When the NFL releases its schedule each April, Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy usually looks first at how many regular seven-day weeks he will have to prepare his team.

He prefers to keep things on a normal schedule. Games on Monday or Thursday nights throw that off.

So McCarthy likely won't be bothered or concerned that his team in 2014 will play the 13th-toughest schedule in the NFL based on opponents' records from last season. The Packers' 2014 opponents had a combined winning percentage of.

Rob Demovsky  wrote:

It amazes me that people want to look at last season to decide what the strength of schedule is for the up coming season.

Things change. Teams change. Injuries happen. Players improve. Others digress. Draft picks are added tot he roster. Coaching changes and schemes occur. Last year doesn't reflect on what this season will bring.

The 1967 Packers won the Super Bowl. 1968 they didn't even finish .500.

Originally Posted by: wpr 

One exception for a brutal schedule might just be the Raiders. Not only do they have 2 each against the Broncos, Chargers and Chiefs they also play the NFC west for games against the Seahawks, 49ers, Cardinals and Rams plus a game against the Patriots. Those are all really tough games for them. The remaining teams are the Dolphins, Bills, Jets, Browns and Jags.

The Raiders have my early vote for the #1 pick in 2015. Are there any decent QBs coming out then? Can they afford to pass on one this year and land an impact player somewhere else or trade down and load up?

Originally Posted by: sschind 

1. Oakland Raiders: Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon

2014 NFL Mock Draft selection: Sammy Watkins, WR

With the Texans, Jaguars and Browns all needing quarterbacks, the Raiders could be out of luck by the time they're on the clock this May. If they can't trade up and refuse to reach on Derek Carr, they may have to wait a year to find a potential franchise quarterback. Luckily for them, the 2015 class is more fruitful at this position.

It's a close call between Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston, but the former has a slight edge right now. With most things being equal, Mariota is clean off the field.