MARK YOUR CALENDARS

It's rare that football takes the lead on the blog during baseball season, but the release of the season schedule is one of those rare instances. The 2008 NFL schedule is out, and we have dates for the Jets' 2008 season - a season that will be heavy on the mileage (click on the picture to see a bigger version...the graphics department here at johnnymets.blogspot.com would appreciate everyone enjoying the hard work they put into this map):

I've mentioned before that in the 2008 season the Jets will play the NFC West, which usually bodes well for them. That's speculation, though. The fact is, a schedule against the NFC West adds two west coast trips (especially considering the Jets travel to San Francisco and Seattle, as opposed to just St. Louis) to a schedule where they already go to Oakland and San Diego. Here's a breakdown of the season:

SEPTEMBER
The Jets open on September 7th in Miami to play the Dolphins. Their home opener is the following Sunday against the Patriots. That's a game I would go to....unfortunately, the new baby is due the next day. I wonder if I can pull that off. The Jets have a Monday nighter on the 22nd against the Chargers, then are home for the Cardinals on the 28th.

OCTOBER
Week 5, the first weekend in October, is the Jets' bye week. Then they host the Bengals on the 12th, go to Oakland on the 19th, and host Herman Edwards and the Chiefs on the 26th.

NOVEMBER
November opens up, on the 2nd, with a trip to Buffalo to take on the Bills, then home for the Rams on the 9th. The Jets play a Thursday night game on the 13th against the Patriots, in New England - their first Thursday night game (not counting Thanksgiving afternoon last year). November 23rd is at Tennessee, the first back-to-back road games of the schedule, and then on the 30th the Jets host Denver.

DECEMBER
The Jets make their second trip to the Bay Area on December 7th to play the 49ers, then host Buffalo on the 14th, before jetting off to Seattle on the 21st, and then closing out their season at home against Miami on the 21st.

The only back-to-back home games are split up by the bye week - so at least the Jets don't go on the road again between September 23rd and October 18th. But they more than make up for that with the thousands of miles they'll travel over the course of the schedule. Most everyone else in the division has to deal with the same thing, though, so it's not an excuse (the Patriots' schedule, at first glance, looks worse). Hopefully some of those late games will be worth watching, though, because last season caused fans to lose interest by mid-October.

42: Good for all the Mets for wearing number 42 on Jackie Robinson night. It's a great way of raising awareness by Major League Baseball...and there's really no excuse for a player NOT to wear number 42.