NFL Schedule 2013: When Will NFL Schedule be Released to Fans?

The NFL schedule release is one of those hushpuppies that fans get enroute to the beginning of the season that's somewhat like a Nicorette patch. Along with the NFL Scouting Combine, Organized Team Activities, the NFL Draft, and training camp, it keeps fans pacified. And it was rumored to be released today.

While we do know who the 2013 opponents will be for all 32 NFL teams, the only thing missing is the "circle your calender dates" for spectators and players alike. Apparently we could be waiting even longer.

In an article by Pro Football Talk, Mike Florio stated that they had received an email from NFL spokesman Greg Aiello on the progress of completing the upcoming schedule. The email gave a timeline of "the next week or two."

Florio cites the well known reason for the delay as being the recent Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens, or more accurately, the Baltimore Orioles. The Ravens were scheduled to host the season opener, which is the usual tradition for the Super Bowl winning team, on September 5th .

The conflict is that the Orioles are scheduled to play the Chicago White Sox on the same day during the evening. After a back and forth for several weeks, with the NFL pleading with the MLB to reschedule, the Orioles game isn't being moved which forces the Ravens to go on the road.

Now the NFL is scrambling to make sure that they can pull and tuck so they can get all the games scheduled as fairly as they can for all teams. What isn't fair is that fans for the Ravens will have to travel for the first game they were supposed to be hosting.

The option was given to the Orioles to possibly move the time of the game up so that the teams could host a doubleheader, if you will. But the idea was shot down by the MLB. Hopefully the holdup will last only briefly, otherwise NFL fans are gonna need more than the patch to cure their cravings.