1 Thing NFL Coaches, Players Don't Want to See on Schedule
Analysis 5/10/23
The release of the full 2023 NFL schedule on Thursday gave fans reasons for elation. But it also gave NFL coaches and players headaches.
The 33rd Team's coaches and former players weighed in on the one thing they never liked seeing on their team's schedule when it was released.
What Coaches, Players Dread on Schedule
Mike Martz: Hall of Fame Game, Thursday Travel
The Hall of Fame Game is one. We did it with the St. Louis Rams in 2001, and we had a Super Bowl at the end of the season. That extra game meant we ended up playing 24 games that season. We had that as the fifth preseason game, then 16 regular-season games, two playoff games and the Super Bowl. It was a long, long season. That extra week always made it harder.
The other thing I never liked to see was traveling on a short week. Those are the things that would really bother me. You’d play a game on Sunday and then have to play a Thursday night game across the country, that’s hard on everybody.
Mike Martz is a former NFL head coach and offensive coordinator, most notably for the St. Louis Rams. He was the OC for the Rams’ "Greatest Show on Turf" offense in 1999 when they won Super Bowl XXXIV. As head coach, he led the Rams to two division titles, and an appearance in Super Bowl XXXVI.
Rich Gannon: Late-Season Road Divisional Games
As a former player, once the schedule came out, the first thing I looked at was where the division games were on the road. When I was in Minnesota, I didn't want to go to Green Bay or Chicago in December. I always hoped our road games against those two teams would happen before Halloween.
It was the same thing when I was in the AFC West. I didn't want to go to Denver or even Kansas City in December. So anyway, that's one of the things that you look for when the schedule drops. As a quarterback, we always worry about bad weather games, whether it's snow, even more importantly, the rain. When conditions make it difficult to play, throw and grip the football, it has an effect on your ability to function in the passing game.
When you look at the schedule, you're always looking at the divisional games late in the season and whether or not they're home games or away games. You want them to be home games.
Rich Gannon played 18 seasons in the NFL and won the league’s Most Valuable Player award in 2002 when he led the Oakland Raiders to Super Bowl XXXVII. Follow him on Twitter at @RichGannon12.
Robert Smith: No Late-Season Games in Cold
No games in Green Bay or Chicago in the month of January. I remember walking into the Metrodome before the new U.S. Bank Stadium was up there in Minnesota. Walk in on game day, sometimes in late December or early in mid-January, and I was just thanking the high heavens that we had an indoor field.
An outdoor game in Chicago or Green Bay is basically the last thing you want to see. You also don't want to see Miami or Arizona in September or late August.
Robert Smith is a former NFL running back for the Minnesota Vikings and a two-time Pro Bowler. His career with the Vikings earned him a spot on the 50 Greatest Vikings list. Follow him on Twitter at @Robert26Smith.
Chuck Pagano: TNF After Road Game
You don't want a Thursday night game where it falls after a road game. One year, we had road game in Los Angeles vs. the Chargers, then we were home for Denver. The (Sunday) road game was a 5:40 p.m. kickoff, and we did not get home until the wee hours on Monday morning. No coaches went home on that short, short week.
Chuck Pagano is a former NFL head coach and assistant. He is best known for his tenure with the Indianapolis Colts where he won two straight AFC North titles.
Eric Mangini: Key Divisional Game on Short Week
You don't want a pivotal division game on a short week late in the season. When potential playoffs, seeding and home playoff games are on the line, you want coaches and players to have the full week to prepare and be as fresh as possible.
Eric Mangini is a former NFL Head Coach and won three Super Bowls as the defensive backs coach of the New England Patriots. In 2006, he became the then-youngest head coach in the NFL with the New York Jets.
Dave Wannstedt: Monday Night on the Road
There is nothing worse than a Monday Night Football road game.
Dave Wannstedt is a former head coach of the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins. Follow him on Twitter at @CoachWannstedt.