Getty Image
- Tom Brady’s decision to come back from his short-lived retirement had some major repercussions on the NFL schedule
- The team in charge of putting together the slate of games for 2022 had to start from scratch thanks to the QB
- Read more NFL stories here
We’re just a few days away from the grand reveal of the schedule for the upcoming NFL season, as the league will officially unveil the full slate of the 272 regular season games in store for in 2022 at 8 P.M. on Thursday night.
We’ve already been treated to a few clues concerning what to expect, as plenty of Seahawks fans got some unfortunate news when the kickoff times for this year’s international matchups were released last week and the Steelers are likely amped to know they won’t have to venture out of the Eastern Time Zone on a single occasion.
You may not put a ton of thought into how the NFL dreams up its schedule on an annual basis, but as the Los Angeles Times learned when it spoke with the masterminds behind it, the same can’t be said for the five employees who are tasked with putting it together each year.
The crew in question is helmed by Howard Katz, the senior vice president of broadcasting who shared some fascinating insight concerning the complex process the vast majority of fans likely take for granted.
While technology has certainly made life easier for the NFL’s schedulers, it still harnesses the power of upwards of 4,000 computers that take over 25,000 restrictions into consideration en route while pumping out proposed slates for the team to review.
While Katz and Co. have plenty of responsibilities, one of the most important aspects of the job is figuring out how to maximize the intrigue of all of the contests. One of the many factors involved in that facet involves the players who will be participating in each game, which can be fairly fluid thanks to the trades and signings (including those stemming from the results of the draft) that unfold over the course of the offseason.
Katz highlighted that reality by focusing on the impact Tom Brady had on the planning process, as he said they were essentially forced to start from scratch when it came to formulating this year’s NFC lineup after the quarterback realized he wasn’t about that retirement life a little over a month after he initially announced his decision to hang up his cleats:
“When Tom Brady retired, we were concerned about the strength of the NFC package because there were so many terrific Tampa Bay games we were looking at.
Then a month later he un-retires and we sort of started all over again.”
I can only hope the QB sends them an Edible Arrangement to make up for the inconvenience.