Fang's Bites

NFL Unveils New Logos

The NFL continues to evolve in the 21st Century. It changed its iconic shield back in 2008, reducing the number of stars in its original logo from 25 to 8.

And starting in April during the draft, the NFL will unveil all new logos for NFL Network, NFL.com, NFL Mobile, NFL Films and NFL RedZone. The NFL shield will be featured in all of the new logos and they will all have the same font. Under their old logos, NFL Network and NFL RedZone had a different variation of the NFL shield, having the familiar red lettering surrounded by a football.

The new logos will streamline the look across all NFL platforms. But I’d rather have the old NFL Films logo than the one that will be used after April 26.

We have the official announcement from the National Football League.

NFL SHIELD FEATURED IN NEW LOGOS FOR NFL NETWORK, NFL FILMS & NFL.COM

The NFL will unveil new logos on April 26 for all of its media properties, it was announced today by Steve Bornstein, Executive Vice President of NFL Media.

The new logo system for the league’s media properties – which includes NFL Network, NFL Films, NFL.com, NFL RedZone and NFL Mobile – prominently features the NFL shield, uniform typography and design and provides for a more streamlined look across all platforms.

The new logos will debut on Day 1 of the 2012 NFL Draft (April 26), which kicks off at 8:00 PM ET with live pick-by-pick coverage on NFL Network and NFL.com.

And that will do it.

NFL Media Group Combines For 14 Sports Emmy Award Nods

NFL Media which consists of NFL Network, NFL Films and NFL.com received a total of 14 Sports Emmy Award nominations Tuesday.

This includes Outstanding Game Analyst for Mike Mayock of NFL Network who did great work on Thursday Night Football in 2011 stabilizing a position that had been in flux since Cris Collinsworth left for NBC’s Sunday Night Football.

NFL Films had several nominations in several different categories for various programs including Inside the NFL on Showtime, NFL Turning Point for Versus and A Football Life for NFL Network.

We have the press release from the National Football League regarding all of the Sports Emmy Award nominations for NFL Media.

NFL MEDIA SCORES 14 SPORTS EMMY NOMINATIONS

TWO NOMINATIONS FOR “A FOOTBALL LIFE”
TWO NFL FILMS’ PRODUCED SHOWS NOMINATED FOR OUTSTANDING SPORTS SERIES
|ANALYST MIKE MAYOCK NOMINATED FOR FIRST SEASON ON “THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL”

NFL Media, comprised of NFL Network, NFL Films and NFL.com, recorded 14 Sports Emmy Award nominations, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences announced today.

The critically acclaimed NFL Network/NFL Films A Football Life series was recognized in its debut season with two nominations — in the Outstanding Sports Anthology Series category as well as for the “Meet Bill Belichick” promotional announcement/commercial.

NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock was nominated as Outstanding Event Analyst for his first season in the Thursday Night Football booth.

For the second time in the show’s two seasons, the NFL Network/NFL.com production The NFL Season: A Biography received a nomination in the Outstanding New Approaches Sports Programming category. NFL Network/NFL.com received a second nomination in the category for the new Football Freakonomics series.

NFL Network earned recognition in the writing category for the “Lombardi Returns” feature on NFL GameDay Morning and for Outstanding Edited Sports Special for “Sharpe Focus: Journey to Canton.” In addition, the NFL GameDay Morning “Carpool” commercial was nominated.

NFL Films, which has won 105 Sports Emmy awards, is the only company to produce two shows nominated in the Outstanding Sports Anthology Series category and is the only with nominated programs produced for three TV networks. In addition to A Football Life, NFL Films earned a nomination in the anthology series category for the new NFL Turning Point show, which it produces with VERSUS, which was rebranded NBC Sports Network earlier this year. NFL Films also was nominated in the Outstanding Studio Show/Weekly category for Inside the NFL, which it produces along with Showtime and CBS.

NFL Network and NFL Films also gained recognition for NFL Films Presents: Shots of the Season (Outstanding Camera Work), Men of Mettle – Ed Sabol’s Last Football Movie (Outstanding Music Composition/Direction/Lyrics), and NFL Films Presents: Super Bowl XLV and Sound FX: All Access in the Outstanding Post Produced Audio category.

The 33nd Annual Sports Emmys Awards will be presented on Monday, April 30 in New York City at the Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Following is a list of the nominations:

OUTSTANDING EDITED SPORTS SERIES/ANTHOLOGY

A Football Life (NFL Network/NFL Films)
NFL Turning Point (VERSUS/NFL Films)

OUTSTANDING SPORTS PERSONALITY – EVENT ANALYST

Mike Mayock (NFL Network)

OUTSTANDING NEW APPROACHES SPORTS PROGRAMMING

Football Freakonomics (NFL Network/NFL.com)
The NFL Season: A Biography (NFL Network/NFL.com)

OUTSTANDING STUDIO SHOW – WEEKLY

Inside the NFL (Showtime/CBS Sports/NFL Films)

OUTSTANDING EDITED SPORTS SPECIAL

Sharpe Focus: Journey to Canton (NFL Network)

THE DICK SCHAAP WRITING AWARD

NFL GameDay Morning: Lombardi Returns (NFL Network)

OUTSTANDING SPORTS PROMOTIONAL ANNOUNCEMENT-INSTITUTIONAL

NFL GameDay Morning “Carpool” (NFL Network/Grey)

OUTSTANDING SPORTS PROMOTIONAL ANNOUNCEMENT-EPISODIC

Bill Belichick: A Football Life – “Meet Bill Belichick” (NFL Network/NFL Films)

OUTSTANDING CAMERA WORK

NFL Films Presents: Shots of the Season (NFL Network/NFL Films)

OUTSTANDING MUSIC COMPOSITION/DIRECTION/LYRICS

Men of Mettle – Ed Sabol’s Last Football Movie (NFL Network/NFL Films)

OUTSTANDING POST PRODUCED AUDIO/SOUND

NFL Films Presents: Super Bowl XLV (NFL Network/NFL Films)
Sound FX: All Access (NFL Network/NFL Films)

One more Sports Emmy Award nomination post is on the way.

Our Mid-Week Linkage

Time for some sports media links for today. Let’s get to them without further delay.

Let’s start with USA Today and Michael Hiestand who looks at the record online numbers for the first live legal stream of the Super Bowl.

Chris Burke of Sports Illustrated lists the best and worst NFL announcing teams.

Over to Mike Farrell of Multichannel News who writes that the MSG Network/Time Warner Cable dispute could last a long time and there’s no end in sight.

Eriq Gardner of the Hollywood Reporter says a magistrate judge has blocked an attempt by several former athletes wanting access to NCAA TV contracts in a dispute over EA Sports using their likenesses for video games.

Lacy Rose of the Reporter writes that actor/director Clint Eastwood is spearheading the launch of a new golf TV network.

John Eggerton of Broadcasting & Cable reports that the FCC has refused to reverse a decision against Comcast requiring it to carry Tennis Channel.

Tim Baysinger of B&C notes that Animal Planet’s annual Puppy Bowl received a lower viewership than last year.

Adweek has all of your Super Bowl ads in 2 minutes.

Andrew Gauthier of TVSpy says an Old Milwaukee Beer spot with Will Ferrell that ran on Super Bowl Sunday in the 2nd smallest market of the country, is getting some of the biggest buzz this week.

Erin Gloria Ryan at Jezebel notes that ESPN had a section for commentors to complain about female announcers. ESPN has taken it down and issued a statement.

Jason Dachman of Sports Video Group says NBC missed obscuring the now-infamous M.I.A. middle finger in the Madonna Super Bowl halftime show by less than on second.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk says USA Network will air an inspirational NFL Films documentary on Friday.

TVNews Check has WCBS-TV claiming an NYC ratings victory for its coverage of Tuesday’s New York Giants Super Bowl parade.

Jerry Barmash at Fishbowl NY says WNBC-TV won the New York ratings for last week thanks to the Giants playing in Super Bowl XLVI.

Laura Nachman says the Philadelphia 76ers’ ratings on Comcast SportsNet are way up over last year.

David Barron from the Houston Chronicle notes that Doritos and M&M’s were TiVO’s most watched Super Bowl ads for this year.

Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman writes about NBC’s ratings for Super Bowl XLVI.

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer says a Great American Ballpark scoreboard operator will represent the Reds in MLB Network’s Baseball IQ game show.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers pleased with his guest analyst stint on NBC Sunday.

Robert Feder from Time Out Chicago notes a local sportscaster who has a side gig with a podcast on science fiction and pop culture.

To Crain’s Chicago Business and Ed Sherman who says this year’s Super Bowl ratings in the Windy City were down significantly from last year.

Brent Schrotenboer of the San Diego Union-Tribune says a local sports radio talk show host was fired after calling a women’s college basketball analyst for the mtn. not just one but several derogatory terms.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News reports that Hall of Fame Dodgers voice Vin Scully won’t be calling Spring Training games until the team returns from Arizona.

Michael Passanisi of Fenway West is not a fan of the Boston Globe’s Dan Shaughnessy. Not many of us are.

Sports Media Watch has some ratings news and notes here and here.

The Canadian Sports Media Blog compares NFL to CFL ratings in the Great White North.

Mike Silva in Sports Media Watchdog looks at Mad Dog Radio’s Dino Costa ranting about teams removing media credentials.

Matt Yoder at Awful Announcing has video of MSG Network host Al Trautwig pounding the table after the New York Rangers lost to the New Jersey Devils after a no goal call on Tuesday.

And Tim Ryan has a photo of NBA Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar posing with the dainty Zooey Deschanel? It’s not sports media, but I’ll take any excuse to post a link to a Zooey Deschanel pic.

Ok, we’re done. Enjoy your Wednesday and the college basketball games tonight.

A Super Bowl Edition of NFL Turning Point Airs Thursday

The season finale of NFL Turning Point airs Thursday night at 10 ET on NBC Sports Network. Dan Patrick hosts and present several segments including those on the Turning Points of the New York Giants’ and New England Patriots’ seasons. There will be a segment on the turning point of the NFL season plus we’ll see a profile of Patriots coach Bill Belichick and how he has been a successful coach throughout his tenure with the team.

And at the end of the program, Dan will host a segment with Football Night in America analysts Rodney Harrison and Tony Dungy.

We have the complete preview from NBC Sports below.

SPECIAL SUPER BOWL EDITION OF “NFL TURNING POINT” AIRS THURSDAY AT 10 P.M. ET ON NBC SPORTS NETWORK

Final Episode examines Turning Point of the season for Giants and Patriots and Turning Points that shaped season for other teams
Bill Belichick and Eli Manning also featured in Final Episode
Dan Patrick, Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison to Conclude Program with Super Bowl XLVI Quarterback Analysis

INDIANAPOLIS – February 1, 2012 – NFL Turning Point, the weekly show on NBC Sports Network co-produced by NFL Films and the NBC Sports Group, wraps up its inaugural season with a special Super Bowl episode this Thursday at 10 p.m. ET. The hour-long program, hosted by Football Night in America’s Dan Patrick, aired throughout the 2011 NFL season and focused on the crucial Turning Point moment in the most meaningful games each week by utilizing NFL Films’ unmatched cinematography and sideline and on-field audio.

This week’s episode focuses on Super Bowl XLVI between the New York Giants and New England Patriots (coverage begins on NBC at 12 p.m. ET on Sun., Feb. 5), and the Turning Point for each team that led them to Indianapolis. The show will also showcase players from both teams who were wired for sound throughout the season, including sound from Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski during the AFC Championship game.

The final episode of the season includes:

• The offensive Turning Point of the Patriots season, and how their passing game has evolved into a system that features two tight ends: Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.
• The Turning Point of the Giants defense this season and the re-emergence of Justin Tuck as one of the team’s leaders.
• Turning Points that shaped the 2011 NFL season – helping some teams and ruining the season for other teams.
• Bill Belichick feature on how he continues to build successful teams and breaks down how he was able to win this season with the 31^st-ranked defense in the league.
• Eli Manning feature on how he has become one of the most elite quarterbacks in the league this season.

Patrick will conclude this show, as he has done all season, with a segment featuring his Football Night in America colleagues Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison discussing the most relevant NFL topics. Thursday’s show will end with an in-depth analysis of the quarterbacks in Super Bowl XLVI – Eli Manning and Tom Brady.

That’s all for this post. At least one more post coming up. Maybe two. We’ll see.

Inside The NFL Quotage From Its Super Bowl Edition

The Super Bowl edition of Inside the NFL debuted Wednesday on Showtime. If you missed the premiere, there will be replays throughout the weekend leading up to the game.

On this week’s edition, New York Giants defensive end Justin Tuck and New England Patriots wide receiver Deion Branch made guest appearances and answered questions from the Inside the NFL crew.

We have the quotage for you below.

ON INSIDE THE NFL ON SHOWTIME^®

SUPER BOWL SPECIAL EDITION INCLUDING INTERVIEWS WITH NEW YORK GIANTS JUSTIN TUCK AND NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS DEION BRANCH PLUS ATLANTA’S TONY GONZALEZ AND JIM ROME

INDIANAPOLIS (Feb. 1, 2012) – Prior to their Super Bowl XLVI showdown, New York Giants defensive end Justin Tuck and New England Patriots wide receiver Deion Branch sit down for interviews with  James Brown, Phil Simms, Cris Collinsworth, and Warren Sapp on this week’s edition of INSIDE THE NFL.

Plus Atlanta Falcons Tony Gonzalez joins INSIDE THE NFL to give an on-field tight end demonstration, and the newest member of the CBS and SHOWTIME family, Jim Rome, joins to give his unique insight into this weekend’s Super Bowl in Indianapolis.

INSIDE THE NFL, now in its 33^rd season, airs every Wednesday night through the NFL season on SHOWTIME for a total of 23 episodes, with multiple replays each week on SHOWTIME and SHOWTIME EXTREME^® and availability on SHOWTIME On Demand.  INSIDE THE NFL is produced by CBS Sports and NFL Films. The executive producers are CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus and NFL Films President Steve Sabol. Pete Radovich Jr., the Emmy Award-winning Creative Director for CBS Sports, serves as coordinating producer.

Following are excerpts from this week’s episode:

Tuck on rushing Tom Brady…
TUCK: You’ve got to be in his face. Some quarterbacks you don’t really care where the rush comes from. But with a guy like Tom, if you allow him to step up and step up into his throws, you’re going to have a long night. And I think that’s why it’s so important for our front four and particularly our defensive tackles, getting people right in his face so he has to be mobile in the pocket. That’s not his strength.  When he is able to step up he is deadly. We’ve got some things in that hopefully can knock him off his point and make him be a little bit more of an athlete and I think we stand a better chance of having success against him when we are able to do that.

On his health going into Super Bowl XLVI…
TUCK: It’s the Super Bowl man, I’m great. We can get it all in after this and I can go get the MRIs and all that after this but you don’t ever want to regret having an opportunity like this. The adrenaline of this football game here, you are going to feel like 100%. I don’t care who you are. I expect (Rob) Gronkowski to play because he knows as well I know, playing in this game, I’m not worried about any of the injuries I’ve had. I’m going to go out there and give it everything I’ve got and I told our doctors 10 weeks ago, we’ll deal with that at the end of the year.

On Tom Coughlin coaching through the season while fans called for his termination…
TUCK: He has continued to be the Coughlin that everybody knows, but I think he’s done a great job of allowing his players to have a little bit more say-so. So he’s given us a lot of leeway to make some of the decisions about how we go about things in the locker room and with the Giants and I think it’s paid off for us.

