NFL Could Go for Two Source says the league and ESPN are seriously considering opening the Monday night schedule with a doubleheader. By Sam Farmer, Times Staff Writer
With a change of networks coming, the NFL is poised to do something with "Monday Night Football" it has done only once before: stage a doubleheader.
An NFL source said the league and ESPN are giving "serious consideration" to opening the 2006 Monday schedule with two games, one beginning at 3 p.m. and the second at 6 p.m. Pacific time. The league staged a similar doubleheader in Week 2 last fall so the New Orleans Saints, displaced in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, could play their "home" opener at Giants Stadium.
This fall, "Monday Night Football" will move from ABC to ESPN, which paid $8.8 billion to buy the rights to the program for the next eight seasons. Because the NFL does not have a Monday game in Week 17, and because ESPN was promised 17 games a season, the network has the rights to an extra game. Additionally, that extra game cannot be played on a Thursday or Saturday because the NFL Network owns broadcast rights to those.
The NFL will announce its 2006 schedule in April. If the league keeps with recent tradition, the Pittsburgh Steelers, as Super Bowl champions, will play host to the season-opening Thursday night game.
In last season's doubleheader, the Saint-Giant game kicked off 1 1/2 hours before the previously scheduled Monday game between Washington and Dallas. When the Redskin-Cowboy game began, the Saint-Giant game was switched to ESPN in all markets except New York and New Orleans.
In the format being considered for the 2006 Monday opener, both games would be aired in their entirety. The source said ESPN's No. 1 broadcast team — Mike Tirico, Joe Theismann and Tony Kornheiser — would work the later game.
Al Michaels, originally expected to join Theismann in a two-man booth, was allowed out of his play-by-play contract by ESPN. A member of the "Monday Night Football" team since 1986, Michaels will join John Madden, his former ABC broadcast partner, for NBC's coverage of Sunday night games.
Monday night foorball is for the spotlight of a nationally teleised game and adding another game only takes away from that feeling. It is watering down the monday nght game
I know this guy named Jimmy, he has a pet....POSTERNUTBAG! Thats his cats name, POSTERNUTBAG!!!
After the boring exhibition by the Steelers in the SB they probably feel as though they they need to add a decent game. The Steelers will be playing in the "traditional" slot at 9pm (yawn) they might give us a better game in the 6pm slot!
I predict at least 4 prime time deals for the Redskins this season - there now being an increase in Thursday and Saturday games!
Until recently, Snyder & Allen have made a lot of really bad decisions - nobody with any sense believes this franchise will get better under their guidance Snyder's W/L record = 45% (80-96) - Snyder/Allen = 41% (59-84-1)
Yeah that would be kinda cool. Seriously though, they should have a Thurs or Fri night game, not Sat because of college. Last season Miami had a fri night game against KC due to a hurricane comming was, very cool.
Yeah that would be kinda cool. Seriously though, they should have a Thurs or Fri night game, not Sat because of college. Last season Miami had a fri night game against KC due to a hurricane comming was, very cool.
they don't do friday night games because of high school football, just like they normally don't do saturday games until the college season is over.
plus, thursday/friday games create too much of a competetive imbalance: when a team that played on thurs/fri meets up with a team that played on sunday in the previous week, the first team has 2-3 extra days to rest and prepare for that matchup. that is a significant advantage, and isn't really "fair".
Yeah that would be kinda cool. Seriously though, they should have a Thurs or Fri night game, not Sat because of college. Last season Miami had a fri night game against KC due to a hurricane comming was, very cool.
they don't do friday night games because of high school football, just like they normally don't do saturday games until the college season is over.
plus, thursday/friday games create too much of a competetive imbalance: when a team that played on thurs/fri meets up with a team that played on sunday in the previous week, the first team has 2-3 extra days to rest and prepare for that matchup. that is a significant advantage, and isn't really "fair".
i'm with you on a game every night though! i wish they would just take the games from that weekend and show 2 or 3 of them every day during the week, so anyone could watch any of the games if they wanted to check out a certain team or player or just a matchup they heard was really good. obviously you would probably know the score ahead of time but i think a lot of people would still like to see some of the other games/teams/players.
