Why is the ARI-CAR game the Sat night game? (1 Viewer)

[Gadabout]

There's nothing wrong with the ARZ/CAR game. There should be plenty of points put up by big names.

I don't see why this is even an issue.

 

[Chase Stuart]

For the large contingent here that thinks Sat night is a bad TV slot, can you explain why we always seem to get Manning or Brady or the Cowboys or Steelers during that slot?

I'd think that Saturday has gotten high profile games in the past because its the best chance that the NFL has to get viewers during an atypical time slot. Regardless of the game... the NFL owns Sunday. It does them little good to put the Boys or Steelers there, because fans will be watching even if its the Browns-Raiders. That's not the case on Saturday. Bengals game = me at bar. Colts... maybe not.All that said.... I was pretty sure the playoff game times were scheduled a long while back ( based on final season rankings and network contracts, etc ). I didn't think the teams involved had **any** bearing on what games were at what time during the playoffs.

The NFL may have had to choose which conference would get that game awhile back, but I don't know why they'd have to pick the team before the season ended. And while the Giants game looks better now than it could have been (i.e., Giants-Minnesota would be less appealing to me than Falcons-Panthers), I would think they'd have wanted the NY audience in that slot.I must be alone in this, but Arizona-Carolina doesn't excite me. It's certainly got the potential to be very good and maybe this thread will look silly, but it's certainly got the least hype of all the games.

 

[RBM]

I like the matchup...Warner, Fitz, D-Willy Steve Smith.Playoff football is all good.

 

[PranksterJD]

For the large contingent here that thinks Sat night is a bad TV slot, can you explain why we always seem to get Manning or Brady or the Cowboys or Steelers during that slot?

I'd think that Saturday has gotten high profile games in the past because its the best chance that the NFL has to get viewers during an atypical time slot. Regardless of the game... the NFL owns Sunday. It does them little good to put the Boys or Steelers there, because fans will be watching even if its the Browns-Raiders. That's not the case on Saturday. Bengals game = me at bar. Colts... maybe not.All that said.... I was pretty sure the playoff game times were scheduled a long while back ( based on final season rankings and network contracts, etc ). I didn't think the teams involved had **any** bearing on what games were at what time during the playoffs.

The NFL may have had to choose which conference would get that game awhile back, but I don't know why they'd have to pick the team before the season ended. And while the Giants game looks better now than it could have been (i.e., Giants-Minnesota would be less appealing to me than Falcons-Panthers), I would think they'd have wanted the NY audience in that slot.I must be alone in this, but Arizona-Carolina doesn't excite me. It's certainly got the potential to be very good and maybe this thread will look silly, but it's certainly got the least hype of all the games.

Fair enough. I had always thought it was a "rest" thing... such that the higher seeds got deferred to having more rest for the next game, but NYG plays after CAR. I am officially perplexed. ( Not that it matters, but the Giants wouldn't have played MINN. )

 

[gump]

The Ravens, Panthers, Cardinals, Chargers and Titans are all in the bottom 7-8 teams in NFL licensed sales......if that tells you anything about how "excited" the NFL is about any game that doesn't include Pit, NY, or Philly.

Between April 1, 2006, and Jan. 31, 2007, Chargers merchandise was the fifth-best selling among the league's teamsThat is from the local paper.

Do you a link to that? I'd like to see how they worded it. The best I've seen them ranked for a national retailer who carries all 32 teams is 15th...and I know for a fact that they rank about 25th for 1 of the 2 apparel manufacturers. So for this to be true, it would mean that:a) they sold so many baby blue jerseys and LT jerseys that it vaults them over 20+ teams, andb) they sold more product than 1 of the Cowboys, Steelers, Packers, Bears (top 4) and either the Eagles, Giants, Raiders, or Redskins (next 4). I know the Chargers blue jersey and LT's are both really popular...but that's hard to believe.

 

[Gold Plated Nails]

The Ravens, Panthers, Cardinals, Chargers and Titans are all in the bottom 7-8 teams in NFL licensed sales...

...if that tells you anything about how "excited" the NFL is about any game that doesn't include Pit, NY, or Philly.

Between April 1, 2006, and Jan. 31, 2007, Chargers merchandise was the fifth-best selling among the league's teamsThat is from the local paper.

Do you a link to that? I'd like to see how they worded it. The best I've seen them ranked for a national retailer who carries all 32 teams is 15th...and I know for a fact that they rank about 25th for 1 of the 2 apparel manufacturers. So for this to be true, it would mean that:a) they sold so many baby blue jerseys and LT jerseys that it vaults them over 20+ teams, and

b) they sold more product than 1 of the Cowboys, Steelers, Packers, Bears (top 4) and either the Eagles, Giants, Raiders, or Redskins (next 4).