Branch on the difference between playing for the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots…
BRANCH: To commend the guys, things didn’t work out the way we thought it would and I was traded to Seattle which I was very thankful to be blessed to go to another first class organization. You start noticing when you have a high turnover within an organization there is no stability, so therefore you are not producing on the football field. You are not producing wins. Those W’s turn to L’s…When Coach Belichick gave me a call and told me he was thinking of bringing me back, this and that, and trust me I was truly honored to have the opportunity to return to the team that drafted me with the same head coach and the same quarterback. The stability is there (and) the foundation for greatness with this organization

On the New England Patriots playbook…
BRANCH: It is a very complex offense, it is a demanding offense. I think we change so much stuff week to week and daily. There’s so much stuff that we go through during the course of the week and then Friday here it is, they spring another 20 plays on us, 48 hours before the game. That’s just part of being here.

SIMMS: You said it right. It is a memorization offense. One word tells everybody. A lot of offenses have a lot of words and they tell everybody what to do…You have to learn the whole concept.

The press releases continue. Keep your feeds updated.

Some Mid-Week Sports Media Thoughts

Time to do some original content here. The thoughts come to you in bullet form as always.

• As the Super Bowl fast approaches, we hear from those who know more than your humble blogger that Sunday’s Big Game could set a viewing record. Super Bowl XLV on Fox between Green Bay and Pittsburgh set the standard with an average of 111 million viewers. I do expect we’ll see an average of 115 million for Pats-Giants with a total viewership reaching 170 million. I’ll also predict a rating of 47.5 with a 70 share. Based on last year’s numbers, my prediction would be on track. Patriots owner Robert Kraft feels Super Bowl XLVI will be the most watched program of all-time and I agree with him.
• I wish ESPN would cover every event like it does tennis. The announcing from Chris Fowler, Cliff Drysdale, Patrick McEnroe, Darren Cahill, Chris Evert, Mary Jo Fernandez, Pam Shriver, Brad Gilbert to host Chris McKendry was stellar throughout the Australian Open. I have not been enamored with Fowler’s play-by-play in the past, but I thought he was very good especially in calling the men’s semifinals of Rafael Nadal-Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic-Andy Murray and extremely good for the epic Rafa-Djoker final.The men’s final had so many ups and downs and so many shifts of momentum. Fowler and McEnroe were on top of potential shifts and correctly first guessed many points. ESPN2 was on top of the play on Sunday And Tennis Channel was very good as well. It’s too bad that neither ESPN2 or Tennis Channel could pick up John McEnroe for the Aussie Open. He will be on the French Open for Tennis Channel and NBC.

  However, ESPN2′s efforts appear not to be rewarded as the ratings were off from last year. I’ll have more on that later today.

• And one more item from the weekend, I thought the HBO/NFL Films documentary on Joe Namath was fantastic. As with past HBO efforts, it did not sugarcoat Namath’s life and career. It delved into his partying lifestyle during his heyday with the New York Jets in the 1960′s during the height of the Sexual Revolution. In addition, it did not whitewash his alcoholism nor his most infamous moment in 2003 when he was drunk during a live interview with Suzy Kolber on ESPN. The film made great lengths to show that while Namath loved the bright lights of Broadway, he still had his home of Beaver Falls, PA deep in his soul. From the rarely seen footage of his high school days, to his college career at Alabama and through to the AFL and NFL, “Namath” captured the essence of the man. Another solid documentary from HBO, definitely Emmy Award-worthy.
• Just 19 days until pitchers and catchers report. Can’t wait.

That does it for now. This should be another busy day for sports media.

And one quick self-serving note. This week’s edition of the Sports Media Podcast will have a record amount of guests. I’m not going jinx it by pre-promoting them, but suffice to say if everything holds true, you will love the Super Bowl edition of the podcast.

I’ll be back later in the day.

NBC To Air 42nd Annual “Road to the Super Bowl”

NBC kicks off its Super Bowl coverage on Sunday with the NFL Films-produced special, “Road to the Super Bowl” starting at noon ET. The show will review the 2011 season and show viewers how the New England Patriots and New York Giants ended up in Indianapolis for Super Bowl XLVII.

NFL Films has culled through millions of feet of game footage, plus hundreds of hours of audio from coaches and players to produce a one-hour special.

This year’s edition marks the 42nd time that “Road to the Super Bowl” has aired on Super Bowl Sunday.

We have the press release from the National Football League.

NFL FILMS’ “ROAD TO THE SUPER BOWL” DEBUTS ON NBC AT 12:00 PM ET ON SUPER BOWL SUNDAY

42^nd Year of TV’s Longest-Running, Most-Honored Annual Sports Special One-Hour Special Culled From 1.7 Million Feet of Game Film & 400 Hours of Game Audio from 133 Coaches & Players

How did the New York Giants and New England Patriots advance to Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis? Re-live the journey as only NFL Films can present it on “Road to the Super Bowl” on Super Bowl Sunday, February 5 at Noon ET on NBC.

“Road to the Super Bowl” begins with Kickoff Weekend and chronicles the 2011 NFL season utilizing NFL Films’ signature captivating video and sound from on the field and in the locker room from exclusive player and coach wirings.

“For those who love football, this show is red meat,” said NFL Films president Steve Sabol. “No interviews, no talking heads, all action.”

“Road to the Super Bowl” is the longest-running (42 years) and most honored (28 Sports Emmys) annual sports special. “Road to the Super Bowl,” which debuted following the 1969 season, was culled by NFL Films producers from more than 1.7 million feet of game footage to 980 feet for the one-hour special. In addition, more than 400 hours of audio were captured from 133 exclusive coach and player on-field wirings. Original orchestral music, including a 60-person choir, was used in producing the show.

That will do it.

HBO Airs “Namath” Documentary on Saturday

The first great sports documentary of 2012 will air Saturday night on HBO. The 90 minute film was co-produced by HBO Sports and NFL and gives us a look at Joe Namath’s life and career starting in high school in Beaver Falls, PA, to college in Alabama, then to the New York Jets of the old American Football League, and finally to retirement. It doesn’t sugarcoat Namath’s demons, but it also shows that while Namath loved the big lights of New York, the small town of Beaver Falls, PA never left him.

There are appearances by his brothers, sister, daughter, friends, former teammates, and even Suzy Kolber and if you’ve followed sports over the last ten years, you’ll know why she’s in the documentary.

It’s well done and I give the documentary an A.

Here’s the HBO press release and a video preview.

HBO SPORTS AND NFL FILMS EXAMINE THE LIFE OF “BROADWAY JOE” NAMATH, ONE OF PRO FOOTBALL’S BIGGEST STARS, IN A DOCUMENTARY DEBUTING JAN. 28, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO

The Emmy^®-winning combination of HBO Sports and NFL Films explores the fascinating life and career of one of pro football’s biggest stars when NAMATH, a documentary on New York Jets icon Joe Namath, debuts SATURDAY, JAN. 28 (9:00-10:30 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.

Other HBO playdates:  Jan 28 (1:00 a.m.) and 31 (noon, midnight), and Feb. 3 (5:30 p.m.), 5 (11:15 a.m.), 7 (noon, 3:30 a.m.), 9 (8:00 p.m., 1:30 a.m.), 11 (3:00 p.m.), 15 (11:30 a.m., 5:45 p.m.) and 17 (7:30 p.m.)

HBO2 playdates:  Jan. 30 (4:30 p.m., 12:50 a.m.) and Feb. 6 (6:30 p.m., 4:30 a.m.), 18 (7:45 a.m.), 21 (12:25 p.m., 8:00 p.m.), 26 (8:30 a.m.) and 29 (midnight)

HBO On Demand availability:  Jan. 30-Feb. 28

Born in Beaver Falls, Pa. in 1943, Namath was raised in western Pennsylvania and was a stellar high school athlete in basketball, baseball and football. He accepted a football scholarship to the University of Alabama and played quarterback for the legendary Paul “Bear” Bryant. Namath led the Crimson Tide to the top of the national polls in 1964 and his stock as a pro football prospect soared.

With entertainment mogul Sonny Werblin at the helm of ownership of the New York Jets, Namath elected to sign with the upstart American Football League for a then-staggering $427,000, and by game five of his first season had become the Jets’ starting quarterback. He was subsequently named AFL Rookie of the Year, and was one of the first sports celebrity superstars, captivating both the entertainment press and fans with his movie-star looks and bigger-than-life “Broadway Joe” personality.

In a moment that would alter the NFL landscape, Namath led the underdog New York Jets to a world championship title in Super Bowl III versus the heavily favored Baltimore Colts.  His “guarantee” of a Jets upset brought him legendary status.

While his MVP performance in Super Bowl III was the high point, Namath fashioned a high-flying all-star career during his 13 years in pro football, and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.

Now 68, Namath remains engaged in the game with which he has had a lifelong love affair. He provides radio commentary, is connected to new media initiatives through Facebook and Twitter (@realjoenamath), and hosts his own website destination (broadwayjoe.tv).

Interviews for the documentary include:  family members Frank Namath, Rita Sims and Jessica Namath; family friends Linwood Alford, Wibby Glover, Al Hassan, Jimmy Walsh and Tad Dowd; former New York Jets teammates Matt Snell, John Schmitt, Don Maynard, Richard Castor, Emerson Boozer and John Riggins; former Jets assistant coach Ken Meyer; former Alabama teammate Gaylon McCollough; former Alabama assistant coach Howard Schnellenberger; former Baltimore Colts head coach Don Shula; former NFL players Mike Curtis, Ben Davidson and Fred Dryer; sports journalists Sal Marchiano, Suzy Kolber, Dave Anderson and Rick Telander; producers Larry Spangler and Roger Smith; attorney Mike Bite; and actress Ann-Margret.

HBO Sports and NFL Films have a long history of acclaimed football productions, including the 2010 documentary “Lombardi,” which earned rave reviews and received the Sports Emmy^® for Outstanding Documentary.

The executive producers of NAMATH are Rick Bernstein for HBO Sports and Steve Sabol for NFL Films; produced by Joe Lavine for HBO Sports and Keith Cossrow for NFL Films; Liev Schreiber narrates; music composed by Dave Robidoux of NFL Films; writer, Ouisie Shapiro; senior coordinating producers for NFL FILMS, Pat Kelleher and Ross Ketover; executive producer for Namanco Productions Inc, James Walsh.

Highlights of NAMATH:

Former Alabama teammate Gaylon McCollough: “He had good command of the Alabama offense. He was shifty, he was all over the field and he almost left you standing in your boots when you were trying to tackle him. He had tremendous speed and quickness and agility. He was like trying to tackle the wind. He could stop on a dime and throw a jump pass 40 or 50 yards. It was different from what our opponents had seen in the past.”

Gaylon McCollough: “One of the tragedies in American sports is that most people never had the chance to see a healthy Joe Namath play, to see how good he really was. If you had ever seen him at his best, you’d never forget it.”

Former New York Jets offensive coach Ken Meyer:  “[He’s] the only quarterback I’ve ever been around that you didn’t have to look to see when the ball was released…You could hear the ‘whoosh’ when the ball left his hand. And that is not kidding!”

Sports journalist Rick Telander: “There had not been anybody like Joe Namath, not in sports. Long hair, sideburns…a Fu Manchu. Suddenly it’s like, ‘We got some kind of revolutionary here.’ No, you got a guy who’s growing a Fu Manchu ‘cause the chicks dig it.”

New York sportscaster Sal Marchiano: “So here was this rascal – not a maverick – a rascal who wore white shoes, wore his hair long, and he went his own way. He was Mick Jagger in a football uniform. He wasn’t Pat Boone. And that’s what America wanted.”

Former Colts head coach Don Shula on Namath delivering in Super Bowl III: “You gotta give credit where credit is due, and Namath, he made the predictions, then he made ‘em come true.”

Former NFL player Fred Dryer: “That guy was very important to the game of football as a cultural icon, and how he brought professional football into the television era and with it a whole degree of excitement…The likes of him will never ever, ever pass this way again.”

Joe Namath: “Something’s been guiding me around throughout my life. I keep saying, ‘I’m just a lucky guy.’ ”

Here’s the video preview of the documentary.

That’s it.

Doing Some Friday Megalinks

With a rainy day in Southern New England, it’s time to provide you with some media links. Lots of them on a Friday.

You can check out the Weekend Viewing Picks for the sports and entertainment programming suggestions.

Now to the links.

National

USA Today’s Michael Hiestand talks with NBC’s Al Michaels about calling his 8th Super Bowl and 2nd for NBC.

Mike Ozanian from Forbes says NFL TV rightsholders will be able to reap financial benefits while non-rightsholders end up holding the bag.

Sam Mamudi of Marketwatch.com says you can follow along the USA Today Super Bowl Ad Meter results in real time thanks to a new Facebook app.

Michael O’Connell from the Hollywood Reporter has a sneak peek at some of the Super Bowls ads.

Kelly McBride of the ESPN Poynter Review Project looks at why ESPN made so much of Tim Tebow.

Alex Klein at Romanesko looks into why the Yale Daily News sat on a story for several months and how it took the New York Times to report on former quarterback Patrick Witt’s alleged sexual assault on campus. You may remember that Witt was a candidate to become a Rhodes Scholar but then skipped his interview. Now we know why.

Todd Spangler at Multichannel News says ESPN will let viewers see additional highlights and material from the Winter X Games via the Shazam mobile app.

Mike Reynolds of Multichannel writes that NBC Sports Network goes into the NHL All-Star Weekend with increased ratings for the games.

Austin Karp of Sports Business Daily also has a story on the increased NHL ratings for NBC Sports Network.

Gabriel Beltrone from Adweek says Coke will have a Super Bowl microsite where its famous polar bears will react to the game and ads in real time.

David Gianatasio of Adweek writes one local Super Bowl spot will urge you to pee during its commercial.

E.J. Schultz at Advertising Age has Anheuser-Busch’s Super Bowl plans.

Matt Hardigree at Jalopnik says he’s solved the mystery behind the advertiser behind the Ferris Bueller-themed Super Bowl spot.

Adam Jacobi, the college football writer at CBSSports.com, who put the link to Onward State’s erroneous tweet about Joe Paterno’s death last Saturday has been fired. Jacobi says he understands the decision and has apologized to the Paterno family for his mistake.

Brandon Costa of Sports Video Group says NBC will take a lighter approach for Sunday’s NFL Pro Bowl in Hawaii.

Harry A. Jessell at TV NewsCheck notes that while the national TV ratings for the NFL are good, go inside the local numbers and they’re even better.

ESPN PR man Bill Hofheimer gives you an inside look at the network’s Super Bowl studios in Indianapolis.

Sports Media Watch says college basketball ratings are up on both ESPN and ESPN2.

SMW has some news and notes on some various people in the sports media.

Matt Yoder at Awful Announcing goes into some of the on-screen typos on TV this week.

Jeff Pearlman gets vindication from Chris “Mad Dog” Russo.

Steven Crist from the Daily Racing Form feels returning the Breeders Cup to NBC can only help horse racing.

All Access says a Hartford, CT FM station has flipped to all-sports.

East and Mid-Atlantic

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe says NESN has selected the replacement for Heidi Watney on its Red Sox broadcasts.

Chad says of all of the local TV outlets, Comcast SportsNet New England will have the largest contingent covering the Super Bowl in Indianapolis.

Johnny Diaz from the Globe says Boston DirecTV subscribers will see the Super Bowl after all.

Bill Doyle from the Worcester Telegram & Gazette talks with NBC’s Rodney Harrison about Super Bowl XLII and how some present New England Patriots still remaining from the game want revenge.

Stuart Elliot at the New York Times says some Super Bowl advertisers are returning buyers.

Richard Sandomir of the Times has Joe Namath’s reaction to the HBO/NFL Films documentary on his career that premieres tomorrow.

Richard adds that Namath is right now estranged from his former team, the New York Jets.

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post says the Namath documentary for the most part is good.

Justin Terranova of the Post speaks with NBC NHL charlatan Pierre McGuire.

Mike Silva at Sports Media Watchdog wonders why Kim Jones left YES.

Pete Dougherty from the Albany Times Union says a local sports talk show will broadcast live from the Super Bowl next week.

Pete talks with the host of that talk show who also wears other hats in the Albany market.

