Early info on the 2006 schedule

Dolphins, Steelers kick it off; more Thanksgiving stuffing
By Larry Weisman, USA TODAY


ORLANDO — The Pittsburgh Steelers will begin defending their Super Bowl title in a Thursday night home game against the Miami Dolphins and ESPN's new Monday night package debuts with a first-ever doubleheader when the NFL seasons opens with its third Kickoff Weekend.
The Dolphins-Steelers game on Sept. 7, scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET, will be NBC's first regular-season broadcast since 1997. Its first Sunday night telecast will feature the Indianapolis Colts and New York Giants, quarterbacked, respectively, by brothers Peyton and Eli Manning at the New Jersey Meadowlands.

ESPN, which took the Monday night package from corporate stablemate ABC, gets the Minnesota Vikings at the Washington Redskins (7 p.m. ET) and San Diego Chargers-Oakland Raiders (10:15 p.m. ET) tilt. That's an odd coupling. While the Redskins sell out every game and have led the NFL in attendance for six straight years, the Raiders rarely have a full stadium. That raises the potential for a blackout in the Bay Area for the game with San Diego.

The NFL Network joins the rotation on Thanksgiving with an 8 p.m. ET showing of the Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs used to host a Thanksgiving Day game in the AFL days and have long campaigned to host one in the NFL.

"I've thought all those games should be rotated," Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt told The Associated Press Monday. "But it's a plus for us to have the first one at night. We have a history in them. We always hosted them before the merger, and we've wanted to do it again.

"It ought to bring a great rating," Hunt said. "People will be worn out from all of their Thanksgiving Day activities, so they can sit down and enjoy the game."

The other Thanksgiving contests: Miami-Detroit Lions (12:30 p.m., CBS) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Dallas Cowboys (4:15 p.m. ET, Fox).

The Broncos-Chiefs match will be the first live, in-season game on NFL Network, which will show eight prime-time games from Thanksgiving through the end of the season. Those games will be on either Thursday or Saturday nights.

The main national TV doubleheader game for the full opening day Sept. 10 has Dallas at Jacksonville at 4:15 p.m. ET on Fox.

The rest of the NFL schedule should be announced in early April.

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I just hope and pray that when the Vikings play the Dolphins this year, it's in Nov-Dec so that Culpepper is on the field for it. After the parting shots by Childress, 'Pep will be sky high for that one.

I kinda like the idea of having a game on Thanksgiving evening.

I like it too, but since it's going to be broadcast on the NFL Network, which I don't have, it's all just a cruel hoax! :shock:

I can see if we can record it for you.

Any of you going to the @SF or @Seattle games?

Wow, with the calendar page falling to April this week, Sept. 7 doesn't seem so far away....

The longgg waiting stretch will be between draft and camps.

I guess we can use that time to determine EC material from the newbies on the team! :wink:

That sounds like a great summer project.

Yes, hopefully the EC factor will improve with the draft, although re-signing A Kamp helped.

But TT needs to be done with signing new punters. Good god, right now we have three punters to choose from, still including "the Beej." That alone has definitely affected the team's overall EC rating.

Vinatieri would have done wonders (*heavy sigh*).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MadtownPacker

Any of you going to the @SF or @Seattle games?

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U intivin? :wink:

When are you going to get your Cali ass to a game a Lambeau??

I hope that we get a home game the week of x-mas...otherwise, no Lambeau trip for me this year. That's depressing.

In-person research is definitely required to scout this year's EC talents. Does PackerRats offer funding grants for this type of work?

It's only fair that Pack Rats would fund a trip of this sort. :razz:

FC, u should have picked Iowaaaaaaaaaa lol closer!!

I've never gotten to watch preseason workouts. maybe someday before they put me in the old folks home...

Have to find out if MM will be holding any open practices during mini-camp...may have to check it out.