Bills contact NFL about fairness in scheduling
 

The Buffalo Bills want a level playing field when it comes to their schedule. The team's website points out that six of the team's opponents have had extra time to prepare for Bills games because they faced Buffalo after a bye week or a "Thursday Night Football" game.

That's the highest total in the league, with the Atlanta Falcons up next with four such games. The Bills have taken their complaints to the NFL.

"We certainly have talked to the league about this because it’s been disappointing where teams are coming off a bye or a long week," Bills President and CEO Russ Brandon told WGR. "This (Sunday) is the second time we're playing the Jets coming off a Thursday night game and now we're playing them coming off a bye.

"We lead the league in amount of games coming off of extra time or a bye week. It is a very, very tough job what they have in scheduling with all the different things that go into the formula and the stadium commitments and TV schedules, but it's certainly something that needs to be addressed."

It's hard to take this complaint too seriously. Teams that repeatedly play on "Monday Night Football" are also at a disadvantage the following week, but teams love that spotlight. This is a scheduling quirk that should be avoided, and it's unfortunate for this year's Bills. But it probably happens every now and then, and we don't remember another team raising the issue publicly.

There's also the question of whether any data supports the notion that extra time actually helps a team. Previous numbers have suggested that teams coming off a bye get a modest advantage at best. We've asked our research department for recent numbers on that, and will follow up here later.

I've always thought that there should only be two bye weeks. Half the league on one....half the league on the other.

Sounds like a reasonable complaint, though I doubt it changes anything.

Very reasonable complaint. The schedule makers have plenty of time to get shit all situated. I would bet they'll pay a bit more attention to this sort of thing going forward.

Only way I see them change it is maybe they take the Thursday night game out and do a double header on Sunday night or even play a Saturday night game.

Small Market Team.


They are ****ed.

Reasonable yes but with that team I don't think it mattered all that much.

I would rather see 8 (one for each division).

I love the Saturday night idea,in fact it would be ****ing awesome if KC could get a Saturday night play-off game.

Get rid of the Thursday night games, problem solved. Make double headers on Monday night.

Never happen.

The NFL has crossed the threshold of taking games OFF the schedule. From now on, they'll only be adding games.

this is still a newer(?) complaint. there is no precedent since Goddell and the shit league just starting adding Thursday night games for a FULL SEASON.

It wasn't a problem before because there wasnt Thursday night games starting in Week 1 to Week 16 like there is now. I think it's valid, and even worse cause the league wants to extend to TWO Thursday night games eventually? This occurrence will pop up a lot more then with scheduling.

I like this idea a lot. Each division has a bye week where all 4 teams take that week off.
Good idea.

Sounds familiar.

I'm cool with that. You could really shorten it down to 4 and give two divisions a week off.

They will never get rid of the Thursday Night games. They are even testing the market to see about having more games on Thursday nights.
I also like the idea of divisional bye weeks.

I've thought the exact same thing. Would make it fair for everybody.

If it were the Chiefs instead of the Bills we would have noticed and not blown it off so easily.
That is a big disadvantage for the Bills.

Link?

I’m good with that. Collinsworth said the same thing on Inside the NFL. That and because of the short prep time for those that played Sunday we're seeing an inferior product on Thursday.

Andy Reid is 17-2 coming off that extra prep time...so yeah there is an advantage for elite coaches. Guys like Fox/DelRio probably not much difference though.

I have always thought they should go with divisional bye weeks and put those teams coming off bye weeks on Thursday games.

Thank you

If this were the Chiefs I would be in meltdown mode if we weren't undefeated.

They should only have Thursday night games during weeks 4-13 and bye weeks 3-12. Schedule it so that if you play on a Thursday night game you have a bye the previous week. The 20 teams that play Thursday night games would get a slightly shorter bye week but then get a few extra days to prepare for the next game.

It's probably a reasonable question, but wait until they start shipping teams off to London every week. It'll be even worse.

Dear Mr. Brandon,

Thank you for your latest inquiry on our scheduling for the 2013-14 season.

We will review and respond to your inquiry as time facilitates.

My time is occupied at the present by John Elway's constant leaving of voice mail message F bombs on how on earth we could have screwed the Broncos with their schedule of Kansas City coming off a bye week to Denver and playing them two weeks later with going to New England sandwiched in between.

Who knew KC would be unbeaten at this time of the year?

Regards and Kindly Go Fist Yourselves,
Roger Goodell

this

I know this year in College Football the Buckeyes played four games in a row against opponents coming off a bye week. Saban and the Crimson Tide complained about it a couple years ago because they faced the same thing many times.

Great idea of divisional bye weeks.

That might actually be perfect if you also require that everyone coming off a bye week must play a division game after the bye so that no one has an advantage.

The "half the league takes a bye in 2 weeks" idea wont fly because the NFL can't afford to lose 8 games in two of their weeks, they need at least 12 each week. Your idea would work because it gives them 12 games for 8 weeks and 16 games for the other 9 weeks to sell to their TV partners.

But they were all Big Ten teams, so that doesn't count. LMAO

I despise the Thrusday night games. That said, scheduling thursday night games to include teams that were on bye the week prior would make the most sense. Two birds, one stone.

Definitely. The way the NFL does the byes is really odd.

They could easily just have at least 2 divisions each week, making for 4 bye weeks. Could just make it week 8, 9, 10, 11. Or even what you said, half and half. Done.

That is no way to treat our Ambassadors to Canada.

Meh, pussies. Play the schedule you're given.

Shouldn't this have been brought up when they were deciding the schedule or right after schedule release? Why now, when the NFL season is more than halfway done.

Teams need the extra lead time to get over the wall to Canadia

Ever hear the saying, “the low tide exposes the rocks”?
Just a thought.

I can see their complaint, my manager can't even get my schedule right on a weekly basis at taco bell