Ken McMillan from the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record says NYC residents will be able to hear the local and national radio calls of the Super Bowl next Sunday.

The Harrisburg (PA) Patriot-News notes the firing of a CBSSports.com writer for falsely reporting Joe Paterno’s death.

DCRTV’s Dave Hughes at Press Row has media notes from the Baltimore-DC area.

South

The Tallahassee (FL) Democrat writes that a local sports talk show host who left his former station this week will be back on the air at another station later this year.

Billy Cox of the Sarasota (FL) Herald Tribune says ESPN’s Dick Vitale will be the subject of a profile produced by ….. ESPN!

Josh Bowe of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram says Fox Sports Southwest will stream Lone Star Conference football games and a highlight show over the internet.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle talks with a retiring local sports anchor who looks back at the 2011 Texans rather fondly.

Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman reviews the HBO/NFL Films documentary on Joe Namath.

Mel says ESPNU will be all over National Signing Day.

Midwest

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer talks with former Bengal Artrell Hawkins who is now co-hosting Fox Sports Radio’s national morning show.

Jeff Moss of the Detroit Sports Rag looks into the new program director and on-air host of a local sports radio station.

Bob Wolfley at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says Wisconsin sports teams did well in the national TV ratings last year.

Dan McGrath of the Chicago News Cooperative notes the 20 year anniversary of sports talk radio in the Windy City.

Paul Christian of the Rochester (MN) Post-Bulletin says new Minnesota Twins radio voice Cory Provus has big shoes to fill.

Dan Caesar of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch talks with Bob Costas about returning to host his familiar town hall format next week.

West

Thomas Harding of MLB.com says Root Sports Rocky Mountain’s Alana Rizzo is leaving the network’s Colorado Rockies broadcast team and heading for MLB Network.

John Maffei at the North County Times says HBO’s documentary on Joe Namath is on par with previous efforts.

Jim Carlisle of the Ventura County Star also reviews the documentary.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News talks with Kings radio analyst Daryl Evans and also lists his best/worst LA broadcast analysts.

Tom has more on Evans in his blog.

Canada

Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail says it’s time to play the NHL All-Star Game outdoors.

And that will do it.

Inside The NFL Follows Last Week’s “LT” Appearance With Another “LT”

Last week, Showtime’s “Inside the NFL” brought in the man known as “LT”, LaDanian Tomlinson to be a guest for the entire hour of the show. This week, it brings in the original “LT”, Hall of Fame New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor to talk about next week’s Super Bowl between his G-Men and the New England Patriots.

Inside the NFL premieres tonight at 9 ET/9 PT on Showtime and will have multiple replays on the Showtime platforms (Showtime, Sho 2, Showtime Extreme) throughout the week.

We have the Showtime press release for you.

NFL HALL OF FAMER LAWRENCE TAYLOR TO JOIN THE CAST ON THIS WEEK’S EPSIODE OF INSIDE THE NFL ON SHOWTIME^®

New Episode Tonight/Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET/PT

NEW YORK (Jan. 25, 2012) – The New York Giants NFL Hall of Fame linebacker and two-time Super Bowl Champion Lawrence Taylor will join James Brown, Phil Simms, Cris Collinsworth and Warren Sapp on this week’s edition of INSIDE THE NFL.  Taylor, who is widely recognized as one of the greatest defensive players in league history, will be on set to discuss the New York Giants’ and New England Patriots’ respective roads to the Super Bowl.

This week’s episode of INSIDE THE NFL premieres Wednesday, Jan. 25 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME.

INSIDE THE NFL is produced by CBS Sports and NFL Films. The executive producers are CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus and NFL Films President Steve Sabol. Pete Radovich Jr., the Emmy Award-winning Creative Director for CBS Sports, serves as coordinating producer.

That will do it for this post.

Some Late Monday Night Linkage

I’ll do some links that I’ve gathered over the day. You deserve some.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today discusses the monster ratings for Championship Sunday in the NFL.

Michael says with NBC reacquiring the rights to the Breeders Cup, ESPN has gotten out of the horse racing business.

And Michael discusses Jim Rome’s CBS debut before the AFC Championship.

Stuart Miller of Multichannel News says league-owned networks are looking to fill time through imaginative programming.

John Ourand at Sports Business Journal notes that the dispute between MSG Network and Time Warner Cable could threaten the Buffalo Sabres’ number one spot in the local NHL ratings.

John says carriage talks for Time Warner’s new regional sports network featuring the Los Angeles Lakers and for the Pac-12 Network are about to begin in California.

Michael Smith of SBJ says Turner Sports will be running the Fan Fest and other events at the NCAA Final Four this year.

Some stories on how the media handled or did not handle the premature reports of Joe Paterno’s death.

Ronnie Ramos at the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center says there are lessons to be learned from the way the Paterno story was reported on Saturday.

Craig Silverman of the Poynter Institute tells us how the Associated Press did not fall into the trap of reporting Paterno’s death.

Davis Shaver on Onward State, the online publication that made the erroneous report, explains the events on Saturday.

Michael Malone of Broadcasting & Cable notes that local TV stations in the Penn State vicinity showed restraint on the Paterno story.

Brian Stelter of the New York Times looks into how the Paterno story burned online news sources.

Now to other links.

John Daly of the Daly Planet delves into how Danica Patrick will influence NASCAR this season.

Barry Janoff of The Big Lead writes about Danica’s GoDaddy.com Super Bowl ad.

Sam Laird of Mashable notes that Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis will be the first to have a social media command center.

Sam informs advertisers what the typical NFL fan looks like.

Now some remembrances of the late Andy Musser who along with the late Harry Kalas, the late Richie Ashburn and Chris Wheeler, formed one of the best local broadcast teams whey they called the Philadelphia Phillies from the 1970′s into the 1990′s. Musser died Sunday at the age of 74. Musser was a consummate professional who called the Phillies, the Eagles, the 76ers and Villanova basketball. He did all of them well. A man who was content to be the number two broadcaster on the Phillies behind Kalas, he would call games on both radio and TV for the team.

Todd Zolecki of MLB.com has an obituary of Musser.

The Philadelphia Inquirer says a memorial service will be held at the end of the month for Musser.

Tyler Kepner of the New York Times says Musser was a true gentleman.

And I hope to have more stories about Musser in Tuesday’s links.

Dan Fogarty of SportsGrid has video of a Baltimore news anchor trying to prop up a depressed Ravens fan base.

Dan has another video of a Ravens fan kicking out an entire viewing party after the failed field goal by Billy Cundiff on Sunday.

Glen Davis of SportsGrid has the clip of the Ravens’ Terrell Suggs giving Skip Bayless a verbal beatdown.

Bob’s Blitz notes that Boomer Esiason and Jillian Michaels will co-host this year’s “Super Bowl’s Greatest Commercials.”

Patrick Burns of Deadspin did some excellent work to break down SportsCenter’s coverage on ESPN over an 11 day span earlier this month.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times notes how Gary Carter’s daughter is chronicling her father’s struggles with a brain tumor.

Matt Flegenheimer of the Times writes about how New York Knicks fans are actually going to games in the wake of the Time Warner Cable-MSG Network dispute.

Back to Brian Stelter of the Times who profiles NFL Films.

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post wonders why CBS won’t bring up Ray Lewis’ stabby past.

Ken Schott of the Schenectady Gazette notes the big ratings for NFL Conference Championship Sunday.

Pete Dougherty at the Albany Times Union has the ESPN Family of Networks college lacrosse schedule.

Ken says YES will air Jorge Posada’s retirement from the Yankees on Tuesday.

Ken McMillan at the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record says ESPN will air a half-dozen Spring Training MLB games in March.

At the Baltimore Sun, David Zurawik says CBS got the job done during the AFC Championship.

David says the local ratings for the AFC Championship may have set a record.

David writes that the AFC Championship definitely set a social media record.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner writes about Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic’s new show.

Tom Jones from the Tampa Bay Times looks back at a tumultuous weekend in sports television.

David Barron at the Houston Chronicle writes about the NFL Conference Championship Games’ ratings.

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer has Thom Brennaman threatening promising to call Reds games on the radio with his dad, Marty.

Dusty Saunders from the Denver Post reviews the HBO Sports documentary on Joe Namath.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News discusses the Breeders Cup going primetime on NBC later this year.

Bill Shakin of the Los Angeles Times goes over the process of the Dodgers sale that began in earnest on Monday.

Sports Media Watch says the NBA’s move to becoming a mostly cable television league has paid off.

SMW has some various news and notes.

Steve Lepore at Puck The Media says the Boston Bruins had a mixed bag over the weekend on NESN.

Dave Kohl at the Broadcast Booth says live sports continues to rack in the ratings.

Joe Favorito looks at the growth of squash, Twitter trouble and how to use the social media service properly.

Joe Lucia at Awful Announcing wonders how CBS’ Jim Nantz could confuse two Baltimore Ravens’ wide receivers.

And that will do it for your late night linkage.

LaDanian Tomlinson Talks About the New York Jets on Inside the NFL

On Wednesday’s edition of Showtime’s Inside the NFL, LaDanian Tomlinson took the opportunity to talk about the New York Jets’ failure to make the playoffs plus the controversy of recently leaked stories to the media on the infighting among the team.

L.T. talked to the Inside the NFL team of James Brown, Cris Collinsworth, Phil Simms and Warren Sapp about the atmosphere in the locker room and how coach Rex Ryan’s talking proved to be a motivator for opponents to beat up on the Jets.

Some interesting quotes. Inside the NFL premiered Wednesday on Showtime and will have multiple replays through Sunday morning. We have what amounts to very interesting quotage.

LADAINIAN TOMLINSON TALKS JETS LOCKER ROOM FEUD ON THIS WEEK’S INSIDE THE NFL ON SHOWTIME^®

NEW YORK (Jan. 18, 2012) – New York Jets running back LaDainian Tomlinson joins James Brown, Phil Simms, Cris Collinsworth and Warren Sapp on this week’s edition of INSIDE THE NFL where he gives his insight and take on the locker room feud between quarterback Mark Sanchez and wide receiver Santonio Holmes. Plus INSIDE THE NFL breaks down the upcoming AFC and NFC Championship games.

This week’s episode of INSIDE THE NFL premiered Jan. 18 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME.

INSIDE THE NFL, now in its 33^rd season, airs every Wednesday night through the NFL season on SHOWTIME for a total of 23 episodes, with multiple replays each week on SHOWTIME and SHOWTIME EXTREME^® and availability on SHOWTIME On Demand.

INSIDE THE NFL is produced by CBS Sports and NFL Films. The executive producers are CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus and NFL Films President Steve Sabol. Pete Radovich Jr., the Emmy Award-winning Creative Director for CBS Sports, serves as coordinating producer.

Following are excerpts from this week’s episode:

On Tomlinson’s insight inside Jets locker room drama…
JB: Did it get out-of-hand?
Tomlinson: It got out-of-hand toward the end of the season. That is why it got out in the media. This is something that happened (in the) third or fourth week of the season, that was going on, and nobody knew about it because the players kept it under wraps. Until we went on that losing streak and guys started to speak up and speak out about certain things.

Collinsworth: Mark Sanchez has been the lightening rod. A lot of players don’t think he should be. Santonio Holmes was taken out of the game for basically stirring it up in the huddle. How bad was it and can it be fixed for those two?
Tomlinson: It is as bad as I’ve ever been around, honestly. And I’ve been around some locker rooms and quarterback-receiver situations and what-not. But it was as bad as I’ve been around. You know it was at the point where I think the players could no longer do anything about it. There was nothing that the players could do. So when it gets to that point there are certain changes that need to happen. Can it be fixed, Cris? I think absolutely it can be. But they’re going to have to make some tough decisions.

JB: In terms of getting rid of some players?
Tomlinson: Guys think about this. They (Jets Organization) created this. This is the type of football team that they wanted. Mike Tannenbaum, Rex Ryan are both brash, in-your-face type of style, say whatever you want, just get it done on the field. And then it leads to other things, as guys are calling each other out and saying I’m not getting the ball or whatever it may be.

On whether or not Sanchez can overcome the drama…
Tomlinson:  I think he can overcome it. I think, the guy that said, that came at him, I don’t know who it was, that said Sanchez was lazy, but I disagree with that. The guy is not lazy guys. He is not a lazy guy. He puts in the time after practice in the film room. He can get it done. He just has to have pieces around him to help him get it done.

On whether or not Sanchez is pampered…
Tomlinson: Yes he is, I would say a bit pampered because he has no competition. He has no real threat to say this guy may take my job.

On whether or not Tomlinson would bring both Sanchez and Holmes back…
Tomlinson: Whew, that is a tough one. I would really have to sit down with them and see if they can co-exist, honestly. I mean that is a decision that I really have to make. And if I really feel like they can’t, then you have to make a move.

On decision to change offense in off-season to a passing game with a wide open offense…
Tomlinson: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. So a team that was coming off two straight AFC Championship games relied heavily on the run. My opinion now, why would you just totally switch up your identity at that point?

On brash, in-your-face style of Jets…
Tomlinson:  I think it can be effective because there are certain guys that you have to have on your team if you are going to be that way. You know it. If you are going to be that way you better have certain types. You better have some bad guys on your team that just don’t care about certain things, that speak up and say certain things. But if you’re not going to be that team, if you don’t have that personnel for that team, you can’t do it. You can’t be that team.

JB: And that is where the pitfalls are if you don’t have those kinds of players. Because have had enough guys that say they love playing for Rex:
Tomlinson: I love playing for Rex. I really do. He is a great guy to play for.

On Rex’s public bold predictions and statements for Jets and their opponents…
Tomlinson: I would prefer him not to say it as much as he did. I don’t mind every now and again saying we are going to win a championship. Maybe at the beginning of the year just saying, ‘Hey, our goal is to win a championship.’ But at the same time every week if you are calling out a team on certain things, I think it puts a little extra on your team. Guys really want to go out there and say, ‘Let’s shut this guy up. Let’s shut these Jets up, just end their season.’ I think that adds to that when Rex speaks up like that because, you know, everybody doesn’t like that type of style, and they’re not supposed to. But at the same time there are certain things that you can do to not have it come off like that.  

On Mark Sanchez-Santonio Holmes feud…
Tomlinson: Well, the East Coast-West Coast was something we poked fun at in the locker room amongst the players…Everybody heard about the Santonio and Mark Sanchez kind of beef, so we called it East Coast-West Coast beef. Santonio being the East Coast from Florida, Mark Sanchez being the West Coast from California. So we poked fun at it being the East Coast-West Coast beef. But in all seriousness, Santonio, obviously, he is a great player. There are some things that obviously he needs to work on as far as being a leader.

Collinsworth: But it is great that you guys elected him captain, vote of the players and everything.
Tomlinson: Well, I’ve got to say, the players had nothing to do with that vote. Coaches vote on the captains with the Jets.

And that does it.

CBS Airs NFL Films Special Today

To kick off its big day of sports programming today, CBS Sports will air a special produced by NFL Films called “They Call It The Playoffs.” The special will focus on some of the best moments in the NFL postseason including the Miami-Kansas City double overtime game from the 1971 season, “The Catch” from the 1981 season and the “Tuck Rule” game between New England and Oakland that transformed the Patriots into a Super Bowl Champion team.

Peter Coyote will narrate the NFL Films special. Writing the last paragraph has made me interested in the program and I may watch it to get read for the playoff games today.

Here’s the CBS Sports press release.

CBS SPORTS BROADCASTS “THEY CALL IT THE NFL PLAYOFFS” ON SATURDAY, JAN. 14

CBS Sports broadcasts the NFL Films Presentation, THEY CALL IT THE NFL PLAYOFFS, on Saturday, Jan. 14 (2:30-3:30 PM, ET). This special returns to the NFL post-season not simply to see who will be crowned champion, but hoping, along the way, to see in the beauty and sting of winter football something we never have before: a title for a long-suffering player, coach, or city; a matchup in which two teams provide a singular sudden death drama; a play so magnificent that we come to know it by one simple name, like, “the Catch.”

