NFL Senior VP/Broadcast & Media Operations COO Howard Katz appeared on SiriusXM Radio's "Mad Dog Sports Radio" with Chris Russo on Wednesday to talk about the creation of the '15 NFL schedule. Katz noted he and the league's other schedule-makers were "hitting brick walls every path we went down." But they "had a terrific breakthrough and were able to get done” before the Draft. Katz said the issue was “either we’d have good television and some team issues or get all the teams right and have some weak television weeks." But Katz said the NFL's schedule team was "close, so what we did two weeks ago was we took the games that we liked in the places in particular spots and saw what was common with all the schedules that were close." Katz said there was a "particular game that was falling in a place we liked it in every single schedule -- and there were about 50 of those games that we liked where they fell -- so we locked those in and let the computer solve from there." Katz: "That actually was our path to the finish line.” One annual roadblock the league deals with is "potential baseball conflicts," as a lot of NFL teams "share parking and municipal services" with their MLB colleagues. A conflict with the Orioles is one reason the Ravens' first two games are on the West Coast. Katz: "We have to avoid a lot of baseball.” He said it "wasn’t that many years ago where we really ignored" MLB teams like the Pirates, Royals, A’s and Orioles, because there were "some lean years for those teams." Katz: "When we were making up our schedule we really never contemplated those teams in postseason baseball." But now they are "all postseason teams, so it makes it a little complicated.” Packers-Broncos is scheduled the Sunday night during the World Series, and Katz said the league has an “obligation” to give NBC a “great game so that they can compete” against the Fall Classic.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS: Katz said of playing on Christmas Eve, “We wanted to make sure we did it with a West Coast location and two West Coast teams." That assures fans attending those games who want "to get to Midnight Mass wouldn’t have any problem doing so.” The Raiders “were really excited about hosting” the Thursday night Christmas Eve game so “we went that direction.” Katz also addressed the Eagles opening on “MNF” against the Falcons, “I don’t know that there’s been a more interesting team in terms of what’s it done in the off-season than the Philadelphia Eagles, so we thought that was a pretty interesting story to give ESPN to tell on the opening Monday night game.” The second of the “MNF” opening-night doubleheader features the Vikings at the 49ers because “we want to get Minnesota” on “MNF” and “we hope Adrian Peterson is part of that team and we thought that was a really interesting game to go as the second game of the doubleheader" ("Mad Dog Sports Radio," SiriusXM Radio, 4/22).
