NFL executive calls Chiefs the 'bell cow' of the league's schedule, but they're really the guinea pig
Earlier this week on Nashville's 104.5 The Zone, NFL VP of Broadcast Planning Mike North quipped that he makes somebody mad whenever he answers a question. I understand that remark better after North's latest comments regarding the Kansas City Chiefs on the Adam Schefter podcast. The Chiefs drew the short stick when it comes to a few […]
Earlier this week on Nashville's 104.5 The Zone, NFL VP of Broadcast Planning Mike North quipped that he makes somebody mad whenever he answers a question. I understand that remark better after North's latest comments regarding the Kansas City Chiefs on the Adam Schefter podcast.
The Chiefs drew the short stick when it comes to a few key aspects of the 2024 NFL schedule and it has left some fans up at arms over what they perceive as a competitive disadvantage. Two main points of contention are playing on short rest and playing on six of seven days of the week. From Week 15 through Week 17, on the cusp of the NFL playoffs, the Chiefs play three games in 10 days. Should no games on the schedule get moved, they'll become the first team since the 1924 New York Yankees to play on six different days of the week.
North, however, explained on Schefter's podcast that these perceived competitive inequities aren't all that, at least not in the eyes of the NFL.
“Good teams win, bad teams struggle. You could give a team that doesn’t have a great roster the 'easiest schedule' and they’re still going to go 4-13. You could give the Kansas City Chiefs the worst possible schedule, and some have been saying we did, right? They’re playing every day of the week except a Tuesday. They’ve got multiple short weeks and catch Buffalo off their bye, and Taylor Swift is gonna be there. Like, we maybe gave the Chiefs the hardest schedule in the league, I suspect they’re gonna be there come playoff time. These are the kind of things that we’re trying to think about. Not just maximizing viewership, fan interest, and attendance and those kind of things, but what are the truly competitive inequities that we really need to be focused on and really need to avoid? I’m not sure we’ve really found that yet.”
I generally agree with North's first assessment here: A schedule doesn't make a good team good or a bad team bad. That doesn't mean the schedule itself doesn't impact a team's success, but that seems to be the message they're pushing.
Sure, It should perceived as the utmost vote of confidence that the league feels no matter what they throw at the Chiefs, they'll still be in the mix come playoff time. They've certainly proven as much over the years, but at some point, if you push the team far enough it's going to break. North even refers to Kansas City as the league's "bell cow" in NFL schedule decision-making.
“They knew. They’ve been our bell cow for a while, right? They’re kind of used to carrying our water for some of these unique opportunities here. You think about that Peacock playoff game last year. If you want to make Peacock a destination for an NFL playoff game, well, put a Chiefs game there. If Amazon wants to continue to try to build Black Friday into an event, even though it’s not a national holiday, but can we turn it into one, where instead of going to the mall we’re gonna stay home and watch a game on television at 3 o’clock in the afternoon? Put a Chiefs game there. You want to make Christmas on Netflix a thing? Put a Chiefs game there. You can’t go to that well over and over again. There are only so many Chiefs games and obviously, a lot of other really good teams and good stars and storylines in this league. But the Chiefs definitely were not surprised by their national television windows and some of the windows we decided to use them.”
North insists you can't go to that well over and over again, but they're certainly draining the well with the Chiefs this season. Of course, they're a hot commodity with broadcast networks given their success getting eyes on TV screens. However, they sound less like a bell cow here and more like a guinea pig. How far can the league push and prod while the Chiefs remain the Chiefs? Well, they'll get closer to finding that out this season.
The team, of course, won't complain about this. They'll welcome the challenge presented by their schedule and relish their doubters along the way. That doesn't make it fair or equitable or right.
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