From their little known origins to their unexpected results, great moments from the rich history of pro football’s annual second season come to life in the NFL Films presentation THEY CALL IT THE NFL PLAYOFFS. A celebration of the winter ritual of playoff football, this one hour spectacular will revisit the Tuck Rule Game that propelled the team of the 2000s to its first title; the double overtime classic played 40 years ago this season between the Chiefs and Dolphins; and on its 30^th anniversary, the moment that forever altered the NFL’s most bitter post-season rivalry. What were the coldest, longest, dirtiest and greatest playoff games in history? Which city is the NFL’s best for playoff weather? And which is the greatest playoff franchise in history? Learn all that and more through NFL Films signature images, sound and access in THEY CALL IT THE NFL PLAYOFFS.

Though the NFL post-season is as unpredictable as winter weather, what’s certain is that this year’s Playoffs will deliver moments unlike any we’ve ever seen. And when they happen, it’s also certain those new moments and milestones will stir and inspire just like those relived in THEY CALL IT THE NFL PLAYOFFS. Peter Coyote serves as host.

That’s it for this post.

The 5th Annual Fang’s Bites NFL TV Awards

Time to hand out the 5th edition of the Fang’s Bites NFL TV Awards. On Christmas Day, I provided the list of nominees for this year’s edition. Now, with the regular season over, let’s hand out the hardware for the 2011-12 campaign.

Best Play-by-Play: The Nominees are Marv Albert, CBS; Ian Eagle, CBS; Al Michaels, NBC; Brad Nessler, NFL Network; Sam Rosen, Fox; and Mike Tirico, ESPN. The winner is Marv Albert, CBS. After leaving Westwood One Radio in 2010, Marv returned to the NFL almost a year later to the day and made it a triumphant one. Teamed with Rich Gannon, Marv joined an already deep bench at CBS Sports and made its corps even better. Usually assigned to the 4th best game of the day, Marv can make it sound exciting. Already one of the best ever broadcasters in basketball, Marv has shown that he still has it in football as well. Here’s hoping Marv gets some better games next season.

Best Game Analyst: The Nominees are Brian Billick, Fox; Cris Collinsworth, NBC; Dan Fouts, CBS; Mike Mayock, NFL Network; and Phil Simms, CBS. And the winner is Mike Mayock, NFL Network. He won Best Game Analyst in the 2010 College Football TV Awards and now, becomes the first person to win the award in the same category for two different awards. Mayock should have been appointed as the Thursday Night Football analyst after Cris Collinsworth left, but NFL Network went in a bad direction for the previous two seasons. Mike spots trends, is able to first guess rather than second guess and makes what had been a total train wreck in 2009 & 2010, a totally enjoyable listen.

Best Sunday Morning Pre-Game Show: The Nominees are Fox NFL Sunday, Fox; NFL GameDay Morning, NFL Network; and The NFL Today, CBS. This year’s winner is The NFL Today on CBS. Hosted by the great James Brown, the NFL Today may be ratings-challenged in comparison to Fox NFL Sunday, but it’s not due to the quality of the show. Yes, there are silly gimmicks like promotional crossovers for the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show or the horrible Halloween abortion fronted by Kris Jenkins, but when the show goes into football with Bill Cowher or breaking down quarterback play with Dan Marino and Boomer Esiason, or having Charley Casserley discuss league issues, it’s very good. And it’s why I’ll name The NFL Today as Best Sunday Morning Pre-Game Show.

Best Studio Show, Daily or Weekly: Our nominees in this category are Inside the NFL, Showtime; NFL Live, ESPN; NFL Matchup, ESPN; NFL Total Access, NFL Network; and Playbook, NFL Network. The deserving winner is NFL Matchup, ESPN. This show was in danger of falling by the wayside after the 2009 season, but after getting a sponsor and ownership of the show squared away, the show returned to ESPN’s Sunday morning lineup and fans were the better for it. With Sal Paolantonio hosting and Ron Jaworski and Merril Hoge, the show breaks down plays and film like no other.

Best Highlights: The Nominees are NFL GameDay Final, NFL Network; NFL Primetime, ESPN; and SportsCenter 7:30 p.m. Sunday, ESPN. And our winner here is NFL GameDay Final on NFL Network. While the NFL TV partners have to buy access to highlights for a price, NFL Network doesn’t have that problem. It can take what it wants and run clips for however long it desires. NFL GameDay Final’s highlights are a reflection of that. The show has suffered since Rich Eisen left, but the highlights are still the same and game segments can run as long as 4 minutes. If you haven’t watched a game, the best way to find what happened is to watch NFL GameDay Final. One of the best wrap up shows around.

Best Studio Host: The nominees are James Brown, CBS/Showtime; Curt Menefee, Fox; Dan Patrick, NBC; and Andrew Siciliano, DirecTV. Our winner is Dan Patrick, NBC. Dan has been the studio host of NBC’s Football Night in America since 2008. He’s gone from sharing the highlights with his former ESPN co-hort Keith Olbermann to now doing them all himself and he does them very smoothly. In addition, he had to break in two analysts who had little to no experience in TV and has helped guide Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison into two very strongly opinionated personalities. Dan will have a role on NBC’s Olympic coverage this year and based on his performance on Football Night in America over the last few years, he should do very well.

Best Studio Analyst: The nominees are Bill Cowher, CBS; Tony Dungy, NBC; Marshall Faulk, NFL Network; Howie Long, Fox; Steve Mariucci, NFL Network; and Michael Strahan, Fox. And completing the NBC perfecta, we go with Tony Dungy, NBC. Tony doesn’t yell, he doesn’t pound the table and he doesn’t dress outlandishly. All Tony does is give you opinions, provide excellent breakdowns and can show a little humor too. He’s grown to be one of the better studio analysts on TV without having to resort to gimmicks. His weekly appearances on the Dan Patrick Show are also quite enjoyable. Tony Dungy deserves the award this year.

Most Valuable Network: Our nominees for this category are Fox, NBC, and NFL Network. And the winner of the MVN for the 2011-12 season is NFL Network. For greatly improving its Thursday Night Football presentation both in the booth and in its production, plus seeing its best ratings ever for the package, we give the award to NFL Network. The higher ratings had everything to do with the wider distribution for the network, however, Cablevision and Time Warner Cable still remain holdouts. But without the two providers, NFL Network saw its best numbers ever for Thursday Night Football. NFL Network is the surprise winner this year.

Best NFL Insider: The nominees are John Clayton, ESPN; Mike Florio, NBC, Jay Glazer, Fox, Jason La Canfora, NFL Network; and Adam Schefter, ESPN. I’ll go with Adam Schefter of ESPN. While all of the insiders can each claim victories of breaking stories over one another, the one who seems to have been consistent all season has been Adam Schefter. I wanted to go with John Clayton and his ponytail, but I’ll give this to Schefter.

Best Announcing Team: The nominees are Marv Albert/Rich Gannon, CBS; Ian Eagle/Dan Fouts, CBS; Al Michaels/Cris Collinsworth, NBC; Jim Nantz/Phil Simms, CBS; Brad Nessler/Mike Mayock, NFL Network; and Sam Rosen/Brian Billick, Fox. And the winner of this award are “The Bird” and “The Beard”, Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts of CBS. They’ve worked together for two seasons and sound as if they’ve been doing it for six. They have great chemistry, good humor and know their roles. They rarely step on each other and make each game quite enjoyable. Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts of CBS are your winners of Best Announcing Team for this season.

Most Improved Presentation: Just two nominees for this category and they are Inside the NFL, Showtime and Thursday Night Football, NFL Network. The winner is Thursday Night Football, NFL Network. This has gone from being one of the worst produced and worst called packages to one of the best. After NFL Network jettisoned Matt Millen and Joe Theismann, Mike Mayock was brought in to replace them. And while Bob Papa was unfairly shown the door, Brad Nessler came in and clicked immediately with Mayock. And the problems that had plagued TNF in the past, late replays, garbled audio and all around bad production have gone as well. Replays are sharp, the picture seems much better than in the past and overall, the games have been quite enjoyable to watch. Thursday Night Football wins the award this season.

Best Game Coverage: The nominees are Monday Night Football, ESPN; NFL on Fox, Fox; Sunday Night Football, NBC; and Thursday Night Football, NFL Network. The winner is the NFL on Fox. Fox Sports’ announcers are a weak bunch, but their production people are among the best in sports. The HD quality is good, the replays are done well, I love when X-Mo is used to slow down a play to the point where I can see single blades of grass fly off the field. Fox does a great job on the NFL and the viewer is the beneficiary.

Rookie of the Year: The nominees are Jaime Maggio, Fox; Chad Pennington, Fox; and NFL Turning Point, Versus/NBC Sports Network. Our winner is Chad Pennington. I’ve been quite impressed with his work with Sam Rosen. Chad majored in Communications at Marshall knowing that he wanted to be in TV after his football career. Deciding to sit this season out to heal injuries, Pennington threw himself into TV with the same dedication of his playing days. He’s come off as well-spoken, well-informed and is becoming a very good analyst.

Best Debut: Only one nominee and I didn’t put this out originally. This goes to NFL Turning Point on Versus/NBC Sports Network. This show uses NFL Films footage plus takes advantage of wiring players for sound. What you have is a high quality show with lots of great football footage. This is not just a highlights show, this brings you inside the game, shows you the plays that turned a game around and explains how it happened. Very well produced by NFL Films.

Best Return to the NFL: Two nominees: Marv Albert, CBS and Melissa Stark, NFL Network. Nice to have both Marv and Melissa back, but Melissa’s return has been a part-time one. Marv’s is full-time so we’ll give this to Marv Albert of CBS Sports.

Best Move: The nominees are the Debut of NFL Turning Point, Versus; NFL Signing Long-Term TV Contracts with CBS, ESPN, Fox and NBC; and Replacing Matt Millen and Joe Theismann with Mike Mayock, NFL Network. It has to be the NFL signing long-term TV contracts with all of its partners. The NFL gets about $5 billion per year starting in 2014. All of the networks keep their rights, divide three Super Bowls among CBS, Fox and NBC and ESPN gets into the postseason fray. Plus you’ll be able watch NFL games on your tablet soon. What’s better than that?

From the bests, we now move to the worsts.

Worst Play-by-Play: Our nominees are Thom Brennaman, Fox; Joe Buck, Fox; Bill Macatee, CBS; Ron Pitts, Fox; and Dick Stockton, Fox. This year’s award goes to Dick Stockton of Fox Sports. I hate giving this award to Dick as he’s had a great career calling MLB, NBA, NCAA, NFL and the Olympics, but the slippage over the last three years is too big to ignore. He’s miscalled plays, mixed up players and even forgot what city he’s in. Yes, it happens to everyone, but this is consistently occurring every week. He takes this award by a narrow margin over Thom Brennaman.

Worst Game Analyst: The nominees are Steve Beuerlein, CBS; Randy Cross, CBS; and Jim Mora, Jr., formerly of Fox. We go with Randy Cross. He’s only called a handful of games, but here’s a guy who was once the number two analyst at CBS and NBC, but he’s been exiled to the “F” or “G” games with Don Criqui. I honestly don’t know what he’s seeing on the field anymore.

Worst Studio Host: Your nominees are Chris Berman, ESPN and Stuart Scott, ESPN. And your runaway winner this season is Chris Berman. He used to be a must-see when ESPN started airing the NFL as host of Sunday NFL Countdown and NFL Primetime, but he’s now a mere caricature of himself. The “whoop!” or “He! Could! Go! All! The! Way!” or “Nobody circles the wagons … Like! The Buffalo Bills!” act is very tired. It’s time to bring Trey Wingo or Suzy Kolber or even Stuart Scott to the table to replace him. Chris should be put to pasture now.

Worst Studio Analyst: The nominees are Tedy Bruschi, ESPN; Cris Carter, ESPN; Michael Irvin, NFL Network; Eric Mangini, ESPN; and Shannon Sharpe, CBS. This is my Cleveland Browns bias showing but this goes to Eric Manmoron Mangini of ESPN. There are those who love the way Mangini breaks down plays on NFL Live and other ESPN studio shows, but I don’t see it. Perhaps I can separate my hatred for Mangini over his coaching of the Browns in 20 years, but right now, I can’t see him doing this for long.

Worst Studio Show: Your nominees are Monday Night Countdown, ESPN; NFL 32, ESPN; Sunday NFL Countdown, ESPN. This is a clean ESPN sweep in this category and we go with NFL 32. This is supposed to be a comprehensive look at all 32 NFL teams with highlights, tweets and snark thrown in. This is an abortion. I hope ESPN goes back to the drawing board and revamps this show. It needs it. The debut of the show looked as if it was thrown together at the last minute. The show hasn’t improved much since.

Worst Move: Original nominees were Bob Costas’ Halftime Commentary on Sunday Night Football, NBC; Removing Rich Eisen from NFL Total Access; and Putting Michael Irvin on Thursday Night Football Pregame, NFL Network. I add one more nominee, ESPN’s rotation of sideline reporters for Monday Night Football. And that is your winner. There was no consistency on the sideline for MNF. This year, it was either Suzy Kolber, Sal Paolantonio, Ed Werder, Rachel Nichols and then the strange cameo of John Sutcliffe (more on that later). While ESPN has de-emphasized the sideline reporter on the NFL coverage the last couple of seasons, it still needs a reporter in case of an injury or a development. It’s best if you have the same person every week. Suzy is good or if not, Sal Pal or even Rachel Nichols. Anyone. Just don’t rotate.

Worst Debut: John Sutcliffe, ESPN. A popular personality on ESPN Deportes and Monday Night Football sideline reporter on that network since 2006, the Mothership brought him over to make his English language debut for the Week 15 game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and San Francisco 49ers. The game was between two 10-3 teams and it so happened it was also the night that the lights went out at Candlestick Park. While that event could not be foreseen, it was obvious that being on the big stage for ESPN overwhelmed Sutcliffe. He was nervous, he came off unprepared and ESPN stopped using him after a shaky report just after halftime. ESPN PR people have told me that John is one of the most professional people at ESPN Deportes and I don’t doubt that. But that was the wrong game to make his debut.

And that concludes this year’s NFL TV Awards.

The Big Dozen Sports Media Stories of 2011

Time for the Fang’s Bites Sports Media Year in Review. The year isn’t big enough for a Top Ten, but it is big enough for a Big Dozen. Let’s get to the list and we’ll count down from 12 and also have some Honorable Mentions.

12. ESPN The Book

One of the most anticipated books of the year for the sports media was “Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN” co-authored by Tom Shales and James Andrew Miller. Some of the more salacious and sensational stories were leaked and released before its publication. But when all was said and done, the tome was more of a detailed history lesson of how ESPN was created and rose to become the biggest content provider in sports media. The book became a New York Times best seller and is being made into a major motion picture by 20th Century Fox.

11. ESPN vs. NBC

The battle lines have already been drawn between the two networks, but with owner, Comcast, merging its cable sports properties of Versus, Golf Channel and the Comcast SportsNet regional affiliates under the NBC Sports Group, the Peacock is positioning itself to become a major competitor to ESPN. NBC Sports has already obtained Major League Soccer and horse racing, increased NHL content, announced an Olympic presence and will create a Sunday NFL pregame show for Versus which will be rebranded this weekend.

ESPN is not sitting back aggressively expanding its college sports portfolio and keeping Monday Night Football.

With MLB, NASCAR and the BCS up for bid in 2012, NBC Sports could be strengthened with more content for its cable properties or ESPN could continue its monolithic path to World Domination.

10. UFC Signs With Fox

Mixed Martial Arts went mainstream with the Ultimate Fighting Championships signing an 8 year, multi-million dollar contract with Fox. The first UFC bout on Fox in November didn’t last very long, but it did do well in the key male demographics. Starting in January, UFC programming will be seen on various Fox platforms including FX and Fuel. Both sides expect to reap huge benefits and I would not doubt to see UFC get big bids for its second network contract in eight years.

