2014 NFL season

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This article is about the American football season in the United States. For the Gaelic football season in Ireland, see 2014 National Football League (Ireland).
2014 National Football League season
Regular season
Duration September 4 – December 28, 2014
Playoffs
Start date January 3, 2015
Super Bowl XLIX
Date February 1, 2015
Site University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
Pro Bowl
Date Early 2015
Site Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii
National Football League seasons
 < 2013  

The 2014 NFL season, the 95th regular season of the National Football League is tentatively set to begin Thursday, September 4, 2014, with the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks hosting in the annual kickoff game. The season will end with Super Bowl XLIX, the league's championship game, on Sunday, February 1, 2015, at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

Schedule

The schedules for all 32 teams will be released on April 17, 2014. The 2014 NFL Draft will be held from May 8–10, 2014 in New York City. The draft's traditional timeframe in late April will not be available in 2014 due to a scheduling conflict at Radio City Music Hall,[1] the site of which the draft has been held since 2006. The NFL plans to continue holding the draft in May in future years as part of a permanent offseason calendar change, moving it further into the middle of ACNielsen's May sweeps period.

Under the NFL's scheduling formula, the intraconference and interconference matchups will be:

Intraconference

Interconference


Highlights of the 2014 schedule include:

Unlike the 2013 season, where the Baltimore Ravens ran into a conflict with an already-scheduled Baltimore Orioles' Major League Baseball game (which forced the Ravens to open the season on the road, due to the Ravens and Orioles sharing the same parking lot for their respective stadiums), the Seahawks' baseball counterparts — the Seattle Mariners, will be playing on the road on September 4, assuring no event conflicts (the Seahawks' and Mariners' respective stadiums, CenturyLink Field and Safeco Field, also share the same parking lot). Likewise, the Seattle Sounders FC, the soccer team that shares CenturyLink Field with the Seahawks, also plays on the road that weekend.[3]
  • Christmas: Christmas lands on the Thursday of Week 17 during the 2014 season. As the NFL generally schedules all of its Week 17 contests on Sunday (December 28), a Christmas game is not expected to be part of the 2014 schedule. During the 2008 season, in which Christmas also fell on a Thursday, no Christmas games were played.
  • Playoffs: The last regular season games will be held on Sunday, December 28. The playoffs are then scheduled to start on Saturday, January 3, 2015. Conference championship games will be held on Sunday, January 18; the NFC Championship will be played at 3:00 p.m. ET on Fox, and the AFC Championship will follow at 6:30 p.m. ET on CBS. Super Bowl XLIX, the league's championship game will occur on February 1 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, and will be televised by NBC with kickoff around 6:30 p.m. ET.[9][10]

The opponents for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game will be announced sometime in the spring, while the entire 2014 regular season schedule will be announced in April.

Media

This will be the first season under a nine-year television contract with CBS (all AFC afternoon away games), Fox (all NFC afternoon away games), NBC (Sunday Night Football games, Thanksgiving night game, and the Kickoff game); and an eight-year contract with ESPN (Monday Night Football games).[11][12] Among the changes from the previous TV contracts, NBC will televise a Divisional playoff game. The contract also allows ESPN to land a Wild Card playoff game in the future (which, like other NFL games broadcast on cable, will be simulcast on an over-the-air station in each of the team's primary market). Based on current rules, the network that loses a Divisional Playoff game to NBC would air both wild card games from their conference.[11] In addition, ESPN will broadcast all Pro Bowls for the next eight seasons. Furthermore, the league will be able to move games between CBS and FOX by way of flexible scheduling, enabling CBS to televise NFC vs. NFC games, and Fox to broadcast AFC vs. AFC games, in the late Sunday afternoon doubleheader slot.[13]

On February 5, 2014, the league announced it had sold off the first eight weeks of the NFL Network's Thursday Night Football package to CBS, who outbid competitors ABC, Fox, NBC, and Turner Sports.[14][15] NFL Network will simulcast CBS' Thursday night games, will continue to carry the Thursday night games from Week 10 onward, and will also carry two Saturday night games (Week 16 doubleheader) for the first time since 2011. All of these games (except for one Saturday night game) will be announced by CBS' lead commentating team of Jim Nantz (play-by-play) and Phil Simms (color analyst); in return, NFL Network's broadcast team will produce the studio pregame and halftime reports. The deal with CBS is only for the 2014 season, with the league having the option to extend it for an additional season.[16]

