night since the NFLN started this back in 2010. The Giants played in Denver on Thanksgiving day in 2010, did not play a Thursday night game in 2011, were in Carolina in 2012 and Chicago last year. Now in Washington tonight.
The reason I mention this is I believe there is a tremendous advantage to the home team on a short week. Also, is anyone else cheesed off that a very important divisional game is being played on a short week?
Wednesday. They did that due to the Presidential Debates.
I know on BBI it has been mentioned by folks that the Giants have lobbied the league for no home Thursday night games. Traffic concerns I believe was the reasoning.
Its just ridiculous.
Cheer up though, our next short week will be an easier task, we simply have to fly cross country after a Monday night game against the Colts to play a Conference opponent (Seattle) in that hell hole and get royally ass rammed by them.
NYC (and the asurrounding area) has the largest Jewish population outside of Israel. I find this scheduling disrespectful.
Next year they should schedule the Giants vs the Dolphins on roshashana.
NYC (and the asurrounding area) has the largest Jewish population outside of Israel. I find this scheduling disrespectful.
I found this quite odd as well. NYC Public school are closed for 2 days. Nobody at the NFL bothered to check a calendar>?
I could see it being a big deal if the visiting team had to spend a day traveling. In this case, the Giants' flight is under an hour. Or they can drive in about three hours. Their schedule for this week is pretty similar to Washington's. The Redskins had to make a short trip after their game in Philly, and Giants have to make one before tonight's game. It's a challenge, but as Coughlin said, they've done it enough times to know how to manage it.
I hate it and I'm watching on TV.
Thursday Sept 4th
Redskins @ Giants
Link - ( New Window )
The NFL incorporated Thursday night games every week in 2012. The record for home teams that year was 8 - 9. (That's right, a losing record.)
Last year (2013) the home teams had a winning record...10-7.
Total home teams record for the two years is 18-16 or if you insist on adding in the first two games this year it's 20-16 (55.5% winning percentage).
I don't have the time to run the numbers for all the other NFL games, but I assume that a 55.5% winning advantage for home teams on Thursday nights wouldn't be much worse than those on Sundays and Mondays.
That brings the home team winning total to 21-16 and the winning percentage to 56.8.
(Still not the big advantage that people assume.)
Overall, from 2012-2014, visiting teams are 12-14 in TNF non-Kickoff games.
1) It makes intuitive sense.
2) Coaches and journalists have called attention to the topic over the years.
3) There seems to have been a bigger edge in the early years of TNF.
It might be that teams have adapted their routine to fit the challenges of TNF. Coughlin and Gruden both mentioned this during the week.
Thursday Sept 4th
Redskins @ Giants Link - ( New Window )
I'm sure the OP knows that(or I believe he does). I wouldn't count a Thursday night game one had an entire offseason to prepare for. In-season is what this is all about, you know, 3 days rest, on the road, albeit nearby..
lol, yeah right. Besides this season, the Giants have rarely even had 1pm games at home.
Other than tradition like the Lions on Thanksgiving I don't think they really sit down and pick teams for certain day, but instead likely put all the required matchups into some type computer program that spits out a schedule.
That wouldn't be all that difficult, would it?
NYC (and the asurrounding area) has the largest Jewish population outside of Israel. I find this scheduling disrespectful.
Imv choose one or the other is as simple as that. They have played games on Christmas and they pay on Thanksgiving. If they don't care that visiting teams have to be away from their families on these days why would the league care if some fans are inconvenienced. The only thing they care about is what's in your wallet.
Plus I think it would open up a van of worms that they don't really want to touch. Also, is not as if the team is Jewish but I'd be willing to bet if there was such a thing as a Jewish team in the nfl and this is how the schedule came out the league still wouldn't change it.
Nope that was a Sunday night game