9. Long-time Executives Leave Their Respective Networks

Just before NBC Sports was about to present its bid for the Olympics, Emperor Dick Ebersol resigned over a contract dispute. While observers thought it would leave NBC Sports vulnerable, it still won the rights for four Olympiads and kept Sunday Night Football. While he may have clashed with the new Comcast administration, Ebersol’s legacy on the network over two decades cannot be diminished. He is still working for NBC as a consultant on Sunday Night Football and will assist on the 2012 London Olympics.

HBO Sports President Ross Greenburg resigned in July after being with the network for 33 years. Under his tenure, Greenburg increased HBO’s commitment to documentaries and created the successful 24/7 reality series, not just focusing on the network’s signature sport of boxing, but reaching out to NASCAR and the NHL. Greenburg is now producing content for both NBC Sports and the NHL.

And George Bodenheimer announced late this year that he would leave as President and become Chairman of the Alleged Worldwide Leader. He’ll be succeeded by Vice President of Content John Skipper. Bodenheimer steered ESPN into high definition and helped to create ESPN 3D. Plus, he was able to make Monday Night Football into a cable series after 35 years as a network TV mainstay. Bodenheimer, who I’ve jokingly labeled the ESPN Dictator will no longer be in a day-to-day role with ESPN.

8. NBA/NFL Lockout Coverage

Two sports leagues stressed out their fans by making them wait out negotiations over collective bargaining agreements with their players. Instead of anticipating the draft or schedule releases, coverage over labor talks dominated sports media. As negotiations dragged on, reporters were camped out waiting for the latest news which came out as quickly as toothpaste being pushed out of a tube.

NFL Network and ESPN went wall-to-wall with non-stop coverage as a deal neared. The same for NBA TV.

Both leagues finally hashed out agreements and brought labor peace. Eventually, the NFL only lost a preseason game after a ten year CBA with its union. The NBA wasn’t as lucky as almost two months of its schedule was lost and it had to proceed with a reduced 66 game schedule.

7. ESPN/Univision Lose the World Cup to Fox/Telemundo

Honestly, who saw this coming? ESPN’s signature global sports event has been the World Cup. It’s been carrying the event since 1994. Univision’s history with the World Cup dates back to 1978. Both networks have been known for carrying the World’s biggest soccer games. However, that will change in 2015 when Fox and Telemundo take over the English and Spanish language US rights respectively  for two Men’s and Women’s World Cups through 2022.

ESPN and Univision were simply outbid by Fox and NBC, the owner of Telemundo. One could argue that the World Cup whose ratings have been steadily going up became a desired property thanks to ESPN’s and Univision’s coverage.

ESPN and Univision get one more World Cup to bid farewell to FIFA and that will be in Rio in 2014.

6. NBC Sports Group Keeps The NHL

Fending off a spirited bid by ESPN, NBC signed a 10 year deal to keep the NHL in the fold in a combined network and cable bid. After pledging to increase games on cable and also give fans national access to all postseason games on its platforms, NBC Sports Group was able to keep the NHL rights. Now the NHL has a permanent place to call its home and NBC has firmly committed to hockey which pleases the sport’s fans to no end.

And please, let’s not mention that ESPN would be better for the NHL.

5. ESPN’s Influence on College Sports including The Longhorn Network

It’s amazing to see how much inventory ESPN has collected in college sports. Not only has it signed the ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12, SEC, several non-BCS conferences and a few individual schools to long-term contracts, it also has created the Longhorn Network for the University of Texas. The whole concept of the Longhorn Network has led to massive upheaval among the BCS conferences with Texas A&M leaving the Big 12 and heading to the SEC, the Big East’s Pittsburgh and Syracuse leaving for the ACC and other schools wanting to leave their leagues for bigger exposure and more ESPN cash.

And not only does ESPN have a hand in these chess games (despite massive denials), it has to cover all of this leading to conflicts of interest. And while ESPN pays megabucks for the NFL, its roots are firmly entrenched in college sports as we have seen with its new contract with the NCAA to air several championships.

ESPN also owns a whole host of bowl games and college basketball tournaments all of which are needed inventory for programming. By owning the games, ESPN doesn’t have to pay a rights fee. Crowds aren’t needed because ESPN makes money once the ads are sold and fees are paid by the cable and satellite providers.

ESPN’s influence in college sports will be a story that will followed for several years to come.

4. #freebruce

This story became a story thanks to SportsbyBrooks and social networking. Without these two combinations, an ESPN internal suspension might not have been noticed, reported and scrutinized. This all began with then-ESPN.com college football writer Bruce Feldman co-authored a book with former Texas Tech football coach Mike Leach. In the book, Leach alleged that then-ESPN college football analyst Craig James had a hand in his firing from the school over treatment of James’ son.

Feldman says he informed his bosses that he was writing a book with Leach and got their blessing. When the book was released, ESPN suspended Feldman. It was there that blogs and social networking got involved. SportsbyBrooks reported that Feldman was suspended. ESPN denied it. Other college football writers who follow Feldman on Twitter noticed he wasn’t tweeting. The story boomeranged on ESPN. It didn’t end until Feldman left ESPN for CBS Sports.

But this whole story made observers wonder why ESPN chose to hang its hat with James.

3. CBS, ESPN, Fox and NBC Renew the NFL at a Hefty Price

Starting in 2014, the NFL will receive an estimated $5 billion in rights fees from its TV partners. That’s a huge increase from the current amount from the four networks. In addition, all of the current packages will remain with the current networks so there will be no upheaval as in the past three NFL TV contracts.

All of the networks except for ESPN have signed on for 9 years. ESPN reupped for 8. ESPN looks like it will enter the postseason with a Wild Card Playoff game. NBC gains a Thanksgiving Night game, a Divisional Playoff game and more flex scheduling. CBS and Fox also get some flex scheduling to boost their ratings.

And with CBS, Fox and NBC paying on the average of $1 billion each, the NFL has fattened its war chest. Expect another partner for a Thursday Night Football package to be announced sometime in 2012.

The NFL is the ratings king and the money is proof.

2. NBC Keeps the Olympics at a Hefty Price

There were indications before the bidding for the 2014/16 Olympics that NBC was vulnerable (see #9 above). Long-time NBC Sports Emperor Dick Ebersol had left. ESPN and Fox showed indications that they wanted to take the Games away from NBC which had been broadcasting the Olympics since 1988. It looked like the International Olympic Committee was poised go with another TV partner. But when all was said and done, NBC had ponied up $4.38 billion for four Olympiads from 2014 through 2020 and the Olympics were firmly under the NBCUniversal umbrella.

What happened? ESPN bid for only one set of Olympics, 2014/16 and Fox made two separate bids and came close at $3.4 billion. However, when it came time to step up, NBC did and kept the Games in a very spirited bid to the IOC.

After losing money on the 2010 Winter Olympics, NBC’s parent company, Comcast claims it will be profitable on the four set of Games. That remains to be seen.

1. Penn State/Syracuse Media Coverage

Scandal once again dominated the sports media. However, in the case of Penn State, it wasn’t sports writers who uncovered the alleged molestation of young boys by former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky. Taking the lead in the coverage was the Harrisburg Patriot-News and in particular, crime reporter Sarah Ganim. Also, Penn State’s student newspaper, the Daily Collegian didn’t sit tight either reporting the story. The national media finally caught up and Bob Costas’ interview of Sandusky on NBC’s Rock Center raised eyebrows. And while ESPN tried its best to report the story, it was way behind. The Sandusky scandal will continue as it goes to trial and it won’t be going away any time soon.

As for the Syracuse story on the alleged molestations by former Syracuse assistant coach Bernie Fine, ESPN had a tape of Fine’s wife, Laurie, talking to one of the accusers. The problem was, it was 8 years old and ESPN gave the appearance that it sat on the story. While network bosses tried to explain their decision, some accused ESPN of not giving what they had to the police. No matter of the explanations, ESPN’s role in this story will be debated and whatever it says won’t be enough for some critics.

There were lessons learned in the reporting of both scandals. We learned that local reporters on the ground will always have an advantage over national correspondents. And we learned that while ESPN has a good stable of reporters, it can’t be everywhere.

Honorable mentions:

• ESPN Fires Ron Franklin
• CBS/Turner 1st Partnership on the NCAA Tournament is Successful
• NFL Films Founder Ed Sabol Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
• ESPN Nabs Wimbledon from NBC
• Los Angeles Lakers Sign Long-Term Deal to Create a Regional Sports Network With Time Warner Cable
• Los Angeles Dodgers Fight with Fox Over Media Rights
• Gus Johnson Leaves CBS for Fox
• Women’s World Cup Scores For ESPN
• Hank Williams, Jr. Pulled From Monday Night Football
• Matthew Barnaby Loses ESPN Gig

Coming up before the year is over, Best and Worsts in Sports Broadcasting in 2011 and Predictions for 2012.

CBS Airs Some NFL on Christmas Day

It won’t be actual games since CBS will have a full slate on Christmas Eve, but if you’re jonesing for football on Sunday and you can’t wait until Bears-Packers on NBC at 8:30 p.m. ET, CBS has a small fix for you in the afternoon.

CBS will air the NFL Holiday Spectacular on Sunday at 3 p.m. Eastern. The program will be co-produced by syndicator Intersport and NFL Films.

The show will air footage of various quotes from coaches and players. In addition, the special will showcase some of the best wintry moments in NFL history.

Ian Petrella, the actor who played “Randy” in “A Christmas Story”, will narrate the special. We have the details listed below.

“NFL Holiday Spectacular” to Air Christmas Day on CBS Sports

Intersport and NFL Films Team Up To Showcase Funny and Unforgettable Winter NFL Moments

[Dec. 20, 2011] CHICAGO – “NFL Holiday Spectacular” is a one-hour television event airing at 3 p.m. ET Sunday, Dec. 25, on CBS Sports. The Christmas Day program, which is produced by Intersport and NFL Films, features memorable and historic NFL moments that capture the holiday spirit. “NFL Holiday Spectacular” provides viewers with their football fill on a Sunday afternoon void of NFL action (Bears-Packers game time is 8:20 PM ET).

Ian Petrella, the beloved character “Randy” from the classic holiday movie “A Christmas Story,” guides the audience on a nostalgic trip down memory lane. Viewers will be treated to classic sound bytes from coaches and players, such as Tony Dungy, Devin Hester, Herm Edwards, Joe Flacco and Tim Tebow; a look back at the greatest wintry moments in NFL history; countdowns of the best and worst holiday greeting cards; and the items that top players’ and coaches’ holiday wish lists.

For a preview of Sunday’s CBS Sports program, check out the official trailer: http://bit.ly/v2YZoW

“NFL Holiday Spectacular” will have an encore broadcast at 9 p.m. ET Dec. 31 on NFL Network.

That will do it.

NFL Network To Air One Hour Special on “The Longest Game Ever Played”

On Christmas Day, NFL Network will air a one hour special on the 40th anniversary on “The Longest Game Ever Played,” a divisional playoff game between the Miami Dolphins and the Kansas City Chiefs. The game went into double overtime and was broadcast on NBC. Curt Gowdy did the play-by-play while Al DeRogatis was the analyst. Much of the TV footage has been lost until now.

NFL Films will air some of the footage from the game that has not been seen since it originally aired on December 25, 1971. In addition, new interviews with some of the participants from the two teams will be seen in the special.

I look forward to seeing this on Christmas Night. Here is the press release from NFL Network and NFL Films.

THE LONGEST GAME EVER – MIAMI DOLPHINS VS. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS 40 YEARS TO THE DAY
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25 AT 6:00 PM ET ON NFL NETWORK

One-Hour Special Commemorates 40th Anniversary of the Longest Game in NFL History
Features Never-Before-Seen Footage, Original Radio Broadcast & New Interviews with Players & Coaches

On Christmas Day in 1971, the Kansas City Chiefs hosted the Miami Dolphins in the AFC Divisional Game which the Dolphins won, 27-24, in double overtime after 82 minutes and 40 seconds of play. Four decades later, that game remains the longest NFL game ever played.

On the 40th anniversary to the day, NFL Network presents a one-hour NFL Films-produced special on the game, The Longest Game Ever, Sunday, December 25 at 6:00 PM ET on NFL Network.

“This show is like unearthing a treasure that was buried for 40 years,” said NFL Films president Steve Sabol. “I am so glad that we can re-tell the story of this classic game to an entire new generation that has never had the chance to see it. Never mind sending this game film to the Hall of Fame; the Smithsonian would be a better choice.”

Fourteen future Hall of Famers took part in the game, including both coaches (Don Shula and Hank Stram) and quarterbacks (Bob Griese and Len Dawson). Additionally, Kansas City’s Ed Podolak posted 350 all-purpose yards (85 rushing, 110 receiving, 154 on kickoffs and one yard on punt returns), which is an NFL playoff record that still stands today.

Featuring never-before-seen NFL Films footage, the original Dolphins and Chiefs radio broadcasts and interviews with players and coaches, The Longest Game Ever provides the most comprehensive production ever surrounding the classic 1971 AFC Divisional Game.

Highlighting the never-before-seen footage is NBC television broadcast of the Dolphins’ final, game-winning drive in the second overtime – the only existing television footage that has not been seen since 1971.

Additional footage includes in-game sound from both team benches, such as Miami running backs Mercury Morris and Jim Kiick talking about trying to run against the Chiefs run defense, and Kansas City head coach Hank Stram discussing team strategy prior to the first overtime.

The Longest Game Ever includes new interviews with the following individuals:

Bob Griese – Miami Dolphins Hall of Fame quarterback
Don Shula – Miami Dolphins Hall of Fame head coach
Len Dawson – Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame quarterback
Paul Warfield – Miami Dolphins Hall of Fame wide receiver
Bobby Bell – Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame linebacker/defensive end
Ed Podolak – Kansas City Chiefs running back
Garo Yepremian – Miami Dolphins kicker
Jan Stenerud – Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame kicker
Dick Anderson – Miami Dolphins safety
Jim Lynch – Kansas City Chiefs linebacker

Archived interviews with Hall of Fame Dolphins running back Larry Csonka, Hall of Fame Chiefs linebacker Willie Lanier and Chiefs head coach Hank Stram are also featured.

Live sound of the Christmas pageantry, Chiefs fans cheering on their team and vendors in the stands in the final football game ever played at Kansas City Municipal Stadium is also included in this unique look at one of the greatest games in NFL history.

Following the special at 7:00 PM ET, hosts Scott Hanson and Lindsay Soto join analysts Willie McGinest and Tom Waddle on a special Christmas edition of NFL Total Access to preview the game that night between the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears. At 11:30 PM ET, host Rich Eisen and analysts Steve Mariucci, Deion Sanders and Michael Irvin recap the Week 16 games on a special Christmas edition of NFL GameDay Final.

That will do it.

HBO & NFL Films Team Up For Joe Namath Documentary

Just announced by HBO and NFL Films, a new documentary on Joe Namath. Both HBO and NFL Films have teamed up before, most recently for their successful “Lombardi” documentary which won the Sports Emmy for Best Documentary. I expect high quality from this documentary as HBO certainly knows how to do the sports documentary and NFL Films will most certainly provide some great footage.

The film will premiere on HBO on January 28 at 8 p.m. East and will run for 90 minutes.

We get the particulars from the joint press release issued by HBO Sports and NFL Films.

HBO Sports and NFL Films Examine The Life of “Broadway Joe” Namath in A Documentary Debuting January 28

The Emmy^®-winning combination of HBO Sports and NFL Films will explore the fascinating life and career of one of pro football’s biggest stars in a documentary on New York Jets icon Joe Namath, it was announced today by Rick Bernstein, executive producer, HBO Sports.  NAMATH debuts SATURDAY, JAN. 28 (8:00-9:30 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.

