NFL

• Line of Scrimmage: '08 NFL Schedule - Hits and Highlights

  
  By Tony Moss, NFL Editor

  Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - The 2008 NFL schedule arrived on Tuesday, confirming much that we already knew. Every team in the league already had its opponents and home and road sites (with the exception of the games in London and Toronto) determined before the calendar had flipped to 2008, the result of the league's neat, symmetrical little scheduling formula.

  We also knew the date and time of what is arguably the most anticipated game of this year's slate, namely the obligatory "Brett Favre night" tilt between the Packers and Vikings at Lambeau Field on Monday, September 8th. All of the "kickoff weekend" primetime matchups were revealed a couple of weeks ago, though the NFL probably didn't count on Favre's subsequent comments relating to a possible return to the league. Perhaps, if Aaron Rodgers gets hurt against the Vikings, we'll see Favre strip off his suit and tie and pull on the No. 4 jersey a la Clark Kent.

  Now THAT would upstage John McCain's acceptance of the Republican nomination for president. (Arlen Specter would probably demand an investigation the next day.)

  Anyway, below are some of the things we did find out Tuesday, presented notebook-style for your easy perusal. Who appears on primetime the most? Who has the toughest September? The lightest home stretch? When will a handful of revenge-minded players and coaches be facing their former teams? Well, read on...

  WHAT'S ON IN PRIME TIME...

  There will be 42 primetime NFL games in 2008, which breaks down to 16 in the Sunday night slot (NBC's bye week coincides with the World Series in late October), 17 for Monday night on ESPN (including two in Week 1), eight Thursday night games (seven on NFL Network plus the Kickoff Weekend matchup between the Giants and Redskins on NBC), and a Saturday night special between the Cowboys and Ravens in Week 16.

  Eight teams will appear in primetime on five occasions, tied for the most in the league: the Bears, Browns, Chargers, Colts, Cowboys, Eagles, Patriots, and Steelers. Of those, the Bears, Chargers, Colts, and Patriots are each scheduled to appear in the premier Sunday night slot three times.

  Like last year, Sunday night games scheduled for Weeks 11-16 are subject to change based on the quality of the would-be combatants (as determined by the league and NBC) by the time the second half of the season rolls around. Unlike last season, when the Jets and Chiefs were originally slated to play the league's final regular season game, there is not a tentative matchup on the board for Week 17. In 2007, three of the seven originally-scheduled Sunday night contests were changed, including those in each of the final two weeks.

  NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME...

  Unless their play dictates a promotion to Sunday night in Weeks 11-17, five teams will not be playing football when it's dark outside. The Chiefs, Dolphins, Falcons, Lions, and Rams were not graced with a game on Sunday, Monday, Thursday, or Saturday nights, which is an indication of how league and network powers feel about their chances in 2008. The 49ers, Bengals, Bills, Panthers, Texans, and Titans are the six teams that will appear on prime time only once this season, and none of the above are scheduled to appear in the premier Sunday night NBC slot.

  TURKEYS?

  Though the traditional bird of Thanksgiving Day is a turkey, for the Lions, it ought to be an albatross. Detroit has embarrassed itself by losing four consecutive Turkey Day games, as well as six of its last seven. The Lions look to snap that skid against Vince Young and the Tennessee Titans this year.

  The second Thanksgiving game will involve the Cowboys (who have won three straight on the fourth Thursday in November) and the Seattle Seahawks, while the primetime NFL Network tilt has the Cardinals visiting the Eagles.

  Once again, we'd like to use this forum to argue that the Thanksgiving night game always involves the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs were a staple on Thanksgiving as a member of the AFL, and late owner Lamar Hunt was instrumental in persuading the league to add a third holiday contest in the first place.

  INTERNATIONAL FLAIR

  In addition to the previously announced matchup between the Chargers and Saints at London's Wembley Stadium on Oct. 26th, the league will travel outside U.S. borders for a second "international unfriendly" game this season. Toronto's first sojourn into meaningful NFL football will feature the Bills and Dolphins in a 1pm matchup from the Rogers Center on Dec. 7th.

