One-stop buying. 5 minutes and out.
That’s all one must find out about Roger Goodell’s “It’s all about our followers” declare. Sunday afternoon on CBS, for instance. The man is relentlessly, shamelessly filled with it. Good work — for a reported $63 million per — if you may get it.
Sunday, in a must-win, can’t-lose, can’t-tie recreation between the Steelers and Ravens, the final minutes of time beyond regulation had been misplaced to viewers in a number of cities, together with the nation’s largest TV market — that’s us! — after audiences had invested 3 hours and 20 minutes in it.
Related incidents have occurred and for a few years, but this one was completely different, begging for reducing viewers a break, as sticking with the same old plan benefitted nobody.
Most everybody may see this coming, as video games together with Jets-Payments and Patriots-Dolphins had been quickly to begin. Absolutely, the NFL, this being the ultimate week of the season inside a league identified for last-minute TV schedule flexing, would on at the present time be versatile.
Or, if not, CBS would defy illogical broadcasting guidelines to permit its viewers to witness the ultimate three minutes in an enormous recreation and, as marketed, maybe the final recreation performed by Ben Roethlisberger.
No matter, I’d have chosen frequent sense over abuse of an viewers that had already invested greater than three hours in watching a recreation’s final result to throw in a couple of extra minutes to finish its mission and tacit promise.
What was Goodell going to do, publicly complain that CBS handled its viewers proper by greatest serving all audiences? Punish CBS by not cashing its checks?
Right here, en path to the kickoff of Jets-Payments, viewers who had the Steelers-Ravens yanked from beneath them, subsequent needed to watch three commercials — two of them for NFL-certified playing operations, additional establishing those that’d been watching Steelers-Ravens as Goodell Period suckers.
And simply earlier than CBS was pressured to depart that OT recreation, Mike Tomlin’s Steelers once more risked shedding — or not profitable — a recreation to a participant who had no higher concept of what was occurring apart from his bloated sense of self.
With 3:27 left in OT, Pittsburgh receiver Diontae Johnson, after being shoved out of bounds by security Geno Stone, tried to begin a sideline battle! The sport? Didn’t matter to him!
For what it’s value, that sideline carried Goodell’s newest social messaging reminding viewers, for a second straight season, that those that watch NFL video games are principally presumed to be uncivilized bigots.
The day earlier than, Goodell’s “It’s All About Our Followers” additionally was on show. Two video games had been performed, Chiefs at Broncos at 4:30, Cowboys at Eagles at 8:20. Each, logically, on behalf of “Our Followers,” ought to have began a number of hours earlier — particularly earlier than a Saturday, principally at dwelling, winter viewers.
The Eagles, condemned by the NFL and ESPN to play a late-night winter recreation as a substitute of a day recreation on a wide-open Saturday, are amongst these Goodell “good investments” PSL groups.
This playoff weekend, extra “It’s All About Our Followers”:
The very best eligible local weather during which to play an out of doors January evening recreation, Tampa, will host Eagles-Buccaneers on Sunday — at 1 p.m. Huh?
The worst local weather to play an out of doors January evening recreation, Buffalo, will host Patriots-Payments on Saturday — at 8:15 p.m., when it’s anticipated to be no hotter than 10 levels. Good, Roger, sensible!
At greater than $60 million per yr to achieve such choices, if Goodell had been any higher to NFL followers, he’d purchase again their “good investments” PSLs at 3 cents on the greenback.
Who’s Rex to Choose anybody?
ESPN’s Rex Ryan this week ripped Joe Choose for a scarcity of sophistication. That’s wealthy.
Ryan’s class included the episode that occurred after he grew to become head coach of the Payments following his seasons with the Jets. After Jets QB Geno Smith’s jaw was damaged by a sucker punch from teammate IK Enemkpali, Ryan’s Payments signed the defensive finish.
Ryan then despatched Enemkpali, a two-seasons NFL sub, to function a coin-toss captain for the Payments earlier than a recreation in opposition to the Jets — a classless, unprofessional, infantile transfer.
Publish-play preening has grow to be so compulsory that Saturday, after his crew retained the ball on a roughing-the-kicker name, Broncos punter Sam Martin rose to carry out a first-down gesture. Marvel if he’d have performed the identical whereas being wheeled off on a gurney?
Naturally, this NIL (identify, picture, likeness) ruling — something that entails cash — has pushed school sports activities decrease, extra seedy. NIL has allegedly already been misapplied by schools as free-agent swimming pools for highschool recruits. It’s a brand new type of payola that may additional render school athletics a rip-off.
I ponder what number of NBA broadcasters — TV and radio, native and nationwide — acknowledge that the NBA is sinking beneath the load of 3-point bombