If I were Roger Goodell for one day and had the power to change the TV partners to my liking, this is how the 2008-09 season would line up.
AFC – CBS
NFC – Fox
Sunday Night Football – NBC
Monday Night Football – NFL Network
Thursday & Saturday Night Football – NBC (9 games, 6 Thursday games, 3 Saturday games)
I’d throw ESPN out. The Sunday night games would begin at 8:30 p.m. ET instead of 8:20 p.m.
The playoffs would be distributed this way:
AFC playoffs to be played on Saturdays. NFC playoffs on Sundays. NBC would be involved in the Wild Card Weekend and Divisional playoffs. I would alternate primetime games among the three main partners.
Wild Card Weekend
Saturday – AFC
Game #1 – CBS, 4:30 p.m. ET
Game #2 – NBC, 8 p.m. ET
Sunday – NFC
Game #1 – Fox, 4:30 p.m. ET
Game #2 – NBC, 8 p.m. ET
Divisional Playoffs
Saturday – AFC
Game #1 – NBC, 4:30 p.m.
Game #2 – CBS, 8 p.m.
Sunday – NFC
Game #1 – NBC, 4:30 p.m.
Game #2 – Fox, 8 p.m.
Conference Championship Weekend
AFC Championship – Saturday, CBS, 8 p.m.
NFC Championship – Sunday, Fox, 8 p.m.
This way, all three networks have primetime games. Both Conference Championship Games would be played in primetime maximizing the audience. The following year, the AFC and NFC would switch days.
I would have an 18 week season, adding a 17th game to be played in Canada or Mexico (keeping the same time zones as the US) and a bye.
It’s a thought for the next TV contract. This is something that I was thinking about on Monday when I should have been working. That is all. Let me know what you think.
