Shutdown Corner - NFL

Shutdown Corner

Thu Sep 24, 2009 1:08 pm EDT

Teams shouldn't be playing back-to-back prime-time games

By Chris Chase

One of my biggest NFL pet peeves (and I have many) will be on display this weekend as each of the two prime-time games will include a team that played in a prime-time game last weekend.

The Dallas Cowboys and Indianapolis Colts were featured on Sunday and Monday nights in Week 2. In Week 3 they'll both stay in prime time but swap days, with the Colts heading to Arizona for Sunday Night Football and Dallas hosting its second straight prime-time game on Monday Night Football against Carolina.

This is annoying, repetitive and unnecessary. Figuring out the schedule isn't easy, given the interests of four networks and fairness and all that junk, but it's not that difficult to put different teams on NBC and ESPN every week.

It would be in the general interest of everyone (except the TV networks, which is precisely why this practice is employed). For casual fans, it's no fun to watch the same team on a national telecast two straight weeks. (It's bad enough I have to see the Ravens play every week because somebody decided D.C. and Baltimore are dual markets. Now I'm being force-fed close-ups of Jerry Jones in consecutive weeks?) For fans of the teams playing it's not much better. Prime-time games are fun, but in small doses. Few people want to stay up late two straight weeks while having to endure the misery of waiting through the afternoon games for your squad to play.

The good news is that the Colts/Cowboys double-up is the last we'll see until December. Unlike last year when back-to-backs cluttered much of the first two months of the season, there will be no more in '09 until after Thanksgiving. After that there are four planned, but because of the flexible SNF schedule none of those are set in stone.

Here's the full list of back-to-back prime-time games for 2009.

Dallas Cowboys -- Week 2/3 (Sunday night vs. New York Giants, Monday night vs. Carolina)

Indianapolis Colts -- Week 2/3 (Monday night at Miami, Sunday night at Arizona)

New England Patriots -- Week 12/13 (Monday night at New Orleans, Sunday night at Miami*)

New York Giants -- Week 14/15 (Sunday night vs. Philadelphia*, Monday night at Washington)

Washington Redskins -- Week 15/16 (Monday night vs. New York Giants, Sunday night vs. Dallas*)

Minnesota Vikings -- Week 15/16 (Sunday night vs. Carolina*, Monday night at Chicago)

* Game could be moved because of flex scheduling

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129 Comments

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  1. Bruce M
    1. Posted by Bruce M Thu Sep 24, 2009 1:26 pm EDT

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    who cares
  2. MAD
    2. Posted by MAD Thu Sep 24, 2009 1:26 pm EDT

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    Quit your whining. Try living in the Northwest and being force fed the Seahawks everyweek. Boring!
  3. Hitman
    3. Posted by Hitman Thu Sep 24, 2009 1:30 pm EDT

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    Gee Chris, where have you been hiding? The answer is simple- the NFL is going to televise the games that the fans want to see. The fans pay the bills, therefore they get to watch their teams. Simple, huh? Even you should have been able to figure this one out.
  4. RP
    4. Posted by RP Thu Sep 24, 2009 1:32 pm EDT

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    What a baby
  5. vertskate900
    5. Posted by vertskate900 Thu Sep 24, 2009 1:34 pm EDT

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    What the hell kind of article is this? Can I even call it an article? Your such a joke Chris Chase and it's obvious that the only reason you have a "job" at Yahoo! Sports is because you make MJDweeb look like friggin' Shakespeare!
  6. Antigua108
    6. Posted by Antigua108 Thu Sep 24, 2009 1:34 pm EDT

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    The NFL is trying to do whatever it can for it's TV contract to do well and fleece the networks for even more cash the next time... It's business 101... Things won't change...
  7. Joe P
    7. Posted by Joe P Thu Sep 24, 2009 1:37 pm EDT

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    you're a douche and a half chris.
  8. romoiii
    8. Posted by romoiii Thu Sep 24, 2009 1:39 pm EDT

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    As a Cowboy fan, I like it, it ensures that on the West Coast, I will be able to view my favorite team and not be blocked or pushed aside to watch Minnesota, who cares about Vikings new QB? Not me, I'm fed up with his antics....Big market teams get the airtime! Sometimes I don't understand the regional coverage but oh well onward with football. I guess that's why I purchased NFL Sunday Ticket, no more regional crap for me, yeah baby!!!! Any game, anytime!!!
  9. dcpm21@...
    9. Posted by dcpm21@... Thu Sep 24, 2009 1:40 pm EDT

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    The teams that most fans want to see, and bring in the highest market share, are the ones most likely to be on primetime. Who wants to see the Lions on prime time? The lowest percentage of fans, thats who. Love them or hate them, Dallas brings the most emotion and the highest market share of viewers. That is why they hold the NFL record for most AWAY game sell outs... Other teams like the Steelers, Giants and other perennially popular/good teams also are more likely to be on primetime. Stop hating Mr. Chase, this article is ignorant, biased and makes it hard to believe that you have an employeer as a journalist.
  10. H P
    10. Posted by H P Thu Sep 24, 2009 1:43 pm EDT

