Early Bye Week in 11 Straight Seasons?

[Footman DCXLV]

Has anybody else noticed that we constantly get a bye week in the first half of the season? Every year when the schedule comes out, it's something I notice, and I couldn't remember the last time we had a week off in the second half of the year.
The 2001 season was the last time our bye week fell in the second half of the year, in week 13. Starting in the 2002 season, and going until the upcoming 2012 season, the bye week has been in weeks 3, 5, 6, 3, 7, 8, 2, 7, 8, 5, and 8, in that order. Of course, that bye week in the 2008 season fell in week 2 after the hurricane damage in Houston, but was meant to be in week 10. Even so, only one bye week in the second half of the year in 11 seasons would still seem a little odd to me.
In an injury-ridden league where teams value their bye week to get healthy (health being more important later heading into the playoffs), and compete for a first round bye at the end of the season, this is the kind of thing I'm shocked nobody has cried foul about yet.

I'm not sure it really would have made any difference in the long run, but it seemed like an interesting stat to me, especially considering the common knowledge of how teams often put in specific requests during the time when the schedule is being developed. Rumors of Jerry Jones picking the Ravens for the final game in their stadium in 2008, and Harbaugh requesting not to play in Pittsburgh in primetime as we had in consecutive seasons, as well as not wanting to play in Pittsburgh on opening night after the Steelers won the Super Bowl are a few examples I remember that affected the Ravens.

[Tank 92]

It's hard to say when is the best time for the bye. Circumstances(injuries, experience of starters, etc.)could affect optimal timing. Going in blind, I would prefer to be right about where we are this year, around the middle of the season. I guess you could make the case for wanting it later(10 or 11?)to freshen for the run to the finish, but all things considered, 7, 8 or 9 seem perfect.

PS - Didn't we open the cowboys new stadium in 2008?

[Footman DCXLV]

I'm not making the case that it would be better to have it later. I might agree with you that having it around week 8 or 9, right in the middle, is the best time. But, with 17 weeks, it just strikes me as odd how long a streak there is going without one in the second half.

And, we played Dallas in the final game in their stadium in week 16 of the 2008 season. When we play them this year, it'll be our first time in the new stadium.

[NaveSenrag]

I'd rather see our bye used the week between our two Pittsburgh games. That way we would get three weeks devoted to smashing the Steelers: the week before the first game, the week leading up to the bye, and the week after the bye. We'd be prepared and in good shape to play the Steelers as hard as we can without having to travel to San Diego.

[Footman DCXLV]

That would result in us playing Pittsburgh twice in a row, which I can't see the schedule-makers ever doing. Even having the same opponent twice in three weeks seems odd to me. Not the first time that's happened, either.

[jus'_crAzy]

[quote name='Footman DCXLV' timestamp='1345113732' post='1120247']
I'm not making the case that it would be better to have it later. I might agree with you that having it around week 8 or 9, right in the middle, is the best time. But, with 17 weeks, it just strikes me as odd how long a streak there is going without one in the second half.

And, we played Dallas in the final game in their stadium in week 16 of the 2008 season. When we play them this year, it'll be our first time in the new stadium.
[/quote]
Cowboys are coming to the Bank.

[Rav'n Maniac]

I'd rather have our bye around the middle of the season, at latest. If we are on a roll in the second half, you would want to keep the momentum going, not break it up with a bye. Especially since we always seem to be in close battles with someone in our division.

[Ravenslifer]

I like the week 8 bye this year, just before the midway point of the season. Then we come out and get the Browns and Raiders to warm up for the gauntlet of Roethlisberger twice, Rivers, the Manning brothers, RGIII, and the closeout in Cinci.

[Purple Punishment]

What strikes me as odd is how yet again the Patriots who are supposedly the best in the AFC get a nice easy weak schedule for the umpteenth time. Just hand them the playoffs on a silver platter NFL

[Moderator 2]

It the same reason we have no October games-- the Orioles.

[Medications]

Yeah I mean I know the Pats are subject to the same schedule system that everyone else is as far as who their opponents are, but I don't get how a team that was just in the super bowl gets the easiest overall schedule the following year. Their schedule wasn't too tough last year either.