I know the Chargers blue jersey and LT's are both really popular...but that's hard to believe.

LT won the MVP that season, smashed the TD record, and the Bolts went 14-2. The Chargers bandwagon has grown quite a bit from 2004-05 to now.I am certain this season the Bolts have fallen out of the Top 10 in merchandise sales due mainly to their record, but I highly highly doubt they would fall below the average.

Here is the link --> http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20...17chargers.html (near the end of article)

The NFL only gives top 10 stats as far as I can find.

 

[super sleeper]

Well, as much as I'm enjoying all these theories about why the worst matchup is on Saturday night, it was reported before the playoffs began that the Giants lobbied the league to schedule their games during the day for the fans' sake after being flexed into the Sunday night game a couple of weeks back, forcing the fans to weather below zero wind chills.

 

[Billy Ball Thorton]

Why put the least appealing game on in prime time? You've got a huge fan base and one of the best defenses ever, a team in the NY market that's the defending SB champ, and a match up of classic smash mouth football... and this is the prime time game? Poor decision.

It's the least appealing to you..Not to me.. I sayFANTASTIC DECISION

 

[gump]

The Ravens, Panthers, Cardinals, Chargers and Titans are all in the bottom 7-8 teams in NFL licensed sales...

...if that tells you anything about how "excited" the NFL is about any game that doesn't include Pit, NY, or Philly.

Between April 1, 2006, and Jan. 31, 2007, Chargers merchandise was the fifth-best selling among the league's teamsThat is from the local paper.

Do you a link to that? I'd like to see how they worded it. The best I've seen them ranked for a national retailer who carries all 32 teams is 15th...and I know for a fact that they rank about 25th for 1 of the 2 apparel manufacturers. So for this to be true, it would mean that:a) they sold so many baby blue jerseys and LT jerseys that it vaults them over 20+ teams, and

b) they sold more product than 1 of the Cowboys, Steelers, Packers, Bears (top 4) and either the Eagles, Giants, Raiders, or Redskins (next 4).

I know the Chargers blue jersey and LT's are both really popular...but that's hard to believe.

LT won the MVP that season, smashed the TD record, and the Bolts went 14-2. The Chargers bandwagon has grown quite a bit from 2004-05 to now.I am certain this season the Bolts have fallen out of the Top 10 in merchandise sales due mainly to their record, but I highly highly doubt they would fall below the average.

Here is the link --> http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20...17chargers.html (near the end of article)

The NFL only gives top 10 stats as far as I can find.

No doubt they have risen...they were 28th 2 years ago with the retailer I mentioned to you that currently has them 15th. But 15th is the peak with them.But I'm pretty confident they are lower than 20 now. Retail sales depend on many things, but 1 major characteristic is the Retailer Base. SD does not have as many retail outlets as cities like Houston, Philly, Pittsburgh, or even Tampa. These cities have tons of mass retailers (Walmart, Target, Kmart), mid-tier dept stores (JCP, Kohl's, Sears), sporting goods retailers (Champs, Footlocker, TSA, #####), and fanshops. There just aren't that many outlets in the area (not a bad thing by the way). So a team like SD has to rely on a national interest to grow, which they just don't have like many others.

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

The Ravens, Panthers, Cardinals, Chargers and Titans are all in the bottom 7-8 teams in NFL licensed sales...

...if that tells you anything about how "excited" the NFL is about any game that doesn't include Pit, NY, or Philly.

Between April 1, 2006, and Jan. 31, 2007, Chargers merchandise was the fifth-best selling among the league's teamsThat is from the local paper.

Do you a link to that? I'd like to see how they worded it. The best I've seen them ranked for a national retailer who carries all 32 teams is 15th...and I know for a fact that they rank about 25th for 1 of the 2 apparel manufacturers. So for this to be true, it would mean that:a) they sold so many baby blue jerseys and LT jerseys that it vaults them over 20+ teams, and

b) they sold more product than 1 of the Cowboys, Steelers, Packers, Bears (top 4) and either the Eagles, Giants, Raiders, or Redskins (next 4).

I know the Chargers blue jersey and LT's are both really popular...but that's hard to believe.

LT won the MVP that season, smashed the TD record, and the Bolts went 14-2. The Chargers bandwagon has grown quite a bit from 2004-05 to now.I am certain this season the Bolts have fallen out of the Top 10 in merchandise sales due mainly to their record, but I highly highly doubt they would fall below the average.

Here is the link --> http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20...17chargers.html (near the end of article)

The NFL only gives top 10 stats as far as I can find.

No doubt they have risen...they were 28th 2 years ago with the retailer I mentioned to you that currently has them 15th. But 15th is the peak with them.But I'm pretty confident they are lower than 20 now. Retail sales depend on many things, but 1 major characteristic is the Retailer Base. SD does not have as many retail outlets as cities like Houston, Philly, Pittsburgh, or even Tampa. These cities have tons of mass retailers (Walmart, Target, Kmart), mid-tier dept stores (JCP, Kohl's, Sears), sporting goods retailers (Champs, Footlocker, TSA, #####), and fanshops. There just aren't that many outlets in the area (not a bad thing by the way). So a team like SD has to rely on a national interest to grow, which they just don't have like many others.

Every sports jersey carrying store I go into has the baby blue lt 21 jersey. They wouldnt carry them in Michigan if they didnt sell. Footlocker, etc. all have it

 

[gump]

The Ravens, Panthers, Cardinals, Chargers and Titans are all in the bottom 7-8 teams in NFL licensed sales...

...if that tells you anything about how "excited" the NFL is about any game that doesn't include Pit, NY, or Philly.

Between April 1, 2006, and Jan. 31, 2007, Chargers merchandise was the fifth-best selling among the league's teamsThat is from the local paper.

Do you a link to that? I'd like to see how they worded it. The best I've seen them ranked for a national retailer who carries all 32 teams is 15th...and I know for a fact that they rank about 25th for 1 of the 2 apparel manufacturers. So for this to be true, it would mean that:a) they sold so many baby blue jerseys and LT jerseys that it vaults them over 20+ teams, and

b) they sold more product than 1 of the Cowboys, Steelers, Packers, Bears (top 4) and either the Eagles, Giants, Raiders, or Redskins (next 4).

I know the Chargers blue jersey and LT's are both really popular...but that's hard to believe.

LT won the MVP that season, smashed the TD record, and the Bolts went 14-2. The Chargers bandwagon has grown quite a bit from 2004-05 to now.I am certain this season the Bolts have fallen out of the Top 10 in merchandise sales due mainly to their record, but I highly highly doubt they would fall below the average.

Here is the link --> http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20...17chargers.html (near the end of article)

The NFL only gives top 10 stats as far as I can find.

No doubt they have risen...they were 28th 2 years ago with the retailer I mentioned to you that currently has them 15th. But 15th is the peak with them.But I'm pretty confident they are lower than 20 now. Retail sales depend on many things, but 1 major characteristic is the Retailer Base. SD does not have as many retail outlets as cities like Houston, Philly, Pittsburgh, or even Tampa. These cities have tons of mass retailers (Walmart, Target, Kmart), mid-tier dept stores (JCP, Kohl's, Sears), sporting goods retailers (Champs, Footlocker, TSA, #####), and fanshops. There just aren't that many outlets in the area (not a bad thing by the way). So a team like SD has to rely on a national interest to grow, which they just don't have like many others.

Every sports jersey carrying store I go into has the baby blue lt 21 jersey. They wouldnt carry them in Michigan if they didnt sell. Footlocker, etc. all have it

True...but they also have Brady, Favre, Romo, Peyton, Eli, Urlacher, McNabb, Peterson, etc. No doubt LT has been top 10 though.Jersey sales BTW are plummeting for the NFL right now. Everyone is going to price-points...tees and player tees. The % of sales going to player-specific is shrinking.

 

[Gold Plated Nails]

The Ravens, Panthers, Cardinals, Chargers and Titans are all in the bottom 7-8 teams in NFL licensed sales...

...if that tells you anything about how "excited" the NFL is about any game that doesn't include Pit, NY, or Philly.

Between April 1, 2006, and Jan. 31, 2007, Chargers merchandise was the fifth-best selling among the league's teamsThat is from the local paper.

Do you a link to that? I'd like to see how they worded it. The best I've seen them ranked for a national retailer who carries all 32 teams is 15th...and I know for a fact that they rank about 25th for 1 of the 2 apparel manufacturers. So for this to be true, it would mean that:a) they sold so many baby blue jerseys and LT jerseys that it vaults them over 20+ teams, and

b) they sold more product than 1 of the Cowboys, Steelers, Packers, Bears (top 4) and either the Eagles, Giants, Raiders, or Redskins (next 4).