  PLAYOFF REMATCHES

  Six of the 11 playoff battles from 2007 will see encores in 2008, including a pair of matchups between the Cowboys and Giants (Nov. 2nd at the Meadowlands, Dec. 14th in a Sunday night game from Texas Stadium). Also on tap are Patriots at Chargers in a rematch of the AFC Championship (Oct. 12th on Sunday Night Football); Packers at Seahawks (Oct. 12th) and Colts at Chargers (Nov. 23rd, Sunday night) in encores of '07 Divisional Playoffs; and Redskins at Seahawks (Nov. 23rd) and Steelers at Jaguars (Oct. 5th, Sunday night) in matchups last witnessed in the 2007 Divisional Round.

  SIZING UP SUNDAY

  The NFL once again assigned many of its most intriguing matchups to NBC's Sunday night window, as among the 16 scheduled games to be shown over Peacock Network air (minus the unknown contest in Week 17, of course), only two will involve a pair of teams that did not make the postseason in 2007. Eagles at Bears (Sept. 28th) and Bears at Vikings (Nov. 30th) are the two meetings that buck the trend. Of the other 14 NBC matchups, 10 include two teams that made the '07 postseason field, including four playoff rematches listed above.

  MONDAY, MONDAY

  ESPN breaks out of the gate with two solid matchups in its first two weeks, with the "Favre night" festivities followed by a meeting between the Cowboys and Eagles in Week 2 that promises to be entertaining. After that, there isn't a whole lot of "must watch" fare, though there are some decent division rivalries (Ravens/Steelers in Week 4, Packers/Bears in Week 16) and some other potentially intriguing tilts to be broadcast by the worldwide leader. ESPN is always good for a major clunker or two, and this season's would-be yawners are 49ers /Cardinals (Nov. 10th) and Browns/Bills (Nov. 17th), which come in what could be a painful two-week stretch.

  CONTACT YOUR LOCAL CABLE PROVIDER?

  The NFL Network will begin its third season of regular season games on Nov. 6th, with Broncos at Browns leading things off before a strong contest featuring the Jets at Patriots follows right behind it the next Thursday. The remaining five NFLN games are hit-or-miss in terms of quality, with the Colts/Jaguars rivalry (Dec. 18th) ranking as the highlight, and the Raiders/Chargers (Dec. 4th) second meeting of the year the potential low point. No word on Bryant Gumbel's successor in the play-by-play chair, but we like the classy Tom Hammond (please, please, please no Mike Patrick) to sit opposite Cris Collinsworth.

  MURDEROUS STRETCH

  Anyone have an idea what the NFL has against the New Orleans Saints? Is the league upset with team owner Tom Benson for not moving the team to L.A.? Did everyone in the league office draft Reggie Bush in the first round of fantasy last year? Because the league that once robbed New Orleans of a home game in the wake of the Hurricane Katrina disaster, then robbed New Orleans of a home game when it decided the Saints would play in London this year, has also decided that the franchise will be the only team in the league to play four straight games away from its home facility in 2008. The Saints will play at the Panthers (10/19), vs. the Chargers in London (10/26), at the Falcons (11/9) and at the Chiefs (11/16) before playing their first home game in 43 days (look it up if you don't believe me) against Green Bay on Monday, November 24th. New Orleans will also be one of eight NFL teams to play three consecutive home games earlier in the season, but that hardly makes up for its forced six-week sojourn.

  Apart from the Saints, the only team in the league to play three straight on the road is Chicago (at Green Bay, at St. Louis, at Minnesota in November), but the Bears also have TWO three-game homestands on the '08 slate and won't step outside Windy City limits from October 13th until November 15th.

  OUT OF THE GATE...

  Has there ever been an early-season schedule as harmlessly easy as that of the 2008 New England Patriots? The three teams the defending AFC champs play to start '08 (Chiefs, at Jets, Dolphins) went a combined 9-39 last season, and New England will be rewarded by passing through that gauntlet with a Week 4 bye and a Week 5 trip to San Francisco (5-11 last year).

  Others who have it easy coming out of the chute include the Chargers (first five opponents all had losing seasons in 2007); the Seahawks (September foes were a combined 15-33 a year ago), and the reigning Super Bowl Champion Giants (first three opponents were 19-29).

  The most difficult starting stretch will arguably be felt by the Minnesota Vikings, who will see three 2007 playoff teams (Packers, Colts, Titans) in their first four games, including Green Bay and Tennessee on the road. The "break" in the Vikes' first month is a home game against Carolina in Week 3.

