2012 Redskins Schedule Released Today

ESPN can request games, so can NFLN and NBC for Sunday Nights.

You'd think the games would go to the highest bidders. I think the league prefers the week's premier game to be on Sunday Nights, but ESPN does pay MUCH more per game than the other networks. Monday Night Football match-ups have not been great for a few years, so apparently the league is getting its way no matter how much someone spends for game rights.


ESPN pays $112,500,000 per game in a $1.9 billion per season deal. NBC, Fox and CBS pay just over $1 billion each season.

What goes into it from ESPN's end? From the story, it sounds like ESPN puts in requests for what games it wants, and then the NFL decides who gets what games.

Also, not sure if you can answer this, but does the NFL decide on the weekly schedule first and then decide what games will be the primetime matchups?

Yeah ESPN will build out multiple scenarios/schedules. Taking into account various factors.

There is a lot of back and forth with ESPN and the league (and indirectly the other networks). For example, let's say the NFL tells NBC we want that Bucanneers vs. Falcons game in early October because ESPN working on renewing a deal with the cable affiliate in Tampa and we want to apply some pressure marketing and heavy advertising in October, then the NFL will come back to ESPN and say "that Ravens game you wanted in November, NBC wants that now in exchange for giving you the Tampa game."

Or Fox could say we've got no room on the schedule for a 1pm Dolphins game and Miami doesn't want it at 4pm because the Heat are already playing at home and traffic would be a mess, so the NFL puts them on the road that week and so on.

Ultimately, it's what the NFL wants to do. But there is a lot of back and forth negotiating.

There are also contractual obligations regarding prime time games. Some that are known, like max number of prime time games for each team. Others that are not as well known, such as geographic obligations.

ESPN can request games, so can NFLN and NBC for Sunday Nights.

You'd think the games would go to the highest bidders. I think the league prefers the week's premier game to be on Sunday Nights, but ESPN does pay MUCH more per game than the other networks. Monday Night Football match-ups have not been great for a few years, so apparently the league is getting its way no matter how much someone spends for game rights.


ESPN pays $112,500,000 per game in a $1.9 billion per season deal. NBC, Fox and CBS pay just over $1 billion each season.

Well the multi-billion dollar deal for ESPN involves a lot more than just games. ESPN has a lot more non-game programming than the other networks. Though, of course, games are what's most important

Ross Tucker was talking about scheduling and he threw out some numbers, like computers churn out 40000 scenarios initially, then through additional criteria and stuff the number gets down to around 150 schedule scenarios that are individually mulled over until the final version is chosen. Does that sound about right SS? and if that is a 16 game season, how in the world do the other leagues with 100+ games per team per season, get their schedules made. Sounds like nightmares!

Ross Tucker was talking about scheduling and he threw out some numbers, like computers churn out 40000 scenarios initially, then through additional criteria and stuff the number gets down to around 150 schedule scenarios that are individually mulled over until the final version is chosen. Does that sound about right SS? and if that is a 16 game season, how in the world do the other leagues with 100+ games per team per season, get their schedules made. Sounds like nightmares!

From ESPN's end, there are no computer simulated scenarios. It's all people operated.

And yes, 100+ game seasons are insane. Tennis is particularly difficult.

At ESPN in particular, there are specific teams of people assigned to various sports as well as news and info.

So everybody will work on their own schedules and casually interact with other sport teams.

Then every Tuesday morning, we'd have a free for all meeting. Well not a free for all per se, but it can get intense. "I have to schedule an NBA doubleheader this Friday. But I have to put a NASCAR race on ESPN2 at 9pm. But PBA bought 2 hours of time for a bowling tournament. But I have to get 18 hours of tennis programming in this week and 55% has to be on ESPN or ESPN2. But we're expecting the NFL to make their announcement this Friday night so we have to be prepared to go all night with SportsCenter. And so on.

Lot of "fun" to work through all the scenarios.

Well the multi-billion dollar deal for ESPN involves a lot more than just games. ESPN has a lot more non-game programming than the other networks. Though, of course, games are what's most important
Yep, and rights to show the other networks' highlights too, correct?

Is the NFL Network a private enterprise or run by the league?

Yep, and rights to show the other networks' highlights too, correct?

Is the NFL Network a private enterprise or run by the league?

You'd be surprised as the limitations NFL had on ESPN prior to the new deal. Lot of seemingly minor stuff

technically run by the league

WTF I don't see a Sunday night game!

It's a perfect schedule for our situation though like you guys said. We could be 6-2 even halfway through, on the other hand I'll say if we're worse than .500 at that point it should be a huge disappointment.

we are the only team in the NFC East that does not get a SNF game!!!!!

Good. Eff Redskins Sunday night games. And eff Redskins Monday night games too.

A man needs his beauty sleep anyway.

It's a beast of a job. Working on scheduling was one of my most demanding, yet satisfying jobs ever

How tough was it when you got something basically set in stone like Skins vs Cowboys for a Monday night, and then Jerrah calls back and says "I just signed Nickleback for a 5 night stand at Jerryworld for all the douchebags in Dallas, its basically our adopted hometown band. I must change the Monday night game b/c of this conflict."

Is it back to the drawing board or do you tell Jerry to go to hell? Or do you try to score some Nickleback tickets?

LOL. It's basically back to the drawing board.