I know the Chargers blue jersey and LT's are both really popular...but that's hard to believe.

LT won the MVP that season, smashed the TD record, and the Bolts went 14-2. The Chargers bandwagon has grown quite a bit from 2004-05 to now.I am certain this season the Bolts have fallen out of the Top 10 in merchandise sales due mainly to their record, but I highly highly doubt they would fall below the average.

Here is the link --> http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20...17chargers.html (near the end of article)

The NFL only gives top 10 stats as far as I can find.

No doubt they have risen...they were 28th 2 years ago with the retailer I mentioned to you that currently has them 15th. But 15th is the peak with them.But I'm pretty confident they are lower than 20 now. Retail sales depend on many things, but 1 major characteristic is the Retailer Base. SD does not have as many retail outlets as cities like Houston, Philly, Pittsburgh, or even Tampa. These cities have tons of mass retailers (Walmart, Target, Kmart), mid-tier dept stores (JCP, Kohl's, Sears), sporting goods retailers (Champs, Footlocker, TSA, #####), and fanshops. There just aren't that many outlets in the area (not a bad thing by the way). So a team like SD has to rely on a national interest to grow, which they just don't have like many others.

I guess I am confused with what you are writing. 28th two years ago? In 2005 San Diego sold the 6th most NFL licensed merchandise. In 2006 they sold the 5th most, the link I provided even states that 2 years ago they sold the 5th most. So unless you are calling the Union Tribune out, I don't know what else to say. I can not find the results for 2007, but I would guess comming off the AFC Title Appearance they wouldnt fall that much, certainly not into the lower 20s as you suggest.

 

[Phurfur]

I can't believe this tread is still going so here is a solution. Set up the entire league on merchandise sales. They won't even have to play the game the team with the most sales during the week wins. Now there are no more "unattractive game" for some people to worry about.

 

[BassNBrew]

Pittsburgh isn't quite Northeast, no.

Nor is Cleveland or Buffalo.

You must have gone to a LAC10 school because your geography ranks right around Lhucks.

 

[BassNBrew]

Considering that Chase attended a Big10 school, I'll give him a pass for being clueless about "good" football.

 

[Jeff Pasquino]

Pittsburgh isn't quite Northeast, no.

Nor is Cleveland or Buffalo.

You must have gone to a LAC10 school because your geography ranks right around Lhucks.

Might want to check a map.
Latitude-Longitude of several Eastern Cities:[BUF] 42.93 78.73 Buffalo,NY[AGC] 40.35 79.93 Pittsburgh,PA[RIC] 37.50 77.33 Richmond,VA[RDU] 35.87 78.78 Raleigh-Durh,NCBuffalo is nearly straight north of Raleigh and west of Richmond.Pittsburgh is west of all three.

It all depends on how you define "NorthEast".

To me, as someone from the region, it is DC straight north and all parts east of that line.

That's DC, Baltimore, Philly, New York and Boston as the major cities.

 

[ConstruxBoy]

Pittsburgh isn't quite Northeast, no.

Nor is Cleveland or Buffalo.

You must have gone to a LAC10 school because your geography ranks right around Lhucks.

Might want to check a map.
Latitude-Longitude of several Eastern Cities:[BUF] 42.93 78.73 Buffalo,NY[AGC] 40.35 79.93 Pittsburgh,PA[RIC] 37.50 77.33 Richmond,VA[RDU] 35.87 78.78 Raleigh-Durh,NCBuffalo is nearly straight north of Raleigh and west of Richmond.Pittsburgh is west of all three.

It all depends on how you define "NorthEast".

To me, as someone from the region, it is DC straight north and all parts east of that line.

That's DC, Baltimore, Philly, New York and Boston as the major cities.

I would bet that people not from the region would throw BUF, PIT and CLE in there as well. And frankly, they have a good point. Does anyone really consider those cities as the MidWest? I doubt it. Here's what we need: MidEast. From DC to CLE, down to West Virginia. East of that is MidAtlantic. South of it is MidSouth (Memphis, Nashville). West is MidWest. What do you think?

 

[JZilla]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...d_Divisions.PNG

The Census Bureau has spoken

 

[robertd52]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...d_Divisions.PNG

The Census Bureau has spoken

Well then

 

[Grigs Allmoon]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...d_Divisions.PNG

The Census Bureau has spoken

I suppose that's where they came up with the name of the MAC. I've never really heard of NY/PA called Mid Atlantic, though.

 

[BassNBrew]

Pittsburgh isn't quite Northeast, no.

Nor is Cleveland or Buffalo.

