The day the NFL schedule is released isn’t quite as exciting as opening Sunday or as important as the NFL draft.

But for some reason I still get a kick out of finally getting a chance to see when the Vikings are going to be playing division rivals or who we get to watch at Thanksgiving.

Speaking of which, I think the NFL put together some really decent Turkey Day matchups this year.

The Lions still aren’t very good yet but they should be better. They’ll be the underdog to New England without any question, but they should be in better shape to at least give the Patriots a game this year.

I love the rematch between the Super Bowl Champ Saints and the team that knocked them from the ranks of the unbeatens after 13 straight victories, too. And closing the evening with a playoff rematch of the Bengals and Jets is good too.

One of the most anticipated games of the season will take place October 3 when Donovan McNabb goes back to Philadelphia as a member of the Redskins. Yet it’s the rematch in D.C. that gets Monday Night Football billing on November 15 … that one seems like a bit of a missed opportunity, though it will probably keep Philadelphia fans from throwing up on Redskins fans on national television.

Brett Favre will get to play three games against former employers this season. Not only does he have a return trip to Lambeau on October 24 and a game in the Dome against the Packers on Nov. 21 but he gets to try out the new New York stadium when the Jets host the Vikings on October 11. … Wait, that assumes he is coming back.

And one of my favorite things about the schedule this year is that Commissioner Roger Goodell decided to try making the season’s final week 17 an all-division slate of games.

This is the right solution to making those games matter, not fining teams draft picks for resting stars or rewarding them for playing their starters.

It might not prevent teams from resting players in every situation. But with the Bengals against the Ravens, the Cardinals against the 49ers, the Packers against the Bears and the Titans against the Colts, among other intra-division games, there should be plenty on the line as the season winds down.

Yes, save for when the games start, this is as good a time as any for football fans.