The 11 games was all about the money. That gives him six games and the year counts toward his contract term.

https://twitter.com/FO_ASchatz/statu...00578726617089

That just proves this was very premeditated on Roger Goodell’s part. He set it up so the exact length of suspension Watson would have to accept resulted in a last minute settlement of Watson not facing the Saints most important rival and only facing the Saints. He could have scheduled Tampa week 13. He could have put the Browns bye later. He could have scheduled the Saints week 10. He could have refuses to settle and instead suspended Watson for the season. He did none of these things. He never wanted a year suspension, that was all show. The victims dont matter to Goodell any more than his own victims matter to him when he is digging shallow graves. What matters to him is the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to him with his clothes on, being overruled by the evidence when he allowed a truly neutral judge in Paul Tagliaboue to get overrule his bountygate suspensions. There is no way all this comes to an 11 game supension with Tampa the 11th game, a few games of action to warm up, and then Watson at full speed against the Saints, unless Goodell planned it this way from the start.

Goodell doesn't make the schedule. There's a whole team of analysts with a computer simulation that generates workable schedules based upon venue availability and other factors. After weeks worth of simulations they narrow the choices down to a couple of possibilities. Even at that point they have a favorite and it is then blessed by Goodell after seeing it for the first time. There's a whole documentary covering the entire process that I am sure you can find via Google.

Goodell signs the paychecks of everyone involved with making the schedule. Venue availability can occasionally be an issue but like goodell’s basement, it may be locked down a few weekends when loud music is playing, but if he gets in a bad mood capacity quickly opens up. With bye weeks, home and road games, etc there would be thousands of possibilities and ultimately the guy writing the checks can get whatever result he wants.