Patriots likely to open at home

PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The Patriots are likely to open the 2008 season at home with a 1 p.m. game.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft said today at the NFL annual meeting that the team has requested that it be scheduled for a 1 p.m. home opener. The Patriots played the maximum of six prime-time games last regular season, two of which were home games. Three of the team's eight regular-season home games were 1 p.m. starts.

"We get a chance every year to put in requests for the scheduling and everything and one of the things I've said was that last year was a rough year on our fans, so if we could get some 1 o'clock Sunday games at home that would be good," said Kraft. "I'm hoping that our first game will be 1 o'clock Sunday at Gillette Stadium. Let's hope that comes through."

The Patriots' eight home opponents for 2008 are the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, Arizona Cardinals, St. Louis Rams, Denver Broncos, and Kansas City Chiefs.

The league is slated to release the schedule this month.

Kraft said the Patriots will still be a fixture in prime time, but out of deference to the team's fans he also has asked that most of those appearances come on the road.

"I know that we'll be in a lot of prime-time games," Kraft said. "We said, 'If you're going to put us in prime time, do as much as you can of it on the road."

The Patriots are likely to open the 2008 season at home with a 1 p.m. game.