You must have gone to a LAC10 school because your geography ranks right around Lhucks.

Might want to check a map.
Latitude-Longitude of several Eastern Cities:[BUF] 42.93 78.73 Buffalo,NY[AGC] 40.35 79.93 Pittsburgh,PA[RIC] 37.50 77.33 Richmond,VA[RDU] 35.87 78.78 Raleigh-Durh,NCBuffalo is nearly straight north of Raleigh and west of Richmond.Pittsburgh is west of all three.

It all depends on how you define "NorthEast".

To me, as someone from the region, it is DC straight north and all parts east of that line.

That's DC, Baltimore, Philly, New York and Boston as the major cities.

Raleigh is considered east by most of us and if Richmond was much more east it would be under water. This is like saying WA and OR aren't northwest because they're south and east of Palin's porch.

 

[Jeff Pasquino]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...d_Divisions.PNG

The Census Bureau has spoken

Gotta love how this thread has devolved into a geography discussion.

Maryland is most certainly a mid-Atlantic state. Seems like 10% of the businesses in Maryland are called "Mid-Atlantic" something or other.

Again, states aren't regional lines. Buffalo is not a NorthEast city any more than Pittsburgh or Cleveland. It's a Great Lake city which is a different breed altogether.

I can understand people not in the NorthEast to not get that.

 

[Ruffrodys05]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...d_Divisions.PNG

The Census Bureau has spoken

Gotta love how this thread has devolved into a geography discussion.

Maryland is most certainly a mid-Atlantic state. Seems like 10% of the businesses in Maryland are called "Mid-Atlantic" something or other.

Again, states aren't regional lines. Buffalo is not a NorthEast city any more than Pittsburgh or Cleveland. It's a Great Lake city which is a different breed altogether.

I can understand people not in the NorthEast to not get that.

Just stop.

 

[Jeff Pasquino]

Pittsburgh isn't quite Northeast, no.

Nor is Cleveland or Buffalo.

You must have gone to a LAC10 school because your geography ranks right around Lhucks.

Might want to check a map.
Latitude-Longitude of several Eastern Cities: [BUF] 42.93 78.73 Buffalo,NY [AGC] 40.35 79.93 Pittsburgh,PA [RIC] 37.50 77.33 Richmond,VA [RDU] 35.87 78.78 Raleigh-Durh,NCBuffalo is nearly straight north of Raleigh and west of Richmond.Pittsburgh is west of all three.

It all depends on how you define "NorthEast".

To me, as someone from the region, it is DC straight north and all parts east of that line.

That's DC, Baltimore, Philly, New York and Boston as the major cities.

I would bet that people not from the region would throw BUF, PIT and CLE in there as well. And frankly, they have a good point. Does anyone really consider those cities as the MidWest? I doubt it. Here's what we need: MidEast. From DC to CLE, down to West Virginia. East of that is MidAtlantic. South of it is MidSouth (Memphis, Nashville). West is MidWest. What do you think?

I think you're way more in tune that BNB.BUF, PIT and CLE aren't MidWest any more than they are NorthEast.

Not sure what to call that area (not from there) but certainly they're not NorthEastern cities.

Perhaps the Great Lakes Region?

 

[BassNBrew]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...d_Divisions.PNG

The Census Bureau has spoken

Gotta love how this thread has devolved into a geography discussion.

Maryland is most certainly a mid-Atlantic state. Seems like 10% of the businesses in Maryland are called "Mid-Atlantic" something or other.

Again, states aren't regional lines. Buffalo is not a NorthEast city any more than Pittsburgh or Cleveland. It's a Great Lake city which is a different breed altogether.

I can understand people not in the NorthEast to not get that.

Dude, you're from a mid-Atlantic state south of the Mason Dixon line. Your south and east of NY and Boston.Of course I can understand people not in the NorthEast to not get that.

 

[Jeff Pasquino]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...d_Divisions.PNG

The Census Bureau has spoken

Gotta love how this thread has devolved into a geography discussion.

Maryland is most certainly a mid-Atlantic state. Seems like 10% of the businesses in Maryland are called "Mid-Atlantic" something or other.

Again, states aren't regional lines. Buffalo is not a NorthEast city any more than Pittsburgh or Cleveland. It's a Great Lake city which is a different breed altogether.

I can understand people not in the NorthEast to not get that.

Dude, you're from a mid-Atlantic state south of the Mason Dixon line. Your south and east of NY and Boston.Of course I can understand people not in the NorthEast to not get that.

