I'd like to say I waited all day for this story, but that's just not true. That's not important now, however. The 2011 NFL schedule is out. If you would rather not read about me overanalyzing the biggest occurrence since the NFL combine, click here for the schedule. For everyone else, let's get to it. And for those of you that were hoping for some night games, you're in for a treat.
The biggest surprise of all is that the Jaguars have staked a claim on not one, not two, but three prime time games. The Jaguars play two Monday night games, one against the Ravens and the other against the Chargers, and one Thursday night game agains the Falcons. Both Monday night games will be in Jacksonville, and the other prime time game will be a short trip up to Atlanta.
I highly doubt the NFL schedules games to sell certain venues, but one has to wonder why the Jaguars play host to two Monday Night Football games. There's really no way to know, but I do believe the NFL just threw Jacksonville a bone with those games.
On the other hand, the Jaguars were virtually bound to at least one prime time game. The Jaguars play a lot of quality teams that certainly deserved prime time games. The question is; can the Jaguars start winning games at night?
The Jaguars will open the regular season against the Tennessee Titans on September 11 at 1:00 PM.* This is a game that is not only winnable; it's a should win game. This is a team with a new coach that can't talk to his players and no starting quarterback.
This will be a very fun year to be a Jaguars fan. We get to watch a team really start to come into its own. There's no reason not to be excited about a year like this. I can't promise you that the Jaguars will win the division, but I can promise you it'll be a hell of a ride.
* = The Jaguars' season starts on September 11 if the owners and players are able to find a way to split approximately 9 billion dollars.