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New Jersey – So the schedule came out. There is so much hoopla over it. But what does it all mean?
I’ve never been big on writing a lot about the schedule. It’s never been much of a story to me.
Of course it’s fun to see when the games are, especially for people who want to travel to road games, or buy tickets to home games.
But aside from that, what is there to evaluate right now?
Not much.
I find much of the analysis silly.
Players and coaches are always talking about worrying about things you can control.
The schedule isn’t one of them.
You play, who you play, when the NFL tells you to play them.
For players, coaches and the like, they have no power at all on this front.
So if you are a football person, you can’t get caught up in worrying about your schedule, especially in a world where “one game at a time” is emphasized to the nth degree.”
And plus we don’t even know how the final rosters of the Jets’ opponents are going to look once the season starts. The draft hasn’t happened. The undrafted free agents haven’t been signed (underrated aspect of the personnel world). The final cuts are months away.
Also, unfortunately there are going to be injuries to every team between now, and when the Jets play them. The NFL has a 100 percent injury rate. That is right, 100 percent. Every player has something wrong with them.
I hate to be a buzz-kill, but I just don’t get into extensive talk about the schedule this time of year.
Every year Rex Ryan does a conference call with reporters about the schedule the night of the “big” announcement.
I never participate.
It’s just blather.
And I’m not blaming Rex for it being blather. He does it because the media asks him to, and he’s very accommodating.
Bill Parcells would never agree to do this press conference. Bill Belichick doesn’t do it.
Because focusing too much on your schedule can be a distraction.
You focus on one opponent at time.
You can’t worry about a rough patch where you play two games in five days later in the season.
Right now, the Jets have one game to concern themselves with – the Oakland Raiders in Week One.
They literally start preparing now – breaking down all the Raiders games from last year, and breaking down QB Matt Schaub film from Houston, LT Donald Penn film from Tampa Bay, DE/OLB Lamar Woodley from Pittsburgh and so forth.
I do a show every Saturday on SiriusXM NFL Radio with Vic Carucci (11-2, Eastern Time). The producer e-mailed us for show ideas, and mentioned that the big story this week is the schedule.
Obviously, I disagree.
I haven’t told him yet. I’m telling you guys first.
What are you supposed to say about the schedule?
To me, it leads to a lot of mindless rhetoric.
You take it one game at time, and you control what you can control.
I now that is cliché, but it’s the best approach.
April 24, 2104
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