Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

A relatively new concept, it's actually now in its 17th-straight year - the past 15 of those involving the previous year's defending-SB-Champ, with 2013 being the only one in which the Champ (Ravens) didn't host (game at Denver instead) due to scheduling conflict with the Orioles.

As mostly 'old-school' as I am, I think the whole defending-Champ hosting the first game, unfurling the Banner in front of their fans, on a different prior night to Opening Sunday is a good idea. Perhaps one that should have been applied much earlier. Who agrees? Who would rather have it that all teams simply start together on the first Sunday (there's a slight side to me that agrees)? Or would some rather the 'Kickoff Game' be on the (Sat) night before - whether it'd be the defending-Champ doing the hosting or simply any two random teams as the case with some of those late-'70s/early-'80s Sat night openers, most if not all of those actually being hosted by Tampa Bay?


Thoughts?

74_75_78_79_ wrote:A relatively new concept, it's actually now in its 17th-straight year - the past 15 of those involving the previous year's defending-SB-Champ, with 2013 being the only one in which the Champ (Ravens) didn't host (game at Denver instead) due to scheduling conflict with the Orioles.

As mostly 'old-school' as I am, I think the whole defending-Champ hosting the first game, unfurling the Banner in front of their fans, on a different prior night to Opening Sunday is a good idea. Perhaps one that should have been applied much earlier. Who agrees? Who would rather have it that all teams simply start together on the first Sunday (there's a slight side to me that agrees)? Or would some rather the 'Kickoff Game' be on the (Sat) night before - whether it'd be the defending-Champ doing the hosting or simply any two random teams as the case with some of those late-'70s/early-'80s Sat night openers, most if not all of those actually being hosted by Tampa Bay?


Thoughts?

Under the Sports Broadcasting Act, NFL games cannot be televised on Friday nights or Saturdays during the regular high school and college football seasons.

Defending Champ earns the Opening Game, IMO. They won the SB last season and should be able to unveil the banner in front of their fans. I like some of the matchups this game has created over the years, some nice rematches. In other sports the defending champ typically plays the opening game or on opening night - NHL Cup champ, MLB WS winner, etc.

I don’t have a problem with the champs hosting a Thursday night opener. I think everyone is ready for the season to start and the sooner the better. Having said that, I don’t care even a little bit about the Eagles or Falcons. I hope they peck each other to death.

In 1950 the NFL effectively staged just such a game as the Kickoff game, with the Browns playing the Eagles, AAFC champ vs. NFL champ, on Saturday night. Very famous game.

The Eagles had defended their 1948 championship by playing the opening game of 1949 as well, on a Thursday night. They didn't host, they played in New York. Not against the Giants, but against the awful New York Bulldogs. Oddly, the AAFC New York Yankees also played at home that night, though it wasn't an opener for the AAFC (their season had been going on for a couple of weeks.) It rained, and both games drew poorly.

Other than 1950, the only time the NFL really scheduled a game to highlight the teams was in 1966, when the Packers hosted the Colts in a repeat of the 1965 playoff game. Packers had an easier time of it there, winning 24-3.

There are some other oddball cases, like the few times Tampa hosted an early game on Saturday night. The weirdest one came in 1970. Merging league, Monday Night Football, Chiefs against the Vikings in the first week. Perfect time to do something special. How about... the Giants hosting the Bears on Saturday night? Not stellar franchises at the time, though quite venerable. But that wasn't even the opener. The opener was the Rams hosting the Cardinals on Friday night! I have read the stories leading up to the game, and there is no indication of why the NFL decided to start that season on a Friday.

I still prefer the NFL season to start Sunday afternoon with all 32 teams in action. But this is nothing to raise a big stink over. It's a big primetime TV night and the NFL can step in and dominate the ratings that evening

The NFL had planned Friday night games in 1964, but that got shot down quickly because of the Broadcasting Act. However, the Rams played some Friday night games later in the decade, along with the Giants. Anyone know why they got a pass?

BD Sullivan wrote:The NFL had planned Friday night games in 1964, but that got shot down quickly because of the Broadcasting Act. However, the Rams played some Friday night games later in the decade, along with the Giants. Anyone know why they got a pass?

Well, they can play on Friday nights or Saturdays, but the TV broadcasts have to be blocked out locally.
[EDITED] Actually, the broadcasts have to be blacked out in any area within 75 miles of a high school or college game whose attendance might be affect. In practice, that probably means just about the entire country.

IIRC the Tampa Bay Bucaneers opened the NFL season at home on Saturday Nights in the late 70s-early 80s (I remember a game against Detroit and another against Minnesota). I remember a topic on the forum that those games weren't broadcasted nationally.

Around thatr time, in the second week of the season usually was a Thursday Night game broadcasted by ABC (IIRC a couple of times at Denver and I think the Patriots and/or Jets played in another).

Teo wrote:IIRC the Tampa Bay Bucaneers opened the NFL season at home on Saturday Nights in the late 70s-early 80s (I remember a game against Detroit and another against Minnesota). I remember a topic on the forum that those games weren't broadcasted nationally.

Around thatr time, in the second week of the season usually was a Thursday Night game broadcasted by ABC (IIRC a couple of times at Denver and I think the Patriots and/or Jets played in another).

They did do that. Curious as to why Tampa had those Saturday openers? Was there some regular event that happened at the Sombrero on Sunday early September back then?