Real football is finally here.
Thursday
BAL @ DEN
Sunday early
NE @ BUF
SEA @ CAR
CIN @ CHI
MIA @ CLE
MIN @ DET
OAK @ IND
KC @ JAC
ATL @ NO
TB @ NYJ
TEN @ PIT
Sunday late
GB @ SF
ARI @ STL
SNF
NYG @ DAL
MNF
PHI @ WAS
HOU @ SD
I see we’re starting off the football viewing season in the traditional way - with both the SNF and MNF games being NFC East battles. My only regret is that they couldn’t somehow make the Thursday night and other Monday night game also NFC East matchups.
Saints-Falcons should be a good one, and will give the winner an edge in the division race. These teams really don’t like each other. Watch for Atlanta to trot out the old “Big Ben Left” formation just to screw with Saints fans.
GEAUX SAINTS!
Huh…I remember it as “Big Ben Left” but googling it found references to it…on Atlanta sites…as “Big Ben Right.”
Not that it matters to anyone but me, here’s a recap with video. Definitely triple receivers on the right side for the offense. Maybe Saints fans consider it left because it was on the left side of the defense?
I notice the NFL rather than having 4:15 start times for the second games on Sunday now sometimes has 4:05 and sometimes 4:25 start times. Does this relate to how Fox can only show certain games, and CBS others? That is, when there’s the potential that a game might go long and may be cut off by another game the network is required to show, that one is bumped up to 4:25, but if that situation can’t occur because it can’t be shown on a network that was showing a game previously anyway, they just go ahead and start it at 4:05?
Peterson’s goal of breaking the record is put up or shut up starting week 1.
I don’t follow. I always thought “put up or shut up” was meant as a challenge to those who talk big, but don’t have the gumption to back up their talk. I don’t think anyone can question Peterson’s gumption or effort on every down he plays. He’ll always “put up”.
As to this week’s games, the Packers get to play the 49ers in a rehash of last year’s divisional playoff game when Kaepernick totally shredded the Packer’s horribly playing defense. There’s the typical tough talk before in the media before the game, and the typical whining by a Harbaugh, but it should be a fun game to watch. Unless the Packer’s defense sucks again, in which case it won’t be fun to watch at all.
Man-oh-man, this is going to be a great weekend for football! What I’m looking forward to:
BAL@DEN
CIN@CHI
GB@SF
And of course, NYG@DAL! Big Blue has yet to lose in the new Cowboys Stadium. Looking to keep that streak alive and watch Jerry Jones’ face flush with rage.
The NFL started off with some really good match-ups. Can’t wait!
GO GIANTS!
4:05 is still an option if the network isn’t showing the game as a doubleheader, for example, CBS showing the Raiders at home when Fox has the doubleheader for the week. Moving the doubleheader start time to 4:25 is no doubt a reaction to reduce the number of times a network will have to cut away from a 1 o’clock game to catch the start of a 4 o’clock game. And CBS will continue the fiction that 60 Minutes starts at 7pm on Sundays during football season regardless. 
Not so much “Fox can only show certain games and CBS others” (the rule is, if the visiting team is NFC, it’s on Fox, and if it’s AFC, it’s CBS, although supposedly they do have the ability to change networks in very exceptional circumstances), as it is the fact that one network gets to show two games on a particular weekend while the other only gets one (except in Week 17, when both get two - there are also strange rules that apply only in the 30 cities (San Fnancisco and Oakland are in the same TV market) that have NFL teams.
If the game is on the network showing the national doubleheader that week, it’s a 4:25 start. (It was 4:15 until one or two seasons ago, when Fox and CBS complained that there were too many cases where they had to cut away from a 1:00 game in progress to switch to the 4:15 game, which is usually that network’s “showcase game”.) If it’s on the other network, then it’s a 4:05 start.
I’m pretty sure CBS starting listing 60 Minutes’ start time as 7:30 Eastern on its NFL doubleheader days as of last season. Even then, it started late more often than not. (In fact, CBS has a twitter feed where it will warn people as to what time its shows will start on its NFL doubleheader days.)
You can also follow the Cafe Society Amazing Race episode thread for that same info. Who needs Twitter? 
Doing a confidence pool again. We’ll see.
DENVER over Baltimore, Value: 5
PITTSBURGH over Tennessee, Value: 14
Kansas City over JACKSONVILLE, Value: 6
Seattle over CAROLINA, Value: 10
INDIANAPOLIS over Oakland, Value: 16
New England over BUFFALO, Value: 15
CLEVELAND over Miami, Value: 2
Cincinnati over CHICAGO, Value: 4
DETROIT over Minnesota, Value: 9
NEW ORLEANS over Atlanta, Value: 1
Tampa Bay over NY JETS, Value: 12
SAN FRANCISCO over Green Bay, Value: 8
ST. LOUIS over Arizona, Value: 13
DALLAS over NY Giants, Value: 3
WASHINGTON over Philadelphia, Value: 7
Houston over SAN DIEGO, Value: 11
Maybe the turn of phrase wasn’t exact but the point was that he has to go for a large number of yards starting week 1 if he’s going to break the record and it’ll be interesting to see if he does or not.
“Indefinite” weather delay in Denver. Why must the gods torture me so?
The longer the delay, the more I drink. It’s like this season never wants to start.
Could be worse… could be raining.
What’s the point of a lightning delay if you don’t evacuate the stadium? They’re protecting 100 players, and letting 100,000 fans take their chances?
NBC is like a show biz diva, trying to build the hype by this convenient delay
Frisking? Are you serious?
I wondered about that too. They are probably making sure that the Ravens players pay full price for beers rather than be able to smuggle bottles of Cristal within their pads.