  And, not that anyone will shed tears for the Dallas Cowboys, but two road games against quality teams (Browns, Packers) and a pair of difficult home tilts against division rivals (Eagles, Redskins) could make September a rough month for America's Team.

  INTO THE HOME STRETCH...

  The Miami Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers are not being tabbed for big things in 2008, but there is reason to believe that both will have a chance to finish strong. Miami's final five games come against the Rams, Bills, 49ers, Chiefs, and Jets, and you won't find a winning 2007 record among that group. The 49ers have a similar season-ending stretch, and their final four opponents posted a combined record of 17-47 last year.

  On the other side of that equation are the Oakland Raiders, Baltimore Ravens, and Philadelphia Eagles, who could each find December especially tough. Three of Oakland's final four games (Chargers, Patriots, Buccaneers) are against '07 playoff clubs, and the other comes against emerging Houston.

  The Ravens finish up with four consecutive 2007 postseason entries (Redskins, Steelers, Cowboys, Jaguars), though all but the Dallas contest are at home.

  Three of the Eagles' final four games, meanwhile, are against the division rival Giants (road), Redskins (road), and Cowboys (home), and their fourth December matchup comes against a talented Cleveland squad on Monday night at home.

  REVENGE IS A DISH...(PLAYERS EDITION)

  Expect the crowd at the Edward Jones Dome to give longtime Rams wideout Isaac Bruce a warm welcome when Bruce's new team, the 49ers, visit St. Louis on Dec. 21st. Bruce played 14 years with the Rams (including his rookie year, when the team was still in L.A.), and established franchise records in all of the team's important pass-catching categories before being released in February...Warrick Dunn, released by the Falcons last month and subsequently picked up by division rival Tampa Bay, travels back to the Georgia Dome on Dec. 14th. Dunn played six years with Atlanta and rushed for more than 1,000 yards three times...Expect there to be less fondness on display on Nov. 23rd, when Javon Walker returns to Denver as a member of the hated Raiders. Walker spent two forgettable, injury-plagued seasons with the Broncos before being released on March 1st...Speaking of Oakland, new Raiders acquisition and cornerback DeAngelo Hall will square off against the team that recently traded him on Nov. 2nd, when Atlanta enters the Black Hole.

  Of the major names that changed addresses in free agency, running backs Michael Turner (Falcons), Julius Jones (Seahawks), and wide receiver Bernard Berrian (Vikings) are the most prominent of those who will face their former teams in 2008. Turner and Atlanta will visit the Chargers on Nov. 30th, Jones will have something to prove to the Cowboys at Texas Stadium on Thanksgiving Day, and Berrian will attempt to live up to his mind-boggling contract when Minnesota travels to Soldier Field on Oct. 19th.

  REVENGE IS A DISH... (COACHES EDITION)

  Of the four new NFL head coaches in 2008 (we'll assume you're safe, Lane Kiffin), two will go head-to-head with their (most recent) former employer as rookies. The Redskins' Jim Zorn will travel to Seattle on Nov. 23rd, and John Harbaugh will take on the Eagles when the Ravens host Philadelphia the same day.

  Also, two prominent, deposed coaches will be seeking to stick it to the teams that canned them following the 2007 campaign, with new 49ers offensive coordinator Mike Martz seeking to take down visiting Detroit on Sept. 21, and Ravens OC Cam Cameron looking to come out of Miami on Oct. 19th with the same number of wins he engineered as the team's head coach last season. Coincidentally, Cameron's only victory as Fins head coach was against Baltimore.

  MAKING THEIR DEBUT

  Zorn is the only member of the fresh coaching foursome who will make his debut on primetime, as the newbie and his Redskins must travel to Giants Stadium to face the defending Super Bowl champs in the Thursday night lid-lifter (9/4). Zorn's home debut comes against the Saints the following Sunday.

  Of the others, the Dolphins Tony Sparano (vs. Jets), Falcons' Mike Smith (vs. Lions), and Ravens' John Harbaugh (vs. Bengals), all begin their NFL head coaching careers with home games on Sunday afternoon of Week 1.

  04/15 17:08:20 ET