Stadiums

  • Levi's Stadium, the new stadium for the San Francisco 49ers, is scheduled to open prior to the 2014 season.[17] The stadium will be located in Santa Clara, California, and will be the host of Super Bowl L.[18] In November 2013, stadium and team officials initially requested the NFL to not schedule any weekday home games during the preseason or regular season — including Monday and Thursday Night Football — due to parking issues in the area.[19] However, two months later (January 2014), the Santa Clara City Council approved a two-year deal with the Santa Clara Golf & Tennis Club to open up 10,000 additional parking spaces within walking distance of Levi's Stadium, as well as reimburse the club $250,000 for each year, which could enable the team to host Monday and Thursday night games for both the 2014 and 2015 seasons.[20]
  • The Oakland Raiders' lease on O.co Coliseum expired after the 2013 season. The Raiders will continue to play at the stadium for the 2014 season under a one-year emergency extension but its future after that remains unclear.[22]

Coaching changes

Preseason

Team: 2013 head coach:
at start of season		 2013 interim head coach: 2014 replacement: Reason for leaving: Story/Accomplishments:
Houston Texans Gary Kubiak Wade Phillips Bill O'Brien[23] Fired Kubiak was fired on December 6, 2013, after accumulating a 61–63 record in just under eight seasons as the Texans' head coach. Wade Phillips was named the interim head coach for the remainder of the 2013 season.[24] Kubiak joined the Baltimore Ravens as offensive coordinator. O'Brien spent the past two seasons as the Penn State head coach and also served as a New England Patriots assistant.
Cleveland Browns Rob Chudzinski Mike Pettine Chudzinski was fired on December 29, 2013, after going 4–12 in his only season as Browns head coach.[25] Pettine was the Buffalo Bills' defensive coordinator last season.[26]
Detroit Lions Jim Schwartz Jim Caldwell Schwartz was fired on December 30, 2013 after a 1–6 stumble to end the 2013 season despite having led the NFC North earlier in the season. He finished with a 29–51 record over five seasons.[27] Schwartz joined the Buffalo Bills as defensive coordinator. Caldwell was hired as head coach on January 14. He previously was head coach for the Indianapolis Colts from 2009–2011 and finished with a 26–22 record. For the last year and a half, he was the Baltimore Ravens' offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.[28]
Minnesota Vikings Leslie Frazier Mike Zimmer Frazier was fired on December 30, 2013 after more than three seasons as Vikings head coach, ending 2013 with a 5–10–1 record, and his tenure with Minnesota at 21–32–1.[29] Frazier joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as defensive coordinator. Zimmer was hired on January 15 and this is his first head-coaching position. He had been the defensive coordinator of the Cincinnati Bengals since 2008. He was also the defensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons in 2007 and the Dallas Cowboys from 2000 to 2006.[30]
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Greg Schiano Lovie Smith[31] Schiano and GM Mark Dominik were fired on December 30, 2013. Schiano was 11–21 as head coach over two seasons.[32] Smith, a former Buccaneers assistant, served as the head coach of the Chicago Bears from 2004–2012.
Tennessee Titans Mike Munchak Ken Whisenhunt Munchak was fired on January 4, 2014 after three seasons as Titans head coach, ending his 32-season tenure with the team. He was 22–26 as head coach.[33] Munchak joined the Pittsburgh Steelers as offensive line coach. Whisenhunt was previously the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals from 2007 to 2012, compiling a record of 45–51, and served as the offensive coordinator of the San Diego Chargers in 2013.
Washington Redskins Mike Shanahan Jay Gruden Shanahan and his staff were fired on December 30, 2013 after a 3–13 record in 2013, and a 24–40 career regular season record with the Redskins.[34] Gruden, who had spent the past two seasons as the offensive coordinator of the Cincinnati Bengals, had previously served as head coach of the Florida Tuskers of the UFL and Orlando Predators of the AFL.[35]