Then again they do have the luxury of being in a division without a lot of competition right now, the dolphins bills and jets have all pretty much sucked for all of Brady's career outside of the Jets' two seasons a couple years ago. That's 6 games a year right there.

Meanwhile every Baltimore sports team has had the toughest/most competitive division in their respective sport for a while now. Ravens with Pittsburgh and now the Bengals, and the Orioles with the Yankees, Boston and Tampa.

[cobrajet]

The schedule sucks. Traveling to San Diego year after year is getting on my nerves even more.

[RavenFan28105]

I'm not mad about the bye week at all. I'm sure the schedule makers don't research every teams bye weeks for the past 10 years. Plus, I'd be more annoyed about traveling to San Diego practically every year. But it is what it is and we just hope for the win

[edreedfromtheu]

[quote name='Footman DCXLV' timestamp='1345093235' post='1120186']
Has anybody else noticed that we constantly get a bye week in the first half of the season? Every year when the schedule comes out, it's something I notice, and I couldn't remember the last time we had a week off in the second half of the year.
The 2001 season was the last time our bye week fell in the second half of the year, in week 13. Starting in the 2002 season, and going until the upcoming 2012 season, the bye week has been in weeks 3, 5, 6, 3, 7, 8, 2, 7, 8, 5, and 8, in that order. Of course, that bye week in the 2008 season fell in week 2 after the hurricane damage in Houston, but was meant to be in week 10. Even so, only one bye week in the second half of the year in 11 seasons would still seem a little odd to me.
In an injury-ridden league where teams value their bye week to get healthy (health being more important later heading into the playoffs), and compete for a first round bye at the end of the season, this is the kind of thing I'm shocked nobody has cried foul about yet.

I'm not sure it really would have made any difference in the long run, but it seemed like an interesting stat to me, especially considering the common knowledge of how teams often put in specific requests during the time when the schedule is being developed. Rumors of Jerry Jones picking the Ravens for the final game in their stadium in 2008, and Harbaugh requesting not to play in Pittsburgh in primetime as we had in consecutive seasons, as well as not wanting to play in Pittsburgh on opening night after the Steelers won the Super Bowl are a few examples I remember that affected the Ravens.
[/quote]

Is it odd? yes. But I don't think it's a bad thing as far as having a bye right in the middle of the season. As long as the NFL doesn't try to cheat the Ravens and give them a Week 2 bye like they did before. Honestly.... I don't think ANY team should have a BYE week before Week 5. It's just entirely too early.

And hey, I've gotten my last two schedule requests. Last year, I just wanted to play the Steelers in Week 1 because if the Ravens couldnt win the division then I really didn't care about all the talk they feed the fans on improvement. If there was ever a step forward that Flacco has taken, it was that the team finally won the division with him at QB. And this year, I just wanted to play the Steelers back to back. Well, twice in 3 weeks is good enough for me.

Let's do this!

[Ravensfan23]

It's actually not odd nor is it quite accurate. The way the schedule is made up, since going to 32 teams, every team has it's Bye week during the first 11 Weeks. So rarely will you see any team constantly having it's Bye week in the "second half" of the season, because by definition, there are only 3 possible avaliable dates for a Bye in the 2nd half. Weeks 9-11.

Since 2007, the Ravens have had 5 of 6 Bye scheduled for Weeks 7 or later. That's acutally pretty good considering there are only 8 weeks avaliable for a Bye.

So considering you can only be awarded a Bye between Weeks 4-11, the Ravens generally come away with favorable Bye weeks. imo

[CalvinSmoke]

[quote name='cobrajet' timestamp='1345136089' post='1120407']
The schedule sucks. Traveling to San Diego year after year is getting on my nerves even more.
[/quote]A part of me hates the Ravens having to playin in S.D. every year, but the other part of me is glad that i get to see my Ravens in person :-)

[Malkavian Raven]

[i][font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif]Does seem kind of odd, but the coaches & front office know how to prepare around such things. I remember reading an article when the schedule came out last year about John Harbaugh talking about looking for the ways the league hurt you in the scheduling and the ways they helped you.[/font][/i]

[i][font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif]I just feel sorry for those teams that get it during the second or third week, cause that is a long haul the rest of the season.[/font][/i]