 

[BassNBrew]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...d_Divisions.PNG

The Census Bureau has spoken

Gotta love how this thread has devolved into a geography discussion.

Maryland is most certainly a mid-Atlantic state. Seems like 10% of the businesses in Maryland are called "Mid-Atlantic" something or other.

Again, states aren't regional lines. Buffalo is not a NorthEast city any more than Pittsburgh or Cleveland. It's a Great Lake city which is a different breed altogether.

I can understand people not in the NorthEast to not get that.

Dude, you're from a mid-Atlantic state south of the Mason Dixon line. Your south and east of NY and Boston.Of course I can understand people not in the NorthEast to not get that.

Excuse the typo. West. Point is that you're not in the northeast.

 

[Jeff Pasquino]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...d_Divisions.PNG

The Census Bureau has spoken

Gotta love how this thread has devolved into a geography discussion.

Maryland is most certainly a mid-Atlantic state. Seems like 10% of the businesses in Maryland are called "Mid-Atlantic" something or other.

Again, states aren't regional lines. Buffalo is not a NorthEast city any more than Pittsburgh or Cleveland. It's a Great Lake city which is a different breed altogether.

I can understand people not in the NorthEast to not get that.

Dude, you're from a mid-Atlantic state south of the Mason Dixon line. Your south and east of NY and Boston.Of course I can understand people not in the NorthEast to not get that.

Excuse the typo. West. Point is that you're not in the northeast.

NorthEast CorridorAre we done with the hijack yet?

 

[gump]

I guess I am confused with what you are writing. 28th two years ago? In 2005 San Diego sold the 6th most NFL licensed merchandise. In 2006 they sold the 5th most, the link I provided even states that 2 years ago they sold the 5th most. So unless you are calling the Union Tribune out, I don't know what else to say. I can not find the results for 2007, but I would guess comming off the AFC Title Appearance they wouldnt fall that much, certainly not into the lower 20s as you suggest.

Yes, I'm saying I believe the paper is inaccurate. The data I see on a daily basis paints a far different picture than they report. Unless they are referring to one category...like player jerseys.

I can't believe this tread is still going so here is a solution. Set up the entire league on merchandise sales. They won't even have to play the game the team with the most sales during the week wins. Now there are no more "unattractive game" for some people to worry about.

We got a little off topic, but merch sales do give the NFL an idea of how many displaced fans there are for a particular team. How many Giants fans in FL, how many Raiders fans in NE, etc.The number of displaced fans who will participate to some degree in the SB correlates to how much money the NFL makes on the event.It's obviously not the only factor, but along with market size tells the NFL a lot in advance.

 

[rock753]

Maybe it's the least appealing match-up by some standards (I'd argue a 13-6 Titans-Ravens game might cause a wide audience to nod off) but it's hardly an unappealing game. There will be far more offensive studs on display in ARI-CAR than in any other match-up.

Out of all the games, this is the one that will feature the O. Regular people like the O. O excites people and creates new fans. This game will create more new fans than any other...O baby, all about the O.

 

[Tom Servo]

A primer for those living south of Virginia and west of Indiana:

Boston - NY - Philly - Washington = NE corridor

Cleveland = Great Lakes region (aka "The North Coast" as the locals like to say)

Pittsburgh and Buffalo = neither northeast nor great lakes

A primer for those living in NY - Boston area:

Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Buffalo, etc = "Fly over country"

HTH

 

[Grigs Allmoon]

I think you're way more in tune that BNB.

BUF, PIT and CLE aren't MidWest any more than they are NorthEast.

Not sure what to call that area (not from there) but certainly they're not NorthEastern cities.

Perhaps the Great Lakes Region?

Being a transplanted Western New Yorker, I don't know how many times I've had to correct people that assume Buffalo is a stones throw from NYC and the Atlantic coast. It usually surprises folks when I tell them that Buffalo is as far from NYC as it is Grand Rapids, MI (where I live now.)

 

[simey]

Maryland is most certainly a mid-Atlantic state. Seems like 10% of the businesses in Maryland are called "Mid-Atlantic" something or other.

Again, states aren't regional lines. Buffalo is not a NorthEast city any more than Pittsburgh or Cleveland. It's a Great Lake city which is a different breed altogether.

I can understand people not in the NorthEast to not get that.

Baltimore is a Northeastern city.

The Northeast is a region of the United States.The Northeast region covers nine states which are: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.The main cities include Washington, D.C., New York City, and Boston. Other cities include Baltimore, Maryland and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Pittsburgh is a Northeastern city.