References

  1. ↑ "2014 draft set for May 8–10". ESPN. May 29, 2013. Retrieved May 29, 2013. 
  2. ↑ Patra, Kevin (February 3, 2014). "Broncos-Seahawks could start 2014 NFL regular season". NFL.com. Retrieved February 3, 2014. 
  3. ↑ Chase, Chris (3 February 2014). "Who will the Seattle Seahawks host in the 2014 NFL season opener?". For the Win blog. USA Today. Retrieved 4 February 2014. 
  4. ↑ Zinski, Dan (December 4, 2013). "NFL 2014 Schedule Will Include Lions-Falcons Game With 9:30 AM ET Kickoff". Fansided. Retrieved December 4, 2013. 
  5. ↑ Burke, Chris (October 24, 2013). "NFL announces three London games for 2014 season". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 28, 2013. 
  6. ↑ "NFL announces 2014 London dates". Associated Press. ESPN. November 28, 2013. Retrieved November 28, 2013. 
  7. ↑ "2014 International Series Schedule Finalized". NFL Communications. December 4, 2013. Retrieved December 4, 2013. 
  8. ↑ Breer, Albert (May 22, 2012). "Five-year extension of Buffalo Bills' Toronto series approved". NFL.com. Retrieved October 28, 2013. 
  9. ↑ Robert Klemko (October 11, 2011). "Arizona, not Tampa, will host Super Bowl XLIX in 2015". The Huddle. USA Today. Retrieved February 2, 2013. 
  10. ↑ David Barron (December 14, 2011). "NFL extends broadcast agreements through 2022, generating billions". Ultimate Texans. Chron.com. Retrieved February 2, 2013. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Updated: ESPN Kicks Off New Eight-Year, $14 Billion NFL Deal Multichannel News September 8, 2011
  12. ↑ The Tradition Continues: NFL to Remain on Network TV, NFL Press Release, Dec. 14, 2011
  13. ↑ Best, Neil (December 14, 2011). "NFL renews lucrative TV deals". Newsday. Retrieved October 29, 2013. 
  14. ↑ Wilson, Ryan (January 12, 2014). "NFL is shopping 1-year deal to air Thursday night games". CBS Sports.com. Retrieved January 12, 2014. 
  15. ↑ "CBS-NFL marriage extended to Thursday nights in 2014". USA Today. February 5, 2014. Retrieved February 5, 2014. 
  16. ↑ "NFL, CBS partner on 'Thursday Night Football' in 2014". NFL.com. February 5, 2014. Retrieved February 5, 2014. 
  17. ↑ Juan Rodriguez (January 27, 2013). "49ers Stadium Will be Ready for 2014 NFL Season". About. Retrieved February 2, 2013. 
  18. ↑ Rosenthal, Gregg (May 21, 2013). "San Francisco awarded Super Bowl L; Houston lands LI". NFL.com. Retrieved October 29, 2013. 
  19. ↑ Matier, Phil (December 9, 2013). "Lack Of Parking Means No Monday Night Football At Levi's Stadium". CBS San Francisco. Retrieved December 31, 2013. 
  20. ↑ Rosenberg, Mike (January 15, 2014). "49ers new stadium adding 10,000 parking spaces; Monday night games back on". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved January 15, 2014. 
  21. ↑ Christopher Gates (August 17, 2012). "Vikings Might Have Two Seasons At TCF Bank Stadium Instead Of One". Daily Norseman. SB Nation. Retrieved February 2, 2013. 
  22. ↑ Killion, Ann (December 29, 2013). Raiders' stagnation offers no reason for hope. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved January 27, 2014. "Will the Raiders, who signed a one-year lease to stay at the Coliseum through 2014, stay in Oakland beyond next year? "
  23. ↑ "Bill O'Brien named Texans coach". ESPN.com. January 2, 2014. Retrieved January 2, 2014. 
  24. ↑ Sessler, Marc (December 6, 2013). "Gary Kubiak out as Houston Texans head coach". NFL.com. Retrieved December 6, 2013. 
  25. ↑ Sessler, Marc (December 29, 2013). "Rob Chudzinski fired by Cleveland Browns". National Football League. Retrieved December 29, 2013. 
  26. ↑ Rosenthal, Gregg (January 23, 2014). "Mike Pettine hired as Cleveland Browns coach". NFL.com. Retrieved January 23, 2014. 
  27. ↑ Patra, Kevin (December 30, 2013). "Jim Schwartz fired by Detroit Lions after five seasons". National Football League. Retrieved December 30, 2013. 
  28. ↑ http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000313063/article/jim-caldwell-to-be-hired-by-detroit-lions-as-coach
  29. ↑ "Vikings fire Leslie Frazier". Fox News Channel. December 30, 2013. Retrieved December 30, 2013. 
  30. ↑ http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/01/15/vikings-hire-mike-zimmer-as-next-head-coach/
  31. ↑ "Lovie Smith Returns to Coach Buccaneers". January 2, 2014. Retrieved January 5, 2014. 
  32. ↑ Brinson, Will (December 30, 2013). "Greg Schiano and GM Mark Dominik fired by Buccaneers". CBS Sports. Retrieved December 30, 2013. 
  33. ↑ "Titans fire coach Mike Munchak". ESPN.com. January 4, 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2014. 
  34. ↑ "Mike Shanahan fired by Washington Redskins after four seasons". Sports Illustrated. December 30, 2013. Retrieved December 30, 2013. 
  35. ↑ Jay Gruden expected to be hired as Redskins coach. The Washington Post. Retrieved January 9, 2014.

External links

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