On to 2007

Now that the Super Bowl is over, it's time to prepare for the events leading up to the start of the 2007 NFL season. Next up is the Pro-Bowl, which is a waste of a game in my opinion, then scouting combines, player draft, schedule release, minicamps, and training camp.

You read it here first: Even though the NFL won't release the 2007 schedule until sometime in early April, you can take it to the bank on what the first game of the 2007 NFL season will be. Circle your calendars for Thursday, September 6th.

For the last several years, the Super Bowl Champion has hosted the opening game on prime time television on a Thursday night. That puts the game in Indianapolis for 2007. Your matchup will be my New England Patriots vs. the Indianapolis Colts at the RCA Dome. Not only is this the most appealing game on the Colts home schedule but a rematch of an excellent 2006 AFC Championship game, now featuring a battle of two former Super Bowl MVP's in Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. Trust me, the NFL brass loves matchups like this one.

I'll also predict that the Patriots will play the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day this year. I say this because every Thanksgiving, Dallas and Detroit host games on Thanksgiving and alternate each year hosting an AFC team. Last season Detroit hosted an AFC team, so 2007 is the Cowboys year to do it. The only AFC teams on their home schedule are the Patriots and the New York Jets, so I've got a 50/50 chance of being right.

In anticipation of these games, I've marked them on my Patriots Opponents list over there on my sidebar. When the rest of the schedule is released, I'll update it with dates, times and TV info.