National Football League 2009 – Season 90
On August 9, 2009, the season will begin with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game and on February 7, 2010, the season will end with the Super Bowl XLIV championship game. The event will take place at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. This season also marks the 50th season for the eight original founding members of the American Football League. Their owners are called the Fools’ Club. The fifth league to use the American Football League moniker began play in 1960 and became the American Football Conference (AFC) when it merged with the NFL in 1970. The Dallas Cowboy of the NFC is also celebrating its fiftieth season in 2009.
For this season, the event has the following television partners: CBS, FOX, NBC, ESPN, NFL Network and Direct TV. CBS celebrates its 50th season of NFL coverage. He already covered NFL games from 1956 to 1993 and covered again from 1998 to present. Previously airing on ABC, Monday Night Football was now broadcast on ESPN after the two sports networks’ operations merged in 2006. The first Monday night of the regular season will feature two Original Eight games, a doubleheader featuring the Bills against the Patriots and the Chargers against the Raiders. While in radio, potential partners will be Dial Global’s Sport USA Radio Network, Disney’s ESPN Radio and American City Business Journal’s Sporting News Radio.
The 2009 season is the first season of the Dallas Cowboys’ new namesake stadium. The New York Giants and Jets will also be moving to a new stadium called Meadowlands Stadium for 2010. For this season’s uniforms, there will be minor changes and only one modification from the previous 2008 NFL season. The new uniforms were unveiled on April 25, 2009. Regarding the rules, there will be changes that will be considered to improve player safety and reduce injuries that were discussed during the league’s annual owners meeting in Dana Point, California on March 23 last. Rules as follows: (1) A blindside block may not be delivered initially with a helmet, forearm, or shoulder to an opponent’s head or neck. (2) Initial contact with the head of a defenseless receiver is also prohibited. (3) On kickoffs, a blocking wedge may not consist of more than two players. (4) During kickoff attempts, the kicking team may not have more than five players grouped together.
The first game of the 2009 season will kick off on Thursday, September 10, 2009 at 8:35 pm EDT, with the Super Bowl XLIII champion Pittsburgh Steelers hosting the Tennessee Titans at Heinz Field. This is the latest date the NFL can start its season, as the season typically begins the weekend after Labor Day. This will be the eighth and tentatively last year the league has used its current scheduling rotation. The Pro Football Hall of Fame game is August 9, 2009 at 8:00 pm EDT on NBC. The AFC Championship Games are scheduled for Sunday, January 24, 2010 at 3:00 p.m., followed by the NFC Championship Games at 6:30 p.m. Super Bowl XLIV, to be held at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Garden Florida follows two weeks later on February 7. Other games were announced on April 14, 2009, on the NFL Network and the NFL website.