NFL releases 2011 schedule

In the midst of a looming lock out the NFL released the 2011 schedules yesterday. Hopefully we all don't get our hopes up just to have them shattered by the season not taking place. Since the matter is not in the hands of the fans let’s take a look at some of the highlights of this year schedule and keep our fingers crossed we get to see them. 

• Once again the Super Bowl champions will open the season three days ahead of the rest when the Green Bay Packers host the New Orleans Saints on Thursday night September 8th, 2011.

• The rest of the season will kick off on Sunday September 11th. To commerate the ten year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks there will be two games in Washington and New York. The Washington Redskins will play host to the New York Giants in an afternoon match-up and the New York Jets will welcome the once titled "America's Team" Dallas Cowboys to the Meadowlands for the night game.

• This year's Thanksgiving Day triple header will start with the Miami Dolphins heading to Texas to play the Cowboys at 12:30 p.m.; Followed by the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions who play at 4:15 p.m. in the Motor City. To conclude the day’s festivities will be a family gathering when John Harbaugh's Baltimore Ravens play host to his brother Jim Harbaugh and his newly acquired San Francisco 49ers.

• Get ready to see a lot of the Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles, Indianapolis Colts, and the New York Jets as all these teams are slated for 5 prime time games this season.

• Speaking of prime time, for the first time in a decade (yes 10 years) the Detroit Lions will play a prime time game. The Chicago Bears come to town on October 10th to play that week's Monday night game.

• Three Super Bowl rematches from within the last half decade will take place this season. Week 7 has the Pittsburgh Steelers heading west to play the Arizona Cardinals in a rematch of Super Bowl XLIII. Also that same week the Indianapolis Colts are bayou bound when they play the New Orleans Saints in a night game rematch of Super Bowl XLIV. Two weeks later on November 6th the New England Patriots will look for redemption of their almost perfect season when the New York Giants come to visit for a rematch of Super Bowl XLII.

• Four teams will be packing up and heading abroad this season in hopes of a win. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Chicago Bears will travel across the pond for a week 7 game in London, England. Also the Washington Redskins and the Buffalo Bills will head to our neighbors to the north territory when they meet in Toronto week 8.

 Normally every year when the schedules come out it marks the time to start looking forward for the season to come. This year though the road ahead doesn't seem as smooth as those before, on the bright side though NFL commissioner Roger Goodell did state "We have every intention of playing the full season." So football fans across the world hang in there and time will tell if we get to enjoy the greatness that is football in the fall. Until then if you want to see the complete schedule for the 2011 season head over to the NFL's website and check them out.


Photo courtesy of Idea go