Pittsburgh is city on seven hills filled with the warmth of its residents, many of whom have roots here spanning generations. The city boasts a very low cost of living compared to other cities in the Northeastern U.S., attracting many people to make their new home here.

The primary reason is that Pittsburgh like other older northeastern cities has a declining population and an increasing number of abandoned buildings.

He has his work cut out for him. Two years ago, the state pulled Pittsburgh back from the brink of bankruptcy. "We're upside-down financially, as many Northeastern cities are," Pittsburgh Tribune Review columnist Joseph Mistick said. "We have more revenues going out than coming in."

 

[Chase Stuart]

Pittsburgh is not a NE city. Period. I don't think there's a single person from there that would argue as such.

 

[ConstruxBoy]

Maybe it's the least appealing match-up by some standards (I'd argue a 13-6 Titans-Ravens game might cause a wide audience to nod off) but it's hardly an unappealing game. There will be far more offensive studs on display in ARI-CAR than in any other match-up.

Out of all the games, this is the one that will feature the O. Regular people like the O. O excites people and creates new fans. This game will create more new fans than any other...O baby, all about the O.

Are you going to give her your O face?

 

[Liquid Tension]

You know they play the 4-5 games before they play the 3-6 games, right?

at Chase (the East Coast guy) complaining about scheduling.

Pardon my ignorance but why would anyone say that being on the East coast is better for the scheduling they give us? Monday night football and night games end so late here it isn't funny. I understand that night games start at 5:30 or so on the west coast, but most people I know (and I run a national company and they start at 5:30-6 am on the west coast) on the west coast don't work 9-5, it tends to be more 7-3 or so. Just asking because a few posts had the same message

 

[Liquid Tension]

The Ravens, Panthers, Cardinals, Chargers and Titans are all in the bottom 7-8 teams in NFL licensed sales...

...if that tells you anything about how "excited" the NFL is about any game that doesn't include Pit, NY, or Philly.

Between April 1, 2006, and Jan. 31, 2007, Chargers merchandise was the fifth-best selling among the league's teamsThat is from the local paper.

Do you a link to that? I'd like to see how they worded it. The best I've seen them ranked for a national retailer who carries all 32 teams is 15th...and I know for a fact that they rank about 25th for 1 of the 2 apparel manufacturers. So for this to be true, it would mean that:a) they sold so many baby blue jerseys and LT jerseys that it vaults them over 20+ teams, and

b) they sold more product than 1 of the Cowboys, Steelers, Packers, Bears (top 4) and either the Eagles, Giants, Raiders, or Redskins (next 4).

I know the Chargers blue jersey and LT's are both really popular...but that's hard to believe.

LT won the MVP that season, smashed the TD record, and the Bolts went 14-2. The Chargers bandwagon has grown quite a bit from 2004-05 to now.I am certain this season the Bolts have fallen out of the Top 10 in merchandise sales due mainly to their record, but I highly highly doubt they would fall below the average.

Here is the link --> http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20...17chargers.html (near the end of article)

The NFL only gives top 10 stats as far as I can find.

No doubt they have risen...they were 28th 2 years ago with the retailer I mentioned to you that currently has them 15th. But 15th is the peak with them.But I'm pretty confident they are lower than 20 now. Retail sales depend on many things, but 1 major characteristic is the Retailer Base. SD does not have as many retail outlets as cities like Houston, Philly, Pittsburgh, or even Tampa. These cities have tons of mass retailers (Walmart, Target, Kmart), mid-tier dept stores (JCP, Kohl's, Sears), sporting goods retailers (Champs, Footlocker, TSA, #####), and fanshops. There just aren't that many outlets in the area (not a bad thing by the way). So a team like SD has to rely on a national interest to grow, which they just don't have like many others.

Every sports jersey carrying store I go into has the baby blue lt 21 jersey. They wouldnt carry them in Michigan if they didnt sell. Footlocker, etc. all have it

True...but they also have Brady, Favre, Romo, Peyton, Eli, Urlacher, McNabb, Peterson, etc. No doubt LT has been top 10 though.Jersey sales BTW are plummeting for the NFL right now. Everyone is going to price-points...tees and player tees. The % of sales going to player-specific is shrinking.

I have stopped buying players Jerseys and instead I am buying team jerseys with my name and favorite number on it. I am tired of my favorite player leaving

 

[Tom Servo]

Pittsburgh is not a NE city. Period. I don't think there's a single person from there that would argue as such.

It's over 400 miles to NYC from Pittsburgh.