“Joe Namath is one of the most compelling sports figures of the last 50 years and we are delighted to tell his story,” said Bernstein.  “We will retrace his life not only from Joe’s perspective, but also from the viewpoints of many others who are familiar with Joe’s extraordinary football career, following his journey from Beaver Falls to today.  We hope to present the definitive film on an NFL icon and a trailblazing free spirit.”

“In the mythology of pro football, Joe Namath is Arthur,” says Steve Sabol, president of NFL Films.  “He pulled the proverbial sword from the stone and the NFL became the Camelot of American sports.  His story is timeless, authentic and also very human.  It is a privilege for NFL Films to partner with HBO Sports once again in documenting the life of ‘Broadway Joe.’ ”

Born in Beaver Falls, Pa. in 1943, Namath was raised in western Pennsylvania and was a stellar high school athlete in basketball, baseball and football.  He accepted a football scholarship to the University of Alabama and played quarterback for the legendary Paul “Bear” Bryant.  Namath led the Crimson Tide to the top of the national polls in 1964 and his stock as a pro football prospect soared.

With entertainment mogul Sonny Werblin at the helm of ownership of the New York Jets, Namath elected to sign with the upstart American Football League for a then-staggering $427,000, and by game five of his first season had become the Jets’ starting quarterback.  He was subsequently named AFL Rookie of the Year, and was one of the first sports celebrity superstars, captivating both the entertainment press and fans with his movie-star looks and bigger-than-life “Broadway Joe” personality.

In a moment that would alter the NFL landscape, Namath led the underdog New York Jets to a world championship title in Super Bowl III versus the heavily favored Baltimore Colts.   His “guarantee” of a Jets upset brought him legendary status.

While his MVP performance in Super Bowl III was the high point, Namath fashioned a high-flying all-star career during his 13 years in pro football, and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.

Now 68, Namath remains engaged in the game with which he has had a lifelong love affair.  He provides radio commentary, is connected to new media initiatives through Facebook and Twitter (@realjoenamath), and hosts his own website destination (broadwayjoe.tv).

HBO Sports and NFL Films have a long history of acclaimed football productions, including the 2010 documentary “Lombardi,” which earned rave reviews and received the Sports Emmy^® for Outstanding Documentary.

The executive producers of NAMATH are Rick Bernstein for HBO Sports and Steve Sabol for NFL Films; produced by Joe Lavine for HBO Sports and Keith Cossrow for NFL Films; Liev Schreiber narrates; music composed by Dave Robidoux of NFL Films; executive producer for Namanco Productions Inc, James Walsh.

That will do it.

NFL Network Sets Lineup For “A Football Life” Documentaries

The NFL Films-produced critically acclaimed “A Football Life” documentary series continues tonight on NFL Network with a look at NFL Films founder and Hall of Famer Ed Sabol. Earlier this summer, NFL Films gave a look at Sabol’s career and his reaction getting into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This new film on Mr. Sabol will air footage of his Hall of Fame induction from August.

Over the next three weeks, NFL Network will air three more “A Football Life” documentaries focusing on former Chicago Bears tight end and coach Mike Ditka, the late Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry and the recently deceased Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis. As usual, all documentaries will be done well and thoroughly by the fine people at NFL Films.

We have the press release from NFL Network.

AL DAVIS, ED SABOL, MIKE DITKA & TOM LANDRY PROFILED ON NFL NETWORK’S A FOOTBALL LIFE SERIES

Documentary on the Legendary Al Davis Debuts Friday, November 11 at 10:00 PM ET – A Day After Raiders Open 2011 ‘Thursday Night Football’ Schedule Against Chargers
‘Ed Sabol: A Football Life’ Premieres Thursday, October 20 at 10:00 PM ET
Hall of Famers & Super Bowl-Winning Coaches Mike Ditka (October 27) & Tom Landry (November 3) Are Also Featured

Legendary NFL icon Al Davis, NFL Films founder Ed Sabol and Super Bowl-winning head coaches Mike Ditka and Tom Landry are the subjects of this season’s final four episodes of NFL Network’s critically-acclaimed documentary series A Football Life, beginning with Sabol on Thursday, October 20 at 10:00 PM ET. All four men are members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The life and legacy of the late Al Davis is explored in Al Davis: A Football Life on Friday, November 11 at 10:00 PM ET, offering an in-depth look into his six decades in professional football. A Football Life, produced by NFL Films, looks at all aspects of his career and features previously unseen interviews with Davis and those who knew him best.

The one-hour documentary on Davis debuts the night after the Raiders play the San Diego Chargers to kickoff NFL Network’s 2011 Thursday Night Football schedule on November 10 at 8:00 PM ET.

This week on Thursday, October 20 at 10:00 PM ET, Ed Sabol: A Football Life chronicles the profound and enduring impact that Sabol and NFL Films have had on the NFL, and how they revolutionized the way the game of football is viewed and remembered. In addition to interviews with Sabol, his son Steve and daughter Blair, A Football Life follows Ed throughout his entire Hall of Fame experience, capturing footage from the Enshrinees Dinner and behind-the-scenes of his induction speech.

To view the trailer of Ed Sabol: A Football Life, please click on the following link:
http://nflfilms.nfl.com/2011/10/14/ed-sabol-first-look/

Mike Ditka: A Football Life debuts on Thursday, October 27 at 10:00 PM ET and examines the career of the first tight end to be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and former head coach of the Chicago Bears and the New Orleans Saints. Ditka’s wife Diana, former Bears quarterbacks Jim McMahon and Jim Harbaugh, former Saints running back Ricky Williams and others discuss the on-field and off-field life and personality of the head coach who led the Chicago Bears to a Super Bowl XX victory.

The winningest coach in Dallas Cowboys history, Tom Landry, is profiled in Tom Landry: A Football Life Thursday, November 3 at 10:00 PM ET, providing a look into the life of the legendary man in the hat. The story of the Hall of Famer’s legacy is told through the words of former Cowboys players such as Roger Staubach, Drew Pearson and Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson, New York Giants teammate Frank Gifford, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, and others.

The first installment of the series – Bill Belichick: A Football Life – was the most-watched documentary in the history of NFL Network.

Produced by NFL Films, A Football Life provides an intimate look into the lives of individuals who forever changed the complexion of the NFL. Narrated by the Emmy-nominated actor of CBS’ The Good Wife, Josh Charles, the series has already explored the legacies of such seminal figures as New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton, former Super Bowl-winning quarterback Kurt Warner, and late teammates Reggie White and Jerome Brown.

To read blog posts from the NFL Films producers visit www.nflfilms.nfl.com. Additional video highlights of previous A Football Life shows are on NFL.com at www.nfl.com/videos/a-football-life.

Another NFL Network press release is next.

NFL Network Airs Walter Payton: A Football Life This Thursday

NFL Network continues the critically-acclaimed NFL Films series, “A Football Life” with the latest installment on the late Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton. Friends, family, coaches and teammates will be part of the NFL Films documentary. Among those featured, former coach Mike Ditka, Payton’s widow Connie, Payton’s son Jarrett as well as his daughter Brittany, legendary running back Jim Brown and biographer Jeff Pearlman.

The documentary airs this Thursday at 10 p.m. Eastern on NFL Network with multiple replays throughout the week.

We have a brief description on what you’ll see when the documentary airs on Thursday on NFL Network.

THE LIFE & LEGACY OF ‘SWEETNESS’ EXPLORED IN WALTER PAYTON: A FOOTBALL LIFE THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13 AT 10:00 PM ET ON NFL NETWORK

Friends, Family, Teammates and Admirers Chronicle the Life of One of the NFL’s Most Distinguished Figures
“Give me the heart of Walter Payton. There’s never been a greater heart.” – Jim Brown

As the fourth subject in the critically-acclaimed series ‘A Football Life,’ NFL Network presents the story behind the man affectionately known as ‘Sweetness’ in Walter Payton: A Football Life Thursday, October 13 at 10:00 PM ET.

Payton’s humble nature, unmatched talent and memorable smile made him an everlasting image in the NFL’s history and standard of excellence in the minds of players and fans both past and present. Yet behind the accolades, the life of an individual often described as ‘Superman’ included challenging moments both during his career and while adjusting to life after football. The NFL Films-produced Walter Payton: A Football Life examines the life of ‘Sweetness’ and the legacy of the Bears running back, built from an unyielding ‘never die easy’ will that defined him from the days of running hills in suburban Chicago to his untimely passing in 1999.

Personal thoughts and recollections of Payton are shared in A Football Life from a number of individuals including:

Connie Payton – wife of Payton
Jarrett Payton – son of Payton
Brittany Payton – daughter of Payton
Jim Brown – Hall of Fame running back
Mike Ditka – Former Chicago Bears head coach
Ashton Kutcher – Actor and Bears fan
Jeff Pearlman – Author of Sweetness: The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton
Ray Lewis – Baltimore Ravens linebacker
LaDainian Tomlinson – New York Jets running back
Emmitt Smith – Hall of Fame running back
Matt Suhey – Former Bears teammate

Walter Payton: A Football Life is complete with stories of Payton’s tough adjustment to Chicago and the Bears from Jackson State University and the disappointment of not gaining a single yard in his first NFL game to breaking Jim Brown’s rushing record nine years later. The documentary also delves into the mixed emotions surrounding his role in the Bears 1985 Super Bowl championship, his struggle to fill the void football left behind following his retirement in 1988, the incredible bond with fullback Matt Suhey and how his spirit lives on in the lives of friends, family and fans today.

To view the trailer for Walter Payton: A Football Life, please click on the link below:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/a-football-life/09000d5d822dc3f6/Walter-Payton-A-Football-Life-trailer

The following are select quotes from Walter Payton: A Football Life –  

“Once you put wisdom with will, on top of talent, you get what you call ‘Sweetness.’” – Ravens LB Ray Lewis

“Walter Payton is the epitome of greatness. I have all the admiration in the world for him.” – Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown

“Michael Jordan changed the game. Walter Payton didn’t change the game, he just played it better than anybody else.” – Ashton Kutcher

“If I had it to do over now, knowing what I know now, of course I would have done it differently. I didn’t realize it meant that much to him. And after finding out that it did, yeah, I would say it’s my biggest regret.” – Mike Ditka

“I probably prayed for him more than anybody because I loved the guy. I had not even met him before, but he was so inspirational.” – LaDainian Tomlinson

“He believed his duty was to play football. That’s what he was put on this earth for. I believe in my heart that when God made a football player, he made my father.” – Jarrett Payton

Emmy-nominated actor Josh Charles (CBS’ The Good Wife), lends his voice to the series.

More stuff throughout the day.

NFL Turning Point Airs One Hour Early on Thursday

Versus will air its new NFL Films-produced show an hour earlier on Thursday, at 9 p.m. ET with the show repeating at its regular time of 10 p.m. I think this is being done so as not to interfere with the Bill Belichick documentary on NFL Network. Here’s the Versus announcement.

SECOND EPISODE OF NFL TURNING POINT ON VERSUS AIRS THIS THURSDAY WITH SPECIAL 9 P.M. ET AIRING

This Week’s Episode Features Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick Wired for Sound in Wild Win over Raiders, Cowboys/49ers OT Thriller and Falcons Come-From-Behind Victory over Eagles
Dan Patrick, Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison to Conclude Program with Steelers Defense Analysis and Sunday Night Football Preview

NEW YORK – September 21, 2011 – NFL Turning Point, VERSUS’ new weekly show co-produced by NFL Films and the NBC Sports Group, continues this Thursday with a special 9 p.m. ET airing. The show will also air at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The hour-long program, hosted by Football Night in America’s Dan Patrick, will air throughout the NFL regular season and will focus on the crucial ‘turning point’ moment in several games for football fans each week in a more in-depth way than ever before by utilizing NFL Films’ unmatched cinematography and sideline and on-field audio.

This week’s episode features:

· Buffalo Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick wired for sound during the thrilling, last-second 38-35 win against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday

· Dallas Cowboys’ overtime win vs. San Francisco 49ers

o Behind-the-scenes footage and sound from the game, which featured Cowboys QB Tony Romo returning to the field with a broken rib to lead Dallas to the overtime victory

· Philadelphia Eagles-Atlanta Falcons Sunday Night Football game

o In-depth coverage and sound from Atlanta’s exciting come-from-behind victory against the Eagles. The game featured Eagles QB Michael Vick returning to Atlanta for the first time as starter

Patrick will conclude each show with a segment featuring his Football Night colleagues Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison that covers the most relevant NFL topics, such as this week’s examination of whether or not the Steelers defense is still championship quality. They will also look ahead to the upcoming Sunday Night Football game on NBC.

Aside from this week’s episode, which airs at 9 p.m. ET and 10 p.m. ET/PT, NFL Turning Point airs a new episode at 10 p.m. ET/PT every week through November 3. Beginning on November 10, when Thursday night NFL games begin on NFL Network, new episodes of NFL Turning Point will air at midnight ET.

That’s it.

NFL Network Airs Part II of Bill Belichick Documentary

Last week, NFL Network aired Part One of the NFL Films documentary, “Bill Belichick: A Football Life” to plenty of critical acclaim. The documentary shows Belichick behind the scenes during the 2009 season.

The documentary shows Patriots coach Bill Belichick in a totally different light, for instance, seeing him get emotional as he tours the old Giants Stadium for the last time as well showing him behind closed doors with quarterback Tom Brady and with coaches discussing the keys to each game was extremely fascinating.

But as good as Part One was, the buzz was that Part Two was even better, if that was remotely possible. Well, having seen the advanced screener for Part Two, I found that indeed it was true. If you have the opportunity to watch Part Two, you’ll see the relationship between Belichick and receiver Randy Moss, how Belichick tells his team how much he believes in his players and refuses to apologize for it. And you’ll see a very interesting scene where Belichick bonds with the team after Randy Moss invites him to a private gathering.

This is some of NFL Films’ best work and I would love to see more of this type of behind the scenes interaction with coaches and players. It’s the type of documentary that should earn NFL Films another Sports Emmy.

Here’s the press release for tomorrow’s conclusion of “Bill Belichick: A Football Life.”

PART II OF BILL BELICHICK: A FOOTBALL LIFE DEBUTS TOMORROW NIGHT AT 10:00 PM ET

Encore of Part I to Air at 9:00 PM ET

Tomorrow (Thursday, Sept. 22), the anticipated conclusion of Bill Belichick: A Football Life debuts at 10:00 PM ET exclusively on NFL Network. Part I is re-aired at 9:00 PM ET.

The debut of part I, which was called “a must watch” by Yahoo! Sports and “an enthralling glimpse at Bill Belichick” by Sports Illustrated, made waves through the sports world and became NFL Network’s most-watched documentary ever.

In part I, viewers were given an inside look into the life of the Patriots head coach in 2009, which marked Belichick’s 35^th consecutive year as an NFL coach and the Patriots’ 50^th Anniversary season. NFL Films cameras followed Belichick from the shores of Nantucket to Foxborough, documenting his relationship with his son Brian, video film sessions with QB Tom Brady and his emotional last visit to Giants Stadium through the first nine weeks of the season.

In part II, fans get a better understanding of Belichick’s childhood, growing up in and around the U.S. Naval Academy where his father Steve spent more than 30 years as an assistant coach for Navy football and how their relationship remains a primary influence in his football life. The documentary also chronicles the Patriots’ road through the last half of the season including the decision to go for it on fourth down against the Colts and the stretch run culminating in the Patriots seventh division title in nine years.  In addition, part II also has a surprise scene from a Halloween party that season.

