NFL Schedules Are Relased

The NFL has really become a year round event. Draft talk started less than a week after the Superbowl, and has been going on strong ever since. After the draft we'll get a couple of months of talking about how these players will affect their teams. Not to mention all of the free agents being picked up and trades going on. Spring Practice will get quite a bit of local flair for all the home teams. And everyone was talking this morning about the schedules being released today.

Since most of us are in the Middle Tennessee area, I guess I'll focus on the Titans. You could look at the schedule as a pretty tough one, but I guess it's all relative. We don't know how most of these teams are going to pan out, but it's still fun to look at the strengths and weaknesses early on. A 1-0 start is pretty reasonable with a home opener against the struggling Jets who don't seem to have improved their situation, at least pre-draft. After that it gets a little scary with back to back road games against San Diego and the newly retooled Dolphins with Dante Culpepper at the helm. Then the month is finished off with a home game against Dallas, who will probably be back in the thick of things, but it is at home, so I guess 2-2 is reasonable.

October gives us two road games against the Colts and Redskins, a bye, and then a home game against Houston. I'll give them one of those, most likely Houston, and maybe a surprise against the Redskins (They can't lose them all on the road). Let's get crazy and give them 2 wins here. Leaving them going into November with a 4-3 record.

November gives us two home games against Baltimore and NY Giants and two away games against Jacksonville and Philadelphia. Lose one at home, win one on the road, why not? 6-5.

December. 3 home games (Indy, New England, Jacksonville) and 2 away games (Houston and Buffalo). One home win maybe and one away win. 8-8. This is all B.S. conjecture but kind of fun.

Interesting notes. This will mark the fourth consecutive season against the Dolphins, and the first time in four seasons we haven't played the Raiders. The Jets will be making their first trip to the Colliseum making San Diego, Arizona, and Minnesota the only three teams that haven't made their appearance there yet. Seven games are against playoff teams from last year. They get to play 4 out of the last six at home which a few years ago that would have been strong; I'm not so sure about now. Second consecutive season the Ravens have come to Nashville. Titans make their first appearance at Lincoln Financial Field (Awful Name) in Philly. Three of four new free agent additions will play their former teams: LB David Thornton (Indy), WR David Givens (New England), and C Kevin Mawae (NY Jets). In back to back weeks around the holidays the Titans will welcome the Manning brothers to town playing the Colts and the Giants.

You can see all the teams schedules at NFL.Com, and start making your own crazy predictions; I guess that's all we've got for a few more months until the season starts. Or you could actually enjoy baseball; I know it's a crazy concept, but that's me, I guess. Maybe you could even watch the NBA playoffs in a few weeks. No, even I'm not that insane.