 

[Kleck]

I have stopped buying players Jerseys and instead I am buying team jerseys with my name and favorite number on it. I am tired of my favorite player leaving

I go with...SEX MACHINE

69

 

[Liquid Tension]

I think you're way more in tune that BNB.

BUF, PIT and CLE aren't MidWest any more than they are NorthEast.

Not sure what to call that area (not from there) but certainly they're not NorthEastern cities.

Perhaps the Great Lakes Region?

Being a transplanted Western New Yorker, I don't know how many times I've had to correct people that assume Buffalo is a stones throw from NYC and the Atlantic coast. It usually surprises folks when I tell them that Buffalo is as far from NYC as it is Grand Rapids, MI (where I live now.)

Buffalo and Pittsburgh are about the same distance from the Giants

 

[Grigs Allmoon]

I have stopped buying players Jerseys and instead I am buying team jerseys with my name and favorite number on it. I am tired of my favorite player leaving

I go with...SEX MACHINE

69

I recently heard a Lions fan suggest this:OWEN

16

 

[BassNBrew]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...d_Divisions.PNG

The Census Bureau has spoken

Gotta love how this thread has devolved into a geography discussion.

Maryland is most certainly a mid-Atlantic state. Seems like 10% of the businesses in Maryland are called "Mid-Atlantic" something or other.

Again, states aren't regional lines. Buffalo is not a NorthEast city any more than Pittsburgh or Cleveland. It's a Great Lake city which is a different breed altogether.

I can understand people not in the NorthEast to not get that.

Dude, you're from a mid-Atlantic state south of the Mason Dixon line. Your south and east of NY and Boston.Of course I can understand people not in the NorthEast to not get that.

Excuse the typo. West. Point is that you're not in the northeast.

NorthEast CorridorAre we done with the hijack yet?

So a rail line now defines geography? If you ain't north of the m-d line, you're not in the northeast even if there's some steel and sticks you can see from your front porch.

 

[joefootball]

This is the most retarted hi jack ever.

 

[Tom Servo]

This is the most retarted hi jack ever.

Coming from someone who misspelled two words, that's saying something.

 

[tombonneau]

This is the most retarted hi jack ever.

Coming from someone who misspelled two words, that's saying something.

Technically, "hijack" was merely interrupted, not misspelled.

 

[Ramblin Wreck]

Pittsburgh is not a NE city. Period. I don't think there's a single person from there that would argue as such.

It's over 400 miles to NYC from Pittsburgh.

It's about 400 miles from Baltimore to Boston. I suppose Baltimore cannot be in the NE then.It's also 500 miles from San Diego to San Francisco. They are both in the west.

 

[North]

Why put the least appealing game on in prime time? You've got a huge fan base and one of the best defenses ever, a team in the NY market that's the defending SB champ, and a match up of classic smash mouth football... and this is the prime time game? Poor decision.

Not to mention that the Ravens are the only team of the 8 remaining that has to play on 6 days rest! Why does SD get 8 days?

 

[teamramrod]

You got balls of pure brass complaining about those start times.Try dragging your a## out of bed at 9:30 in the morning. Brutal.

Tell me about it. Wake up call for Playmates is 10 am. Then i need a good hours of sleep after all three get up and leave.MUUUHHAHHAPeace

 

[stevegamer]

Wow.

Buffalo is a Great Lakes city - it's on Lake Erie. That just happens to be one of Great Lakes.

 

[Die]

Pittsburgh is not a NE city. Period. I don't think there's a single person from there that would argue as such.

The state of Pennsylvania was one of the original 13 colonies. Hard to say its not in the northeast. However, Pittsburgh was not a city when the nation was founded. It was a western garrison called Fort Pitt. Even further back, the site was originally founded by the French in 1754 at the Three Rivers site who called it Fort Duquesne. The British defeated them in part by lying to the local Delaware and Shawnee tribes, promising they'd leave the area, and erected Fort Pitt on the site. The lie led to Pontiac's Rebellion. After the British defeated the uprising, they abandoned the site in 1772, and claim to the area was disputed between Pennsylvania and Virginia. Virginia took control and renamed it Fort Dunmore in honor of Virginia's Governor Lord Dunmore. Eventually it fell back into Pennsylvanian hands after the Revolution. The City had been named after Sir William Pitt, a scotsman, and the name of the city was perhaps originally intended to be Pittsburra (as in Edinburgh, England). Eventually it came to be known as Pittsburgh, and then Pittsburg, and then finally back to Pittsburgh.Its a complicated history, but after careful review of all the facts, I hereby award Pittsburgh to the French. Congratulations.