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    is it just me or is peyton getting getting a pooch, better switch to the atkins diet old man
  11. bronxbombers27
    11. Posted by bronxbombers27 Thu Sep 24, 2009 1:45 pm EDT

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    Hitman, u got it right on the head! Chris, I'm sure YOU are somebody's pet peeve.....
  12. dcpm21@...
    12. Posted by dcpm21@... Thu Sep 24, 2009 1:45 pm EDT

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    If you want to see a different game, your favorite games, get the NFL Sunday Ticket from DirecTv like all real NFL fans do. If you don't have that, you are either lucky enough to live in the same area of your favorite team, which are almost always televised locally, or are not a true NFL fan.
  13. bronxbombers27
    13. Posted by bronxbombers27 Thu Sep 24, 2009 1:46 pm EDT

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    BlurStar67, as a Dallas Cowboys fan, i totally agree with u, and u explained it even better as to why...
  14. USMarineVet
    14. Posted by USMarineVet Thu Sep 24, 2009 1:48 pm EDT

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    Cry me a river. I wish I had your problems.
  15. 5.0
    15. Posted by 5.0 Thu Sep 24, 2009 1:53 pm EDT

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    No Mames Quey !!
  16. wayne
    16. Posted by wayne Thu Sep 24, 2009 2:01 pm EDT

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    Colts and Cowboys both suck :p
  17. Tyron
    17. Posted by Tyron Thu Sep 24, 2009 2:04 pm EDT

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    Wow Chris....I guess you're right. Next year the first Sunday night game should be the Seahawks vs the Rams and the Monday game should be the Lions vs the Chiefs. That'll keep the majority of the fans happy and keep those pesky things called RATINGS up as well. LMAO I guess getting a job at yahoo isn't all that hard after all.
  18. Jarod S
    18. Posted by Jarod S Thu Sep 24, 2009 2:06 pm EDT

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    this article is proof that sports writers days are long and empty........they hang around club houses like flys on stink stirring up as much trouble as they can just to get a story that there boss might put on the front page. the problem is that clubs are more aware of that than ever after what happined with t.o. and the cowboys last year. now we end up with this garbage...im surprised the steelers and patriots arnt on primetime every single night like the sec is every week
  19. MarkT
    19. Posted by MarkT Thu Sep 24, 2009 2:09 pm EDT

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    Even worse was last year, after they said they would only be switching a teams timeslot once from Sunday afternoon to Sunday night, they moved back the Cowboys again to help them out because no one expected the Eagles to have a chance at a playoff birth after the afternoon games.
  20. b1g0ne47 B
    20. Posted by b1g0ne47 B Thu Sep 24, 2009 2:14 pm EDT

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    So Chris, # 2 (MAD) said it best, when they sad "Try being in the Northwest...." For those of us not in one of the LARGE markets, or cities where there is a team, we get what the networks feed us in our region. For those of us in Idaho, we get force fed the Seahawks and Broncos, no matter how many BETTER matchups there are in the league for that week. Last weekend was a prime example, where instead of really GOOD games, we got the Seahawks and the Broncos games - YAWNERS!!!! For us transplants (And Colts fan), I relish the time I actually get to see the Top teams playing, as most of the time, those teams are the ones having the tough matchups. So quit your whining, you big market baby, and start thinking about the rest of us that get CRAP from the networks due to our geographic locations.
  21. T. Sheldon
    21. Posted by T. Sheldon Thu Sep 24, 2009 2:16 pm EDT

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    stop blatting. If you don't want to watch these teams, then dont watch the games.
  22. chris80wr
    22. Posted by chris80wr Thu Sep 24, 2009 2:18 pm EDT

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    stop crying you dumbass it's about ratings duh...the cowboys bring in alot of money into the NFL..wut do you want to see the detroit lions on MNF..don't think so no one will watch it not even the state of michigan will waste there time on these losers..the cowboys is one of the top franchises in the NFL, just like the Patriots and Colts..it's teams like this that people want to see in the evening relax and just watch some good american football.............GO COWBOYS
  23. toad
    23. Posted by toad Thu Sep 24, 2009 2:27 pm EDT

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    this is especially stupid given the lack of home prime time games for some teams. both Indy and Dallas have both of these at home while other teams that should also get exposure dont have any.
  24. Bill K.
    24. Posted by Bill K. Thu Sep 24, 2009 2:46 pm EDT

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    so I know week 8 is the week the NFL doesn't want to go up against the World Series, correct? But is NBC/the NFL aware that that's the week Brett Favre returns to Lambeau? How is the flex scheduling NOT putting this game in primetime, because let's face it, that will draw in fans who might otherwise not care about the game.

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Shutdown Corner is an NFL blog edited by Matthew J. Darnell. Email him, and follow him on Twitter.

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