Seahawks may lead league in air miles again as 2012 NFL schedule released
For a second straight season, the Seattle Seahawks will play two nationally televised games. That and a game beyond the U.S. borders highlight the 2012 regular-season schedule released Tuesday.
One of Seattle’s latest additions, QB Matt Flynn, could face his former teammates in Week 3 if he can wrestle away the starting job from Tarvaris Jackson. Green Bay will travel to CenturyLink Field for a Sept. 24 game on Monday Night Football.
Seattle’s other nationally televised game comes against NFC West Division rival San Francisco on the road at Candlestick Park on Thursday, Oct. 18, on the NFL Network.
Seattle also will face Buffalo in Toronto at Rogers Centre on Dec. 16, playing outside U.S. borders for the first time in a regular-season game.
Seattle has played exhibition games in Tokyo and Vancouver, B.C., in the past.
The Seahawks had no nationally televised games scheduled in 2009 and 2010, and just two in 2008, Mike Holmgren’s last season as coach in Seattle – a Thanksgiving Day game in Dallas and a Sunday night tilt in Tampa, Fla.
The Seahawks’ regular-season finale against the St. Louis Rams in 2010 was flexed into the schedule for a national audience on NBC with the NFC West title on the line. Seattle won, 16-6.
In 2011, the Seahawks played a Monday night game against Philadelphia and a Thursday night game against St. Louis, both at home.
The Seahawks open the new season Sept. 9 at Arizona, then host Dallas on Sept. 16 and Green Bay on Sept. 24.
The toughest stretch begins Sept. 30 in St. Louis, with four out of five games on the road. After the Rams, it’s on to Carolina (Oct. 7), at home against New England (Oct. 14) and on the road against San Francisco (Oct. 18) and Detroit (Oct. 28).
But down the stretch, the league has rewarded Seattle with a Week 11 bye on Nov. 18. It’s the latest the Seahawks have had a bye since 2000, when it came in Week 12.
The Seahawks then finish the season with three of their last four games at home against division rivals Arizona (Dec. 9), San Francisco (Dec. 23) and St. Louis (Dec. 30).
Seattle again will earn a lot of frequent flyer miles this season. The team will log more than 14,000 miles for road games.
EXTRA POINTS
The Seahawks began their offseason workout program this week, with players going through testing and strength-and-conditioning work. Players will not begin the second phase of the team’s offseason program – working on the field with coach Pete Carroll and the rest of the coaching staff – until April 30, right after the draft. … The Seahawks will have a rookie minicamp from May 11-13, followed by the beginning of organized team activities (OTAs) on May 22. Seattle has a mandatory minicamp from June 12-14, with the conclusion of the team’s offseason program on June 15.
eric.williams@thenewstribune.com 253-597-8437
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