2012 NFL Offseason Schedule

Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE

The Super Bowl is over and now our attention turns toward the offseason schedule. The Kansas City Chiefs have some work to do so here is a list of important dates to mark on your offseason calendar.

Feb. 20: Franchise tag can be applied.

Starting on the 20th of February, NFL teams can apply the franchise tag to any big name free agents they want to secure for next season. For the Chiefs, there is a good chance either Dwayne Bowe or Brandon Carr could receive the tag. But don’t expect it to happen on the 20th. The team and the players are likely to negotiate on a long-term deal as long as they can before the new league year begins.

Feb. 22-28: NFL Combine

The NFL Combine will officially kick off draft season. There will be live coverage of the workouts on NFL.com and NFL Network. This will be the first time that we may see major shifts in the expected draft order. An impressive performance at the combine can help a player rocket up draft boards just as a poor performance (or a failed drug test, see Houston, Justin) can knock a player down a few rounds. NFL GM’s will talk all week about how numbers aren’t everything but believe me, they’re something.

March 5: Deadline to apply franchise tag

Match 5th is zero barrier for either Dwayne Bowe or Brandon Carr. If one of the stars aren’t signed by then, the Chiefs can slap the tag on them to ensure the player doesn’t leave in free agency. If both Carr and Bowe remain unsigned, the Chiefs may have a tough decision to make.

March 13: Free agency begins at 4 p.m.

Along with the draft, the start of free agency is like a holiday around Arrowhead Addict. Then again, since Clark Hunt has taken over the team, free agency has been more like a birthday where you don’t get any presents.

Anyway, if the Chiefs are serious about making a run at a Super Bowl in 2012, they might want to consider picking up some players more talented than Shabby Piscitelli.

Whether the Chiefs make any moves or not remains to be seen but rest assured, AA will be all over free agency like Clark Hunt on a penny on the sidewalk.

March 25-28: NFL owners’ meetings

The NFL owners get together in Florida to sip on sugary cocktails and talk about how rich they are. Big topic of discussion this year will be the new owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars and his porn stache.

Mid-April: Teams begin offseason programs

The Chiefs will get back together and officially kick off a new era under Romeo Crennel. They’ll be allowed to have 10 OTA’s.

April 26-28: The NFL Draft begins in NYC

The NFL Draft will kick off on April 26th. It’s a great time for Chiefs fans because the team is forced to buy new players whether they like it or not. Actually, the Chiefs could just pass on all their draft picks if they wanted but let’s not give them any ideas.

AA has been live at the draft the last two years. We may be back again this year so stay tuned.

Late July: Training camps begin

May, June and most of July are dark times for an NFL fan. But then, late in the month, training camp coverage begins. AA will unleash its army of loyal training camp attendees to get you all the coverage you could ask for.

Early August: Preseason begins

I don’t care what anyone says, preseason matters. The scores of the games don’t matter but I assure you, if your team looks like a shit show in August, they probably aren’t going to look too great come September. See Chiefs, 2011. Also for more reading, see Haley, Todd.

Sept. 6: Season opener

The Giants will host the season opener in New Jersey.

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