For more video clips from part II of Bill Belichick: A Football Life and supplemental discussions with NFL Network analysts on Belichick, please click on the following links:

Car Trouble: Bill Belichick has some trouble with the car clock.
http://www.nfl.com/videos/new-england-patriots/09000d5d8226fa64/A-Football-Life-Car-trouble 

Memories of Bill Belichick: Mike Mayock, Michael Lombardi and Willie McGinest share their favorite memories of Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.
http://www.nfl.com/videos/a-football-life/09000d5d8226df81/Memories-of-Bill-Belichick

The following are selected quotes from part II of the documentary:

“From the time he was about two. He loved everything that his dad did. Anything that Steve did, he wanted to do.”  – Bill’s mother, Jeannette Belichick, when asked when she knew that Bill would be an NFL coach

“I’d say I’m more patience than he was. He didn’t have much patience. Sometimes that was good.”  – Belichick, on his father Steve and his coaching style

Belichick is the first subject of a new series, A Football Life, by the Emmy Award-winning producers at NFL Films, offering untold stories into the lives of some the NFL’s most recognizable icons. Each documentary provides unprecedented access to each featured individual to tell the story of how their legacy is forever intertwined in the fabric of NFL history.

NFL Films producer Ken Rodgers, who spent the majority of the 2009 season with Belichick during the production process, writes about the experience and his 10 year relationship with the Patriots here:
http://nflfilms.nfl.com/2011/09/19/a-football-life-directors-notes-part-2-the-glamorous-life/

Next Thursday at 10:00 PM ET, A Football Life continues with the story of late Philadelphia Eagles teammates and legends Reggie White and Jerome Brown. For five seasons, White and Brown were the anchors of a dominant Philadelphia Eagles defense that grew to become one of the most feared units in the NFL. Despite seemingly opposite personalities, the two played side-by-side, developing a lasting bond that would extend long after each passed before their time.

I give the entire Bill Belichick documentary and NFL Films an A+. This is as close to a perfect piece of work.

Bringing Out Some Saturday Linkage

A beautiful fall-like Saturday in Southern New England. Already been out today and it’s so nice outside. I hope you enjoy your weekend if you don’t have to work.

Some linkage for you.

John Eggerton from Broadcasting & Cable writes that the NFL Films documentary on Bill Belichick scored very well for NFL Network.

Timothy Burke at his Mocksession site has a great screengrab of a “Fire Craig James”that made the air on ESPN’s College GameDay this morning. Needless to say, that sign was taken away by ESPN’s Sign Gestapo.

The St. Petersburg Times’ Eric Deggans writes at the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center that coverage of the alleged tryst between Sarah Palin and Michigan’s Glen Rice back in the 1980′s has led to newsroom debates.

Brandon Costa of the Sports Video Group the placement of permanent goal line cameras on SEC on CBS games could impact official reviews.

Karen Hogan of Sports Video Group discusses ESPN going with non-stop coverage of NASCAR starting Sunday.

All Access says the fans of the band Switchfoot will hear the debut of five songs from its new album tonight during the ESPN on ABC presentation of Oklahoma-Florida State.

Newsday’s Neil Best discusses actor Brad Pitt taking the role of Oakland A’s General Manager Billy Beane in the upcoming “Moneyball” movie.

Neil notes that Fox’s Jay Glazer will be profiled on HBO’s Real Sports this month.

The Albany Times Union’s Pete Dougherty writes that the local Fox affiliate gets the Tampa Bay-Red Sox game today over the Mets game that would normally be assigned to the station.

Ken McMillan from the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record speaks with one of the men who will be in the broadcast booth calling today’s Northwestern-Army game.

CBS Philadelphia notes that long-time KYW-AM  sports reporter Jack O’Rourke who worked for the NBC Radio Network in the 1970′s passed away this morning while covering a game.

Jim Williams loves that Fox is offering an NFL/English Premier League doubleheader on Sunday.

Jim says baseball fans get to see the Rays and Red Sox battle it out for a Wild Card spot both today and tomorrow.

Jim looks at CBS debuting both SEC football and a new web series following the game.

Ira Schoffel of the Tallahassee (FL) Democrat was on site during today’s College GameDay remote at Florida State.

David Knox of the Birmingham (AL) News says fans can interact online with CBS’ Gary Danielson after today’s Tennessee-Florida game.

Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News talks with Fox’s Brian Billick about calling tomorrow’s Cowboys-49ers game.

Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman has ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit previewing tonight’s Oklahoma-Florida State game.

Baxter Holmes of the Los Angeles Times has USC’s basketball TV schedule.

Ben Bolch of the Times has UCLA’s basketball TV schedule.

Larry Stone of the Seattle Times has pictures and a story on a statue of the late Mariners announcer Dave Niehaus being unveiled Friday at Safeco Field.

And that’s it.

Friday Megalinks Just For You

Let’s do some linkage.

The Weekend Viewing Picks give you everything to you need for your viewing pleasure.

Let’s do this.

National

Michael Hiestand of USA Today writes that primetime is the right time for college football.

Tripp Mickle of Sports Business Daily reports that ESPN has sold out its ad inventory for its new NASCAR non-stop initiative which will allow fans to see continuous race action while commercials run.

Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News says NFL Network used some creative methods in Boston to promote its Bill Belichick documentary.

If you watched the Belichick documentary, then you probably know about the best scene which was the coach yelling at the Baltimore Ravens’ Derrick Mason who was trash talking. Dan Fogarty of SportsGrid has the video.

Brandon Costa from Sports Video Group notes that Sports Illustrated has released a new Football Rivals mobile app.

Sports Media Watch says ABC is doing well with college football in its first two weeks of the season.

SMW notes that last Saturday’s Notre Dame-Michigan game on ESPN in primetime did better than the previous week’s Fighting Irish game on NBC.

SMW says last week’s NASCAR race in Richmond garnered a four year ratings high for ABC.

Tony Manfred of the Business Insider Sports Page says sports bars got hit the hardest by DirecTV’s NFL Sunday Ticket technical difficulties last week.

Steve Lepore from Puck The Media has NHL Network’s preseason schedule that begins next week.

Joe Favorito says sports brands are now jumping into the corn field maze craze.

Awful Announcing has this week’s network TV on-screen typos.

Parade talks with ESPN’s Erin Andrews.

East and Mid-Atlantic

Chad Finn from the Boston Globe writes about some ex-Patriots players who have made the transition to TV.

Jessica Heslam of the Boston Herald talks about 98.5 The Sports Hub winning the prestigious Marconi for Best Sports Station in the country over a former winner, WEEI.

Bill Doyle at the Worcester Telegram & Gazette praises the NFL Films documentary on Bill Belichick.

The New York Times’ Richard Sandomir looks at a rare film that followed the late Yankees announcer Phil Rizzuto and other ex-Pinstripers to Austria for an exhibition game in 1994.

Daniel E. Slotnick of the Times writes that former New York Jet and broadcaster Sam DeLuca has passed away.

Newsday’s Neil Best talks with statistician Steve Hirdt about his career and getting to work a “home” game for this week’s edition of Monday Night Football.

Neil says SNY is fortunate to have the Jets as a partner to help viewers forget about the Mets.

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post is angry at everyone.

The Post’s Justin Terranova has five questions for YES analyst Ken Singleton.

Jerry Barmash in Fishbowl NY writes that MSG Network brings back its signature hockey studio show for another season.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union notes that local sports anchor Andrew Catalon gets a call-up to the NFL on CBS in October.

Ken McMillan of the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record talks with MLB Network’s Brian Kenny about why he left ESPN after almost a decade and a half.

Ken has more with Brian Kenny in his column.

Ken is tired of NHL Network rerunning last season’s playoffs.

South

Serena Moyle of the Tallahassee (FL) Democrat profiles ESPN’s Erin Andrews as she’s in town for the Oklahoma-Florida State game.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle says you watched the NFL in droves last week.

David says ESPN is treating Longhorn Network differently than its other entities.

Mel Bracht from the Daily Oklahoman writes that Longhorn Network will pick up one Oklahoma State basketball game.

Mel has some news and notes.

Gina Mizell of the Oklahoman says ESPN is keeping a close eye on Oklahoma State and Texas A&M for a potential College GameDay visit.

Midwest

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes that Fox Sports Ohio expands its pregame show tomorrow to air highlights of Johnny Bench Night.

John says a local radio station has fired a long-time sports reporter and other parts of its staff.

Michael Zuidema of the Grand Rapids (MI) Press talks with a long-time Division II college football radio voice.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says some local Time Warner Cable subscribers will have access to this Saturday’s Wisconsin game.

Bob explains why the Wisconsin game isn’t on TV.

Bob says the Brewers’ Prince Fielder will be seen in a profile on TBS Sunday.

Ed Sherman at Crain’s Chicago Business has his winners and losers in sports business and media.

Dan Caesar in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says all of the Blues games will be televised for the first time ever.

West

Jay Drew of the Salt Lake Tribune writes that ESPN’s deal with BYU has now become a recruiting tool for the school.

Matt Solinsky of the Desert (CA) Sun says the NFL Network documentary on Patriots coach Bill Belichick is definitely “must see TV”.

John Maffei from the North County Times tries to discover what the holdup is for the San Diego Padres’ TV and radio rights.

Jim Carlisle at the Ventura County Star says Time Warner Cable has signed a long-term deal for California’s high school championships.

Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times talks with the Fox NFL Sunday crew.

T.J. Simers of the Times writes that Vin Scully can cause trouble at home.

Also from the Times, Eric Sondheimer has details of the Time Warner deal with the California Interscholastic Federation.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News says Jay “The Rat” Mariotti is determined to get the last word on his tumultuous year.

Tom has some media moves that didn’t make his column.

Tom says MLB Network will air a special on statistics.

Canada

Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail says an 8 year delay will help Steve Moore in his lawsuit against Todd Bertuzzi and the NHL stemming from an incident in Vancouver.

The Canadian Sports Media Blog notes that CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada has finally made some moves to fill some personnel holes.

And that’s going to conclude the links for this Friday.

A Quickie Thursday Linkage

I’m going to post as many links as I can. It’s part of the day where I could be leaving at any time. Let’s do this.

From USA Today, Tom Weir writes that the National Hockey League has issued a new social media policy to take effect immediately.

Michael Malone of Broadcasting & Cable looks at Universal Sports moving from an over-the-air/cable multichannel to an all-cable network.

Multichannel News reports that Univision has renewed its rights with the NFL as the official Hispanic broadcaster of the league.

Self Magazine had ESPN’s Erin Andrews do a CrossFit photo shoot. As usual, she looks great.

Karen Hogan at Sports Video Group notes that the New York Football Giants have developed their own mobile app.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell says student road trips are going to be big losers if the college sports conference super shuffle continues.

Darren writes that the Interactive Fan Cam can become a big revenue stream for college sports.

At the Poynter Institute, Jason Fry says the rules for sports journalism in covering teams have changed dramatically in the last few years.

Newsday’s Neil Best talks with the head of programming for NBC Sports/Versus about upgrading the cable channel’s programming.

Neil says the New York Giants return to hosting Monday Night Football for the first time since ABC had the package.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union has the Week 3 college football TV schedule.

Ken Schott from the Schenectady Gazette says Turner Sports has grabbed the Coaches vs. Cancer college basketball tournament for truTV.

Ken says NHL Network will air 32 preseason games starting next week. Hockey’s back!

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner talks with an ESPN programming executive about how the WNBA is doing on the network.

Tom Jones from the St. Petersburg Times spends a couple of minutes with ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit.

Mel Bracht from the Daily Oklahoman writes that ESPN college football analyst David Pollack might be on the fast track to getting more work with the network.

Mel asks David to preview Saturday’s Oklahoma-Florida State game which will be aired on ABC.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel previews a new ESPN college football studio show.

Bob has Kirk Herbstreit talking about Wisconsin’s quarterback.

Bob notes that the Green Bay Packers will get the attention of the Sunday NFL pregame shows this week.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has this week’s NFL TV schedule for SoCal.

Tom previews tonight’s NFL Films doc on Patriots coach Bill Belichick.

And I’m told we’re shutting down for the day. I’ll be back later with more stuff.

Some Sunday Linkage

I wasn’t able to link yesterday due to some personal commitments. I’ll be doing some today.

Mike McCarthy of USA Today says ESPN yanked teams with anti-Semitic names from its fantasy football leagues.

Daniel Riley of GQ speaks with the best baseball announcer of all-time, Vin Scully about his greatest calls.

John Eggerton of Broadcasting & Cable notes that the American Cable Association is blasting ESPN for its huge rights contract for Monday Night Football.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News writes that NBC and Universal Sports have begun to air coverage of the Rugby World Cup.

Mike writes that YES Network is coming in to air Fox NFL Sunday for Fox in New York for one week only.

Eric Deggans from the St. Petersburg Times writes in the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center that fans will be footing the bill for the NFL’s recent megadeal with ESPN.

Brandon Costa at Sports Video Group says NFL Films will have a nationwide tribute to 9/11 before all games today.

Dan Fogarty at SportsGrid notes that TNT’s Charles Barkley wasn’t quite himself doing an interview on ESPN yesterday.

Timothy Burke of SportsGrid has the audio of Yankees broadcaster John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman using a cell phone to broadcast a game last week.

Former CNN correspondent Kelly Wallace, now of iVillage, speaks with NBC Sunday Night Football sideline reporter Michele Tafoya about balancing motherhood with her job.

Rob Neyer at SBNation wonders if MASN handled Orioles analyst Mike Flanagan’s death properly.

Ian R. Rapoport of the Boston Herald has a look at the NFL Films documentary on Patriots coach Bill Belichick.

Newsday’s Neil Best talks with some of New York’s sports figures who remember 9/11.

Claire Atkinson of the New York Post reports that some cable providers are unhappy over ESPN’s megadeal for Monday Night Football and may fight back.

Ken Schott from the Schenectady Gazette says the local CBS affiliate will be throwing Monday’s U.S. Open men’s final to another station.

John Brennan of the Bergen (NJ) Record writes that several NHL promos for the league’s TV partners are being shot in Newark, NJ.

Keith Groller of the Allentown (PA) Morning Call says a rainout prevented a local minor league baseball announcer from making a signature call.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner talks with NBC/Versus’ programming chief about its new lineup.

Mike Madden of the Washington City Paper says DC NFL team Daniel Snyder has dropped his SLAPP lawsuit against the publication. If you’re wondering what a SLAPP lawsuit is, go here.

Lauren Bailey of the Charlotte Observer profiles an Emmy-award producer who has helped to shape the way ESPN does its features.

Tom Jones at the St. Petersburg Times has your NFL Viewing Guide for this season.

Norm Sanders of the Belleville (IL) News-Democrat remembers a local man who worked behind the scenes for both CBS and Fox Sports.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes that the NFL Films documentary on Patriots coach Bill Belichick lifts the curtain on some of his mysterious persona.

Dan Caesar in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says the Cardinals’ ratings are down compared to last year.

Dr. Michael Chung writes in the Kansas City Star that based on its TV ratings, baseball might be in trouble.

Jason Franchuk of the Provo (UT) Daily Herald compares how the Longhorn Network shapes up against BYUtv.

Marcus Vanderberg of Fishbowl LA says Kings on-air personality Heidi Androl won’t be returning to her duties with Fox Sports West this season.

The Canadian Sports Media Blog notes that CTV and CBC will team up for the Canada’s Olympic Broadcasting Consortium’s bid for the 2014/16 Games. Rather shocking. That would be like NBC and CBS teaming up for a joint Olympic bid here.

And the CSM writes that former Hockey Night in Canada insider Scott Morrison has joined his on-air partner Jeff Marek at Rogers Sportsnet. In fact, Morrison now becomes Marek’s boss.

Sports Media Watch looks at the ratings for the NFL regular season opener on NBC.

SMW says ESPN’s college football Labor Day game did not do well in the ratings.

Steve Lepore of Puck The Media says the New Jersey Devils have chosen the man to replace Mike Emrick as lead play-by-play voice.

And that is going to be it. The Sunday NFL pregame quotage is in so I’ll be posting that in the next hour.

Let’s Do Some Linkage, Shall We?

I was in between offices yesterday and could not do the links as I had wanted. Let’s provide some now while I can.

