The boys in control of placing collectively the NFL common season schedule shared some particulars into how they arrived on the 2022 model and revealed some fascinating tidbits concerning the Miami Dolphins.

In abstract, the Dolphins volunteered to play a house sport on Christmas Day, requested their video games at San Francisco and Los Angeles (in opposition to the Chargers) be scheduled in back-to-back weeks, and requested to open at dwelling.

These had been among the many revelations throughout NFL Broadcasting VPs Onnie Bose and Mike North’s Zoom session after the schedule was revealed.

Sunday Night time vs. the Steelers

The Sunday evening dwelling in opposition to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Oct. 23 was scheduled largely to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Dolphins’ good season, which included a victory at Pittsburgh within the AFC Championship Recreation.

However North mentioned the sport wasn’t cemented till the Dolphins acquired Tyreek Hill of their massive commerce with the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs.

“I am unsure Pittsburgh-Miami was heading for NBC for Sunday Night time Soccer,” North mentioned. “However when Tyreek Hill joined a workforce that is been superb for a few years, proper? I believe there have been 9 wins final 12 months 10 wins the 12 months earlier than Miami’s performed their approach into prime time. Now with Tyreek Hill, probably the most thrilling gamers within the league, and we had the chance with Pittsburgh going again there, keep in mind, that is the fiftieth anniversary of the undefeated season for the Dolphins. So this is a possibility for a Steelers-Dolphins sport in prime time in October, the place we’ll make an enormous deal out of it. The Dolphins will make an enormous deal about it. I am positive we’ll see Larry Csonka and all the blokes within the stadium that evening, and that is a sport that we most likely solely felt higher about as soon as the Dolphins went out and made the transfer for Tyreek.”

The Christmas Potentialities

As we have already talked about, the Dolphins volunteered to play at dwelling on Christmas, however there was no assure that Inexperienced Bay was going to be the opponent.

“So that they went into the combination as a doable touchdown website for a Christmas sport,” North mentioned. “Did not essentially should be Inexperienced Bay. I believe we may have gotten some actual good mileage out of New England in Miami on Christmas if we determined to try this. Buffalo-Miami would have labored. Pittsburgh-Miami would have labored. You most likely noticed we determined to do one thing otherwise with Pittsburgh that weekend. They’re enjoying on Saturday evening (on the) fiftieth anniversary virtually to the day of the Immaculate Reception. In order that one sort of fell out as an choice as soon as we sort of locked in on that however, once more, we’re followers like all people else.

“I am unsure we all know something greater than anyone else. However we expect the Dolphins are good and we expect they solely acquired higher. And once more, it is a workforce with double-digit wins or near-double-digit wins these previous couple of years. We predict they’re gonna be in a playoff chase in December. So having them within the Christmas window felt like an actual good alternative.”

As for Thanksgiving, whereas the Dolphins had been an interesting choice, North mentioned Buffalo all the time appeared just like the logical goal, which is the way it ended up.

Opening Towards New England Once more

The Dolphins open the season in opposition to the Patriots for a 3rd consecutive 12 months, however North mentioned he wasn’t even conscious of that reality.

He was, nonetheless, conscious of Miami’s need to open at dwelling not like 2020 and 2021 due to the potential for Arduous Rock Stadium internet hosting a Woman Gaga live performance in Week 2 and a need to not open with two highway video games.

‘We checked out dozens of schedules the place the Dolphins opened on the highway for the primary two weeks,” North mentioned. “I believe they like this one. I believe that is higher for them to have that dwelling sport in Week 1. If they arrive again to us and say hey, hear, having New England in Week 1 is not one thing we’re searching for sooner or later, it should should be one thing we’re gonna have to contemplate wanting ahead. … However for all of the schedules that we checked out the place the Dolphins began road-road, due partially to the truth that they actually had been hoping to accommodate this live performance in Week 2, I believe they like this one.”

The Dolphins and Amazon

One of many causes the NFL had no drawback transferring away from the Dolphins for the Thanksgiving Day sport is the concept they had been going to get a Thursday evening sport sooner or later.

The one factor is that ideally it might have been a house sport. 

“As I am positive you’ve got all heard from Amazon, they’re actually fascinated about getting out into these markets the place they’re gonna be broadcasting video games from and actually making an attempt to have fun, not simply the car parking zone and the tailgating expertise but additionally the entire market,” North mentioned. “Miami was one of many locations the place Amazon truly was actually hoping to have a house sport for them. So that they had been rooting for a Dolphins sport on Amazon they usually had been rooting for it in Miami. We actually checked out loads of schedules the place that occurred.

“However once more, as soon as this schedule spit out and also you see this Miami at Cincy and you are able to do Tua and Burrow, who know one another clearly, from their days within the SEC, it simply felt like a extremely good use of that asset and a extremely good fan-friendly sport that everyone’s going to need to see.

“So they may have ended up on Thanksgiving. They didn’t. They might have ended up at dwelling on Thursday. They didn’t. They might have ended up at dwelling on Christmas. And on this specific schedule they did they usually’re additionally a kind of groups that requested for, you understand, their West Coast journeys to be paired up so we knew they had been going out to San Francisco and LA this 12 months. They requested for them back-to-back; perhaps in a vacuum they’d have most popular that somewhat earlier within the season and we checked out ones the place that sort of fell into the October/November vary. However hopefully like all groups, after they take a look at their schedule, they acquired a few of what they needed and perhaps did not get the whole lot. I am unsure all people ought to get the whole lot they requested for, however I believe for probably the most half, Miami acquired most of what they requested for.”