No sense in dancing around this one. Here's your 2012 Giants regular-season schedule as best as I can give it to you right now (and by that I mean game times are missing), according to someone who got a hold of it in advance of the NFL's releasing it. The person asked not to be named because, as I just stated, the league hasn't let it out yet:

Week 1 - vs. Dallas Cowboys (Wed., Sept. 5)

Week 2 - vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week 3 - at Carolina Panthers (Thurs. Sept 20)

Week 4 - at Philadelphia Eagles (Sun, Sept. 30, 8:30 p.m., NBC)

Week 5 - vs. Cleveland Browns

Week 6 - at San Francisco 49ers

Week 7 - vs. Washington Redskins

Week 8 - at Dallas Cowboys

Week 9 - vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 10 - at Cincinnati Bengals

Week 11 - BYE (Nov. 18)

Week 12 - vs. Green Bay Packers

Week 13 - at Washington Redskins

Week 14 - vs. New Orleans Saints

Week 15 - at Atlanta Falcons

Week 16 - at Baltimore Ravens

Week 17 - vs. Philadelphia Eagles

As expected, this schedule is backloaded with tough games. Four of the final six games are against teams that made the playoffs this past season.

The first few weeks are interesting, as the Giants will have a long layoff after their first and third games.

Full details are coming at 7 p.m.

Mike Garafolo: mgarafolo@starledger.com