Did the NFL drop the ball?

[Megatron]

As you may know, the NFL released it's schedule this past week. While the NFL usually does a nice job of providing the most interesting matchups for prime time and even gave us Lions fans a gift by giving us our first MNF game in Ford Field, I have the feeling that the NFL missed out on a game that would've been chock full of storylines, had they scheudled it at the right time.

What I'm talking about, is the Jets vs. Giants game. It's played on Christmas Eve, and while that is nice to get into the holiday spirit, they could've had a massive storyline had they done this:

Giants vs. Jets - Sunday Night Football - On the first week of the season.

Why would this have been a massive storyline? Oh, it just happens to be a coincidence that the first week of the season will begin on a day that will live in many people's lives forever: 9/11. Not only that, but it will be the 10th anniversary since the twin towers fell. So how amazing could it have been had the two New York teams come together and had their first game of the year just 10 years after the Towers fell down? Have the American flag spread across the field and somewhat unite the fans of both sides for just a moment. Instead, the Giants go to Washington to play their divisonal rival Redskins, and the Jets do stay home to play the Cowboys. While Jets/Cowboys will for surely draw, am I the only one that thinks that a New York/New York SNF game on 9/11 could've been spectacular and bigger? I hope not. While the NFL is normally good at making their schedule, I think they bricked this attempt. Am I wrong?

Did the NFL drop the ball in not scheduling Giants/Jets on the 10th anniversary of 9/11?

 

[Mike C.]

While I can see why they would schedule it that way, there's probably at least some thought that they won't be playing on September 11th due to the work stoppage either way. I wouldn't want to build up something like that and then disappoint by not playing games that week. Adam Schefter this week reported the NFL schedule had been made with the intention that even if the league had to miss the first three weeks of the season that every game could still be played by pushing things back, eliminating bye weeks in the season and before the Super Bowl, etc. So the league is already planning for the idea that there won't be a September 11th opening weekend.

 

[tripolie atche]

Yes, NYG-NYJ would've been a great matchup for Week 1 on Sunday Night Football, but remember Washington D.C. was also attacked on 9/11 when one of the planes hit the Pentagon (I know the Pentagon isn't exactly in D.C., but in nearby Arlington, VA instead)

Also, Flight 93 was probably headed for the Capitol Building or White House before it crashed into a field in Western PA

 

[Big Sexy]

It's not really a huge deal. The Jets are still playing in New York for Sunday Night Football and their opponent happens to be "America's Team" in the Dallas Cowboys. Plus New York wasn't the only state affected by 9/11. The nations capital in Washington DC also felt a huge impact and the New York Giants happen to be in Washington to play the Redskins in another week 1 game. Instead of just one big game and storyline the NFL effectively created 2 of them. The Skins/G Men 4 o'clock game will almost certainly be the nationally televised one on FOX. I actually like that the NFL broke it up like that.

 

[People's Champ]

No way, no dropped ball here. New York wasn't the only city that was affected. Instead of having the Jets and Giants be the big game and overshadow whatever team the Redskins played, they split them up and brought attention to both. So while the Giants-Jets game could have been big, I think they did the right thing with the schedule and made two great games.

All this being for nothing, anyway, because we won't be having any games the first weekend.

 

[ITurnGirlsGay]

As you may know, the NFL released it's schedule this past week. While the NFL usually does a nice job of providing the most interesting matchups for prime time and even gave us Lions fans a gift by giving us our first MNF game in Ford Field, I have the feeling that the NFL missed out on a game that would've been chock full of storylines, had they scheudled it at the right time.

What I'm talking about, is the Jets vs. Giants game. It's played on Christmas Eve, and while that is nice to get into the holiday spirit, they could've had a massive storyline had they done this:

Giants vs. Jets - Sunday Night Football - On the first week of the season.

Why would this have been a massive storyline? Oh, it just happens to be a coincidence that the first week of the season will begin on a day that will live in many people's lives forever: 9/11. Not only that, but it will be the 10th anniversary since the twin towers fell. So how amazing could it have been had the two New York teams come together and had their first game of the year just 10 years after the Towers fell down? Have the American flag spread across the field and somewhat unite the fans of both sides for just a moment. Instead, the Giants go to Washington to play their divisonal rival Redskins, and the Jets do stay home to play the Cowboys. While Jets/Cowboys will for surely draw, am I the only one that thinks that a New York/New York SNF game on 9/11 could've been spectacular and bigger? I hope not. While the NFL is normally good at making their schedule, I think they bricked this attempt. Am I wrong?

Did the NFL drop the ball in not scheduling Giants/Jets on the 10th anniversary of 9/11?

No, they did not drop the ball. As John Clayton pointed out in his mailbag, the Jets-Giants play their annual pre-season game on August 27th. 9-11 is simply too soon to see a rematch of teams that played less than two weeks ago. Regardless of the implications of 9-11 it's important to remember that, at the time of 9-11, neither the Jets nor the Giants were ACTUALLY playing in New York. They both played in New Jersey. I see the sentiment, but I've long since had a problem with teams being named after cities they don't even play in, regardless of how close they are to that city.

The "Los Angeles" Angels of Anaheim play in fucking Anaheim. That's in Orange County, not in Los Angeles. It's a stupid ass name and most people from OC (like myself) refuse to call them the Los Angeles Angels. Matter of fact, most people from LA refuse to call Anaheim "Los Angeles" as well.

As people pointed out, the better city from an actual team located where this tragedy struck, would be Redskins-Eagles. I'm not dismissing what happened to New York, anyone who thinks that me saying this stuff is me doing that has another thing coming to them, but from a logistical standpoint, neither the Jets nor the Giants were actually a New York team at the time of these horrific events and they play a mere two weeks prior to that. Sure, it's only a preseason game, but they're still playing nonetheless.