Inside the Rams' 2023 schedule release war room
LOS ANGELES — The NFL schedule release, once an uneventful moment in the minds of fans, has become a tentpole event of the league's offseason, fodder for endless speculation online and prime-time TV coverage. It's not the draft or Selection Sunday, but it's gaining steam every year.
Whereas the league unveils the schedule publicly Thursday night, teams are apprised of their individual slate of games Wednesday morning, giving them at least a 30-hour jump on the rollout. That provides the franchises with an essential head start to plan travel, launch targeted social-media campaigns and sell tickets.
This year, the Rams gave the Los Angeles Times exclusive access to the early scheduling call from the NFL and all the activity that took place after it. The Rams were among the last teams contacted Wednesday morning, and a collection of department heads gathered in the office of chief operating officer Kevin Demoff for a call from Michael North, NFL vice president of broadcast planning. He read their games week by week.
There was more hand-wringing than fist pumping from the Rams.
Only two games in prime time? To be expected for a team coming off a
