New Orleans Saints: 0-for-3 on the Flex
...And soon to be 0-for-4. Because you know they ain't picking a 49ers game. Unless they somehow miraculously keep winning.
NBC has chosen the Colts/Eagles game as the 3rd "Flex" game. The Saints have a first-place showdown with the Falcons scheduled that weekend. But the NFL went with the "sexier" game.
That leaves the Saints with few opportunities left for national television. I seriously doubt that they'll pick the Dallas game, because Dallas is already on national television something like 4 times in the last 6 weeks (I think there are rules prohibiting being on national television too many times, but I'm not sure). They probably won't pick the Redskins game, because the Redskins SUCK. And they can't pick the Giants game, because there's no Sunday night game that week.
So that leaves Carolina on week 17. If they don't choose that one, then the Saints (and their 6-3 record) will get ONE, count 'em, ONE national television appearance this year. And that was only because we were re-opening the Superdome after over one year. It took a hurricane to get our only national game.
Earlier, some of you said "Don't worry about it." Now it's time to worry about it. I don't know how else to say it.
POST-SCRIPT CLARIFICATION: If the NFL chose Saints/Dallas, the Cowboys would have three straight nationally-televised prime-time games. And I'd say there's a better-than-likely chance that the Dallas/Giants the week before the Saints game will be chosen too (unless Fox protects it, which might happen). And that's not including their Thanksgiving "tradition" game. That means that, without any "Flex" games, the Cowboys already have SIX nationally televised games (including Thanksgiving). And that's not counting their "national doubleheader" games against the Jaguars and the Eagles (the T.O. returns to Philly game). So right now, the Cowboys have EIGHT national telecasts without the Saints game or the Giants game being picked up.
And the Saints have one. Two, if you include the Steelers game (which I, among others, didn't get to see anyway).
posted by Commish @ 1:48 PM
6 comments
6 Comments:
Yeah, but you need to get your midwestern butt down here for the Panthers in week 17. Hopefully, it will be another meaningless win for the Saints, but man, a night game in the dome on New Year's eve?
Boo yah!
One other thing came to mind when I was talking about the Saints "national" game with Pittsburgh: The Cowboys played at 3:15 too yesterday. So (somebody help me here), did the "nationally televised" Saints game get televised in Shreveport? I know they usually opt for the Cowboys game if they're given the choice.
And I WILL BE IN NEW ORLEANS on the night of the Panthers game. It may be harder to get my cousin's tickets though. Here's hoping he's working that weekend :-)
On the corner of Edenborn and the south I-10 service road is a 10min Oil Change that has a flashing message seen from the interstate:
SAINTS
RESPECT
BLESS YOU BOYS
We will need to establish respect this season to get what you're talking about next season.
Recovery is not a one-time lotto hit, it is a healing process.
http://www.gribblenation.net/nflmaps/
Check out this one.
Look at this weekend's maps. Dallas gets ANOTHER national game this weekend, because there's no other competition for the CBS doubleheader.
And last week's map clearly shows that last week's Saints game wasn't shown in Shreveport. Cowboys get priority over there.
And, Big Shot, you're right about the 3:15 games not being "national." There's usually competition. But on a weekend like this one where there is no competition, the Cowboys get the entire country (except Phoenix and San Francisco, which have home games on Fox at the same time).
I hope so, Big Shot. But that Giants/Panthers game scares me. Here's hoping the Giants flame out with their injuries.
Either way, the Giants game HAS to move. That's why I'm worried. NFL and blackout rules dictate that the New York teams can't play at the same time. Same for San Francisco and Oakland. So the Giants game will have to be moved to 3:00 or 7:30, unless they somehow decide to move the Jets/Bills game instead. But I don't think the Jets game is going anywhere. Nobody cares about that game.
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