK RULE!


My point was that IF the NFL actually tried to dictate the outcome of a game, they'd do it through officiating first and not scheduling.

I think the "Cinderella" Eagles vs. the "Post Katrina" Saints is a very enticing match-up. But LT versus "the team of this decade" is pretty interesting too.

So why not put the Pats and the league MVP in primetime on Saturday? They scheduled the Pats/Jags on Saturday night last season.

I think the most likely scenario is they wanted to two most best "ratings games" as the late games.

Fact is, everyone got 7 or 8 days but the Eagles...who got 6 (and they could have easily worked it out so everyone got 7 days).

The NFL isn't concerned about the feelings of Eagles fans when it comes to making more money.

Of all the games, Seattle/Chicago is the least interesting. Ind/Bal is another opportunity for Manning to choke nationwide, Johnson pointed out the Eagles/Saints one, and LDT/Pats is another interesting one. But there was no way Saints/Eagles was going to be at 1.

My point was that IF the NFL actually tried to dictate the outcome of a game, they'd do it through officiating first and not scheduling.

To be clear, I don't think the NFL is trying to dictate games. However, for a situation like this, they clearly have an agenda that extends beyond "establishing a level playing field for all teams", whether it's ratings, feel-good storylines, etc.

I think the most likely scenario is they wanted to two most best "ratings games" as the late games.

As always.

But then again, NE has had some late Saturday games as well.

However, for a situation like this, they clearly have an agenda that extends beyond "establishing a level playing field for all teams", whether it's ratings, feel-good storylines, etc.

The "level playing field" only exists if it makes the NFL money.

While we're talking conspiricy theories, did we address the one involving the 3 straight road/division games the Eagles had in December? I rememebr reading about it, but I was so fed up with football, that I don't think I had the energy to even post it here and I can't remember if we discused it.

The ref made the right call on the tuck rule. You can say it's a dumb rule, but he still made the right call.

Just saying.

Asskiss noted that the Cowboys game was supposed to be in Philly, but they switched it at the last minute. Makes sense, since this sort of thing hasn't happened in 30 plus years.

I think they originally wanted a game in Philly, but considered the game and switched it back.

The story I read was the December game was orginally supposed to be in Philly with the Early season matchup in Dallas.

However, Lurie was concerned about it being on Christmas Day AND the threat of bad weather...the combination making it difficult to get their outsourced stadium security in from New England and the potential difficulty getting snow removed from the parking lots and stadium on Christmas morning.

Jerry Jones owns Dallas and has increible sway down there, so the feeling was the weather wouldn't be an issue and he could get anythign he needed on Christams day, so it made sense to simply switch the games.

They went ahead and did so, not even realizing the nind they put themselves in ON the field until after the fact.

Now, it didn't matter anyway, and the story could just be a story (it was reported in the peper, but never confirmed by the league or either team), but it was pretty interesting/funny.

On an officiating note (and a different game...ignore or flame as you wish):

Why did the officials in the Jets/Pats game stand over the ball until the Pats defense was swapped out when the Jets were trying to run the hurry up style of offense. Is there a rule in place for this?

"So why not put the Pats and the league MVP in primetime on Saturday? They scheduled the Pats/Jags on Saturday night last season."

I guess we'd have to determine which is the highest profile time slot. Primetime Saturday or the late game Sunday.

If Saturday is the best possible time slot to have from a ratings/money generating standpoint then why isn't the Super Bowl played at that spot?

Something I'd love by the way.

Aks, from what the announcers were saying, offenses lately have tried to snap the ball while the D was in the middle of subs for a penalty, and they're trying to limit that.

Of course, it didn't work out for the Jets when THEY were substituting, but that's what I heard.

If Saturday is the best possible time slot to have from a ratings/money generating standpoint then why isn't the Super Bowl played at that spot?

Because people are usually out checking out McNabb at the Laugh Bar on Saturday nights.

Sunday's usually a much higher rating for sporting events, anyway.

I think they wanted the first Dallas/Philly game to be in Philly to play up the "TO returning" angle. And they got monster ratings for it.

I also think the AFC and NFC slots are set for the playoff weekends, and then the networks choose from there. They altenate each year, if I remember correctly, which isn't likely.

Thanks bassiladelph. I guess I should have the volume up on that channel for the playoffs?

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