Nate Davis at USA Today writes about ESPN extending the rights to air Monday Night Football and keep the series on cable through 2021.

The Hollywood Reporter notes that tonight’s Presidential jobs speech has forced the networks to change their schedules including NBC regarding tonight’s NFL season opener.

Marisa Guthrie of the Reporter talks about ESPN’s new MNF deal.

Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News says ESPN is in position to air an NFL Wild Card Playoff game sometime in the future.

Adweek’s Anthony Crupi notes ESPN’s eight year NFL extension includes a whole host of digital rights.

Lucia Moses of Adweek says Sports Illustrated is tapping into younger readers’ appetites by going high-tech.

All Access notes that Boston’s sports radio WEEI announced an FM simulcast today.

Also from All Access, Fox Sports Radio nighttime host Tony Bruno is leaving to take a midday hosting job in Philadelphia.

It’s rare that I get a sports media story from Women’s Wear Daily, but I have one today. John Koblin of WWD talks with ESPN tennis courtside reporter Pam Shriver.

Hey, we link to Grantland! Jonah Keri writes that the Texas Rangers are positioning themselves to be an MLB power for the long-term thanks to its mega rights deal with Fox Sports Southwest.

Dan Fogarty of SportsGrid says The Onion’s online parody of ESPN’s Pardon The Interruption is everything its TV sports shows were not.

Timothy Burke at SportsGrid examines the new ESPN/Monday Night Football deal and what it really means.

Congrats to former Yardbarker Managing Editor Alana G. who has left the company and becomes Executive Producer for the San Francisco Chronicle’s website.

Brandon Costa of Sports Video Group writes that ESPN’s “SpiderCam”, the overhead camera providing spectacular shots at the U.S. Open has been added to the tournament’s world TV feed.

Karen Hogan of SVG notes that NBC is pulling out all of the technical stops for Sunday Night Football this season.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell writes that an injured Peyton Manning could cost fantasy players some money.

Darren says the University of Michigan has inserted an audio chip for this week’s game program for the Notre Dame contest.

Jorge Rivas at Colorlines says FoxSports.com has pulled the web series that made fun of Asian USC students not knowing football and also mocking their accents.

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe reviews the NFL Films documentary focusing on Patriots coach Bill Belichick.

Jessica Heslam of the Boston Herald says WEEI is ramping up for the next phase of its sports radio war with 98.5 The Sports Hub.

Ian Rapoport of the Herald has some interesting tidbits from the NFL Films Bill Belichick doc.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times looks inside the ESPN MNF deal.

Newsday’s Neil Best looks at the particulars of the ESPN Monday Night Football contract extension.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union reports on the Fox Sports Radio show that will replace Tony Bruno.

Pete notes that MSG Network will be New York Giants-heavy this fall.

Jim Williams from the Washington Examiner interviews Russ Thaler who goes from Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic to Versus as the host of NBC SportsTalk.

David Barron at the Houston Chronicle writes about the local college football ratings.

Bob Finnan of the News-Herald (OH) talks with Cleveland Browns radio voice and sports anchor Jim Donovan about returning to work after taking the summer off for a bone marrow transplant.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has CBS’ Phil Simms and Dan Dierdorf extolling the virtues of having a running game in the NFL.

Ed Sherman of Crain’s Chicago Business writes about Bears games being broadcast on FM for the first time this season.

Ed says the Chicago Tribune is bolstering the Bears beat.

Scott Dochterman at the Cedar Rapids (IA) Gazette says those who want to watch this Saturday’s Iowa-Iowa State game will have to do a little searching.

Robin Carlin at Mile High Sports says yesterday’s plane crash in Russia that killed all but two on board was truly a dark day for hockey.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily Herald likes the 9/11 commemorative football jerseys.

The Canadian Sports Media blog notes that Rogers is pulling out of the Canadian Olympics Broadcasting Consortium for the 2014/16 Games.

Joe Favorito says the BCS conferences might want to consider picking up one of the Service Academies.

And that’s going to do it for today’s linkage.

Inside The NFL Returns To Showtime Wednesday

The Showtime/NFL Films series Inside the NFL returns Wednesday for its 33^rd season. The cast of James Brown, Phil Simms, Warren Sapp, Cris Collinsworth and Mike Lombardi are all back and so are the highlights from NFL Films. For the season premiere, the cast will preview the upcoming season and look into its collective crystal ball for prediction. When the season is underway, there will be game highlights from NFL Films and game picks.

For this week’s show, viewers will get a sneak peak of the new CBS Sports/Showtime documentary on this year’s Army-Navy game titled, “A Game of Honor” which premieres in December. We have the press release and then a promo from Showtime.

INSIDE THE NFL RETURNS TOMORROW ON SHOWTIME^®

Season Four on SHOWTIME Premieres Wednesday, Sept. 7, at 9 p.m. ET/PT
Catch the first-look of the Showtime and CBS’ Documentary ‘A Game of Honor’

NEW YORK (Sept. 6, 2011) – INSIDE THE NFL, the Emmy Award-winning NFL studio show, returns to SHOWTIME^® tomorrow for the premiere episode of season four, Wednesday, Sept. 7, at 9 p.m. ET/PT.  Host James Brown returns to anchor the program with All-Pro NFL greats Cris Collinsworth, Phil Simms and Warren Sapp serving as expert analysts, and Michael Lombardi as the show’s insider.

This week’s show looks back on all the off-season moves and discussed which teams made the best moves, setting the stage as the 2011 season kicks-off this week. Viewers will get a first look at the previously announced SHOWTIME AND CBS Sports co-produced documentary A Game of Honor during tomorrow’s episode. A Game of Honor, which premieres in December on SHOWTIME, will take an unprecedented look at America’s two oldest military academies—The United States Military Academy and The United States Naval Academy. As the midshipmen and cadets prepare to serve their country and participate in a rivalry unmatched by any other in sports—the Army-Navy football game—SHOWTIME will capture an all-access look at their unique season-long journey.

The popular Beat the Insiders online game returns this season for more competitive fun.  Each week, fans pick the winner of every NFL game to see how they stack up against the picks of our Insiders — Cris, Phil and Warren — and challenge their friends all season long. To sign up, create or join a group and to make picks fans can visit www.BeatTheInsiders.com.

INSIDE THE NFL, now in its 33^rd season, will air every Wednesday night through the NFL season on SHOWTIME for a total of 23 episodes, with multiple replays each week on SHOWTIME and SHOWTIME EXTREME^® and availability on SHOWTIME On Demand.  INSIDE THE NFL is produced by CBS Sports and NFL Films. The executive producers are Sean McManus and NFL Films President Steve Sabol. Pete Radovich Jr., the EMMY Award winning Creative Director for CBS Sports, serves as coordinating producer.

As promised, I have a video from CBS/Showtime on the season premiere.

And we’re done.

Getting The Friday Megalinks Done

Let’s get these megalinks done as I hope to give you a weekend full of posts for the three day holiday. That’s my plan, at least. They could get changed due to family or weather. You never know.

I have the sports and entertainment programming in the Weekend Viewing Picks. Let’s get to the linkage now.

National

Michael Hiestand of USA Today discusses the NFL Films documentary on Bill Belichick that followed him for the entire 2009 season and got some rather interesting footage.

Sports Business Daily’s John Ourand speaks with a Fox Soccer exec about having English Premier League games air on the Fox mothership.

John Eggerton from Broadcasting & Cable reports that President Obama’s speech to a joint session of Congress next Thursday will not cut into the NFL regular season opener on NBC.

Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News writes that Big Ten Network’s BTN2Go service has been picked up by four cable and satellite providers.

Timothy Burke of SportsGrid says former NFL cheap shot artist Chuck Cecil got off to an inauspicious start to his broadcasting career on Thursday.

Matt Yoder at Awful Announcing has some really bad network typos from the last week.

Sports Media Watch looks at the extension of the PGA Tour’s deal with CBS Sports, Golf Channel and NBC Sports.

Steve Lepore of Puck The Media says the NHL’s TV partners should lead the discussion on head injuries and how they could lead to tragedies such as the deaths of Wade Belak, Derek Boogaard and Rick Rypien.

Joe Favorito says the Los Angeles Dodgers are using social media this month to try to get closer to the fans.

East and Mid-Atlantic

Chad Finn from the Boston Globe looks at the PGA Tour’s extension with its TV partners and he talks about Friend of Fang’s Bites Jen Royle talking with various area radio stations.

In SBNation Boston, Bruce Allen of Boston Sports Media Watch has the ESPN Monday Night Football crew previewing this season’s Patriots team.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times writes about college football writer “Free Bruce” Feldman leaving ESPN.com to go to CBS Sports.

Larry Dorman of the Times writes about the PGA Tour’s new contract with CBS, Golf Channel and NBC.

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post continues to plaster hate all over his wretched columns.

Justin Terranova of the Post has five questions for Monday Night Football’s Jon “This Guy” Gruden and Ron “I’m Telling You, Jaws” Jaworski.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union says a local TV station is in its 13th year producing a high school football highlights show.

Keith Groller of the Allentown (PA) Morning Call tells football fans not to worry about President Obama’s speech interrupting the Saints-Packers NFL season opener on Thursday.

Laura Nachman has a press release announcing the winner of a Philadelphia sports radio talk show host contest.

DCTRV.com’s Dave Hughes in Press Box notes that Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic’s Russ Thaler moves to Versus for a national gig.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner has a few notes about this Sunday’s Baltimore Grand Prix.

Jim has Fox’s college football crew discussing the potential departure of Oklahoma from the Big 12.

South

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald looks at some of the changes in the NFL TV broadcast booths for this season.

Tom Jones at the St. Petersburg Times has a preview of the weekend on sports television.

Bud Kennedy of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram says the Longhorn Network will help Texas down the road, but it’s already hurting its relationship with other schools.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle reveals that Texas and Texas A&M were in talks to create a joint TV network four years ago.

David says University of Houston quarterback Case Keenum gets a national showcase on Fox Sports Net this weekend.

Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman talks with the new voice of the Oklahoma Sooners.

In his notebook, Mel looks at the new Fox Sports studio team for college football.

Gina Mizell of the Oklahoman talks with ESPN Sport Science host John Brenkus about how an Oklahoma State athlete was chosen for a feature.

Midwest

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer is still rooting for the late Reds announcer Joe Nuxhall to get into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

And John has a couple of local TV news and notes.

Mike Zuidema of the Grand Rapids (MI) Press talks with ESPN college football analyst Chris Spielman about the rivalry that is Michigan-Ohio State.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel asks if social media has a place in sports broadcasts.

Scott Cooper Williams of the Green Bay Gazette says a bunch of NBC shows will be town to help hype the Saints-Packers NFL season opener on Thursday.

Ed Sherman in Crain’s Chicago Business has his winners and losers in sports business and media.

Tina Akouris of the Chicago Sun-Times writes about Dick Vitale’s new children’s book.

West

Scott D. Pierce of the Salt Lake Tribune says Utah fans should be happy that a local TV station is picking up the team’s games for this season.

J. Patrick Coolican of the Las Vegas Sun says UNLV’s TV contract through the Mountain West Conference just plain sucks.

Jay Posner from the San Diego Union-Tribune says Padres fans should expect to watch games on a new channel next season.

John Maffei of the North County Times says there will be a plethora of college football games this weekend.

Jim Carlisle of the Ventura County Star notes the return of former Dodgers broadcaster Ross Porter to play-by-play, but this time online.

Jim says Fox Sports West will be extensively covering high school football online.

Helene Elliot of the Los Angeles Times says Hall of Fame Kings announcer Bob Miller has signed a new contract that will bring him to 40 seasons with the team.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News also writes about Miller’s new deal.

Tom talks to network executives and producers about how and when to incorporate Twitter into a sports broadcast.

And that’s going to do it for the megalinks. If you’re traveling this weekend, be safe and if you’re still recovering from Hurricane Irene, I hope all returns to normal soon.

Some Really Quick Wednesday Links

I’m going to try to do some Wednesday linkage here. Also have a lot of end of the month/beginning of the month crap to do at work some I’m balancing the two off.

Here are the links that I have for now.

USA Today’s Michael Hiestand looks at NBC’s plans to provide live online coverage of the 2012 London Olympics.

At MediaPost, Erik Sass looks at the New York Giants integrating Twitter into its NFL preseason broadcasts.

David Goetzl at MediaPost notes that Fox has had a 51% majority stake in Big Ten Network since last year.

The Associated Press reports that Versus is adding a whole host of original programming to its weeknight lineup.

Georg Szalai of the Hollywood Reporter also writes about Versus’ new original programming.

Lacey Rose and Lesley Goldberg at the Reporter report that HBO has given the green light for a drama based on boxer Mike Tyson.

George Winslow at Broadcasting & Cable writes that Turner Sports is expanding the exclusive content offerings at NCAA.com.

R. Thomas Umstead of Multichannel News says CBS Sports Network will air a documentary on the first black college football game played in New York.

To Adweek where Anthony Crupi chronicles how NBC Sports Chairman Mark Lazarus lured former NBC Sports Emperor Dick Ebersol back to the company just mere months after he left.

Bill Cromwell at Media Life Magazine discusses how NBC is going to provide everything from track & field to archery live at 2012 London Olympics.

Glenn Davis of SportsGrid looks at the sad tenure of Fred Hickman’s days at ESPN.

Dan Fogarty of SportsGrid has the video preview of NFL Films’ documentary on Patriots coach  Bill Belichick.

On this final day for SportsNewser, let me link to a few stories. Marcus Vanderberg writes that former Rutgers player Eric LeGrand will be joining the school’s football broadcasts on radio. You may recall LeGrand was paralyzed last year and hopes to make a full recovery.

Cam Martin of SportsNewser says fans will vote on the next nominee for the Baseball Hall of Fame Ford C. Frick Broadcaster Award.

Back to Marcus, he writes that Southwest Airlines will stream live MLB games to its passengers thanks to its in-flight internet provider. Now back to me.

Now back to SportsNewser where Marcus looks at Sports Illustrated’s Super Bowl picks.

Ok, that’s it for the SportsNewer links. The site will be missed.

Nat Ives of Advertising Age notes that a month-long sponsorship starting tomorrow, will allow the New York Times to open up five sections (including sports) in its iPad app from behind the dreaded paywall.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell couldn’t be more thrilled to be getting his own weekly show on Versus.

Ken Schott from the Schenectady Gazette talks about ESPN releasing its Big East and Big Monday basketball schedules.

Dan Steinberg at the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog talks with former Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic original Russ Thaler about his new gig with Versus/NBC Sports Network.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner notes that the U.S. Open will be well covered on TV and online.

Josh Robbins from the Orlando Sentinel says the Magic’s Gilbert Arenas has shut down his Twitter account.

Mel Bracht at the Daily Oklahoman notes that a pair of Eastern transplants top the local sports radio ratings.

Mel says NFL preseason again led the local TV ratings.

John Kiesewetter at the Cincinnati Enquirer has a preview of tonight’s HBO/NFL Films 10 year retrospective on Hard Knocks.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes that ESPN’s Jon Gruden isn’t a fan of the new NFL replay rule.

Bob says the digital Sporting News Today has ceased publication.

Ed Sherman of Crain’s Chicago Business says the city’s high school football and basketball championships are moving to a new TV home.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News says all of the Dodgers’ announcers are coming back for 2012.

Ed Tait and John White of the Winnipeg Free Press says the new Jets have signed a 10 year deal with TSN for both TV and radio.

Sports Media Watch says Hurricane Irene coverage on many local ABC stations cut into NASCAR’s ratings on Saturday.

Deadspin shows a picture of HBO’s Bryant Gumbel being “beaten up” by UFC’s Chuck Liddell and Fox’s Jay Glazer.

Joe Favorito says the hiring of former Tennessee men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl by a grocery company is a good marketing move.

And we’ll end it there for today.