[i][font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif]Speaking of scheduling, I've always thought it would be a fitting idea to have each team in a division play one another for the first three games & the last three games every year. (ie; for the Ravens it would be Week One w/ Pittsburgh, Week Two with Cincinnati, Week Three Cleveland, Week Fifteen Pittsburgh, Week Sixteen Cincinnati and Week Seventeen Cleveland)... it would make division battles a little more interesting.[/font][/i]

[i][font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif]These past few seasons, we haven't really had THAT GAME with the Steelers cause their games have been ending before or at the beginning of December. Kind of makes for a less interesting finish each year in the AFC North. I miss the good ol' days of playing them late in December (week 15 thru 17) and knowing that the winner of that second game had a 90% chance of winning the division.[/font][/i]

[i][font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif]~ Malkavian Raven[/font][/i]

[display name]

As long as we don't play teams coming off a bye every year, or have some crazy 2008 thing going on, I really couldn't care less.

[usmccharles]

[quote name='cobrajet' timestamp='1345136089' post='1120407']
The schedule sucks. Traveling to San Diego year after year is getting on my nerves even more.
[/quote]

Tell Me about it, although i love being able to go to the game but we play pitt travel to sd then play pitt again...thats a horrible three week stretch

[PeRK82]

[quote name='Footman DCXLV' timestamp='1345093235' post='1120186']
Has anybody else noticed that we constantly get a bye week in the first half of the season? Every year when the schedule comes out, it's something I notice, and I couldn't remember the last time we had a week off in the second half of the year.
The 2001 season was the last time our bye week fell in the second half of the year, in week 13. Starting in the 2002 season, and going until the upcoming 2012 season, the bye week has been in weeks 3, 5, 6, 3, 7, 8, 2, 7, 8, 5, and 8, in that order. Of course, that bye week in the 2008 season fell in week 2 after the hurricane damage in Houston, but was meant to be in week 10. Even so, only one bye week in the second half of the year in 11 seasons would still seem a little odd to me.
In an injury-ridden league where teams value their bye week to get healthy (health being more important later heading into the playoffs), and compete for a first round bye at the end of the season, this is the kind of thing I'm shocked nobody has cried foul about yet.

I'm not sure it really would have made any difference in the long run, but it seemed like an interesting stat to me, especially considering the common knowledge of how teams often put in specific requests during the time when the schedule is being developed. Rumors of Jerry Jones picking the Ravens for the final game in their stadium in 2008, and Harbaugh requesting not to play in Pittsburgh in primetime as we had in consecutive seasons, as well as not wanting to play in Pittsburgh on opening night after the Steelers won the Super Bowl are a few examples I remember that affected the Ravens.
[/quote]

It all started when we were supposed to play the Texans the one yr when there was that Hurricane, we were forced to take our bye week 2 which is really, really unfair. And we have been getting byes before week 8 ever since.

[PeRK82]

[quote name='usmccharles' timestamp='1345158048' post='1120726']
Tell Me about it, although i love being able to go to the game but we play pitt travel to sd then play pitt again...thats a horrible three week stretch
[/quote]

I hear ya, id be happy with coming out with 2 wins, if we come out with 3 wins. The nation will take notice or make an excuse.

[PeRK82]

[quote name='RavenFan28105' timestamp='1345148779' post='1120558']
I'm not mad about the bye week at all. I'm sure the schedule makers don't research every teams bye weeks for the past 10 years. Plus, I'd be more annoyed about traveling to San Diego practically every year. But it is what it is and we just hope for the win
[/quote]

I thought about that too, also how we always had to play the Pats in their house. ( finally we play them home this yr ) But have you noticed we always play the broncos at home. So in a way it works both ways.

[BMORElegacy]

I sort of like having an early bye. That way they can correct the problems that have surfaced throughout the early games. The bye gives them an opportunity to devote more time to those kinks in the scheme and in essence upgrade the team before the games that really matter in November and January.

[Footman DCXLV]

[quote name='jus'_crAzy' timestamp='1345123952' post='1120293']
Cowboys are coming to the Bank.
[/quote]

My mistake. Thanks.

[quote name='Ravensfan23' timestamp='1345150847' post='1120585']
It's actually not odd nor is it quite accurate. The way the schedule is made up, since going to 32 teams, every team has it's Bye week during the first 11 Weeks. So rarely will you see any team constantly having it's Bye week in the "second half" of the season, because by definition, there are only 3 possible avaliable dates for a Bye in the 2nd half. Weeks 9-11.

Since 2007, the Ravens have had 5 of 6 Bye scheduled for Weeks 7 or later. That's acutally pretty good considering there are only 8 weeks avaliable for a Bye.

So considering you can only be awarded a Bye between Weeks 4-11, the Ravens generally come away with favorable Bye weeks. imo
[/quote]

I didn't realize that week 11 was the latest. I had it in my mind that bye weeks went until week 15. That definitely changes the perspective a bit.

[AZravensfan]

[quote name='CalvinSmoke' timestamp='1345151986' post='1120599']
A part of me hates the Ravens having to playin in S.D. every year, but the other part of me is glad that i get to see my Ravens in person :-)
[/quote]

Yea I agree with that, I get to drive out there to SD and watch my boys in person .

[Tiz]

[quote name='PeRK82' timestamp='1345160308' post='1120746']


It all started when we were supposed to play the Texans the one yr when there was that Hurricane, we were forced to take our bye week 2 which is really, really unfair. And we have been getting byes before week 8 ever since.
[/quote]
2008

[display name]

Baltimore Ravens at San Diego Chagers, 1997 score 21-17 SD.
Baltimore Ravens at San Diego Chargers, 1998 score 14-13 SD.
San Diego Chargers at Baltimore Ravens, 2000 score 24-3 BAL.
Baltimore Ravens at San Diego Chargers, 2003, score 24-10 BAL.
San Diego Chargers at Baltimore Ravens, 2006 score 16-13 BAL.
Baltimore Ravens at San Diego Chargers, 2007 score 32-14 SD.
Baltimore Ravens at San Diego Chargers, 2009 score 31-26 BAL.
Baltimore Ravens at San Diego Chargers, 2011 score 34-14 SD.
Baltimore Ravens at San Diego Chargers, 2012 score TBD.
For wins/losses, the series is tied 4-4. However, San Diego has been the host 7/9 times, including the upcoming matchup. That's just not right.

[callahan09]

[quote name='display name' timestamp='1345214108' post='1121019']
Baltimore Ravens at San Diego Chagers, 1997 score 21-17 SD.
Baltimore Ravens at San Diego Chargers, 1998 score 14-13 SD.
San Diego Chargers at Baltimore Ravens, 2000 score 24-3 BAL.
Baltimore Ravens at San Diego Chargers, 2003, score 24-10 BAL.
San Diego Chargers at Baltimore Ravens, 2006 score 16-13 BAL.
Baltimore Ravens at San Diego Chargers, 2007 score 32-14 SD.
Baltimore Ravens at San Diego Chargers, 2009 score 31-26 BAL.
Baltimore Ravens at San Diego Chargers, 2011 score 34-14 SD.
For wins/losses, the series is tied 4-4. However, San Diego has been the host 6/8 times. That's just not right.
[/quote]

So our game against them this year will be the 6th game against them this century (that's since 2001, I mean), and 5 of 6 of those took place in SD, including the last 4 in a row. That's ridiculous. NFL scheduling is seriously awful.

[Tiz]

[quote name='callahan09' timestamp='1345220197' post='1121053']


So our game against them this year will be the 6th game against them this century (that's since 2001, I mean), and 5 of 6 of those took place in SD, including the last 4 in a row. That's ridiculous. NFL scheduling is seriously awful.
[/quote]

It's coincidence based on the standings from the previous year.
Nfl doesn't see balmvs sd when deciding it
They see afcn champ vs afcw #2

This is why bal, Pitt, Cleveland, Cincy can play the same nfcw teams but not all play thm at home or all play on the road

[bpytnjr58]

[quote name='usmccharles' timestamp='1345158048' post='1120726']
Tell Me about it, although i love being able to go to the game but we play pitt travel to sd then play pitt again...thats a horrible three week stretch
[/quote] Still trying to figure out the schedule makers having Ravens/Steelers play twice in three weeks late in the season. Not so much concerned about the bye week.