Speaking with Chris "Mad Dog" Russo on Sirius radio, NFL schedule-maker Howard Katz said the impending suspension of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had nothing to do with the team's manageable early-season schedule.

"I didn't have the slightest idea what kind of suspension the Commissioner was going to hand down when I did this," Katz told Russo, via Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. "I make the schedule, I have no input into the suspensions nor did I have any insight into the suspension."

Roethlisberger's six-game suspension may be reduced, provided Roethlisberger meets the criteria set forth by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. The Steelers schedule, released on Tuesday, has the team's bye week falling in Week 5, meaning if Roethlisberger is reinstated after four games, or has the duration of the suspension reduced prior to the start of the regular season, Roethlisberger would have two weeks of practice time before making his 2010 debut.

The Steelers are scheduled to make five prime-time appearances this season, yet none are scheduled for the period of time that Roethlisberger is suspended, and they'll face just one divisional opponent (the Baltimore Ravens, at home) during Roethlisberger's suspension.

Though behind locked doors at the NFL offices in New York, Katz did acknowledge knowing that a suspension was forthcoming.

"It was pretty clear to me he was going to wind up getting some kind of a suspension," he added."I really didn't anticipate that it would be that lengthy of a suspension so if it winds up being six games, yes, he comes back on that game. Purely coincidental."

As Florio also concludes, that is an awfully big coincidence.