Although the NFL schedule hasn't been released just yet, the annual "NFL Kickoff" game, usually carried by NBC Sports & Dial Global Radio Network, features a matchup involving the Super Bowl Champion from the previous season and a marquee opponent to kickoff the regular season on the first or second Thursday night in September.

Last year, thanks to the Democratic National Convention in Denver, the NFL staged the annual kickoff on a Wednesday night for the first time since 1946 when last year's Super Bowl Champion New York Giants hosted the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. Thanks to scheduling issues involving the MLB Orioles, might this year's Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens be forced to start the NFL season away from home that same night?

It appears as if the Orioles have a home game at Camden Yards vs. the White Sox at 6:05P Thursday, September 5th and might create quite a logistical & traffic nightmare given how close Camden Yards & M&T Bank Stadium are in Baltimore. There's talk that the Ravens might start their Super Bowl title defense away from home if the Orioles don't push the start time of their game vs. the White Sox back into the afternoon, which also starts a four-game weekend series.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has reportedly met twice with MLB Commissioner Allan H. "Bud" Selig about pushing the White Sox/Orioles' game back to early afternoon to accommodate the Ravens starting their season at home and in primetime later that night on NBC & Dial Global. This despite the fact it would also be a quick turnaround for the Sox. They have a 6:05P start the night before, Wednesday, September 4th vs. the Yankees at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. So far, the Orioles & MLB haven't budged, but stay tuned.

For the first time since 2003, the Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens will indeed start the season away from home. The Baltimore Orioles aren't budging. They have refused to turn their scheduled 7:05P (ET) night game vs. the White Sox at Camden Yards into an afternoon game to accommodate the Ravens September 5th in the NFL Kickoff.

So, start on Wednesday like they did last year. Or Friday.

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think I heard that wednesday is a jewish holiday. not sure why friday wouldnt work.

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Proud to be UNVERIFIED.

Friday is the least watched day of TV in the week.

The whole thing is kind of silly... do people really care when you win a Superbowl that you'll be the first home game of the next year? Honestly, they could pick any two teams out of a hat and put them on that first Thursday and people would watch because they want to see football that counts. The Superbowl thing is a little gimmicky to me. Kind of like the Pro Bowl.

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"All crowds boycotting football games shouldn't care who sings or takes a knee because they aren't watching." - Nas

It's my understanding that the Orioles & Ravens share parking space, and that the O's refused to turn the start of their game with the White Sox September 5th into an afternoon game at Camden Yards. Two of the possible opponents the Ravens might start their title defense on the road involve the Bears at Soldier Field and perhaps the Broncos in Denver.

I've gotta think NBC Sports' bosses in New York have their fingers crossed that they get the latter of those matchups for the "NFL Kickoff". They'd love to get a Joe Flacco/Peyton Manning rematch on their air.

SHARK, do you know for SURE that the Ravens and O's can't play a game at the same time? I admit it could be a logistical nightmare for some, but is there some law or rule that says they can't have a game at the same time?

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What I heard this morning is that the Ravens & Orioles share parking space for their respective stadiums, Camden Yards for the Orioles & M&T Bank Stadium for the Super Bowl Champions. I think the two stadiums are real close, but as far as I know, it won't stop the two teams from playing at the same time.

Unless you are the Oakland Raiders, who still shares what's now called Overstock.com Coliseum with MLB's Oakland A's, the days of shared baseball/football stadiums are history.

SHARK, I didn't say anything about a shared stadium. I know the O's and Ravens have their own homes.

I asked if you read maybe about some sort of rule or Baltimore ordinance that said they could not play at the same time. That doesn't appear to be the case. So these games could very well go on at the same time that Thursday night.

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Frank, I know of no such ordinance. The Orioles won't move the start time of their game to 1:35P (ET) September 5th vs. the White Sox. Quite frankly, the O's/Sox game will be lost in the shuffle in Baltimore that night...

Not when Adam Dunn goes 5-5 with 5 homers!

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#32 Adam Dunn, Cincinnati, OH. Your full time White Sox 1B this season.

The stadiums are right near each other right downtown. Can't happen.

One possibility is good old Soldier Field.

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Nope.

On the Sox website, they have Konerko first on the depth chart at 1B, and Dunn first on the depth chart at DH; http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/team/de ... p?c_id=cws

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Frank, RV stated during the offseason more Dunn at 1B, less Konerko. That's going to be the plan moving forward for the White Sox. Get used to it.

Still doesn't mean Konerko is a full time DH, SHARK. Something you have implied more than once on this board.

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Maybe Dunn got more starts at first in spring training because he needs more time to get used to fielding the position for the times that he will, while Konerko has about as good a handle on it as he's ever going to have. They'll probably each play first and DH.


This pretty well illustrates the proximity of the two stadiums and the shared parking. It also illustrates that Baltimore sure is a dump. The city doesn't really have the public transit to get people into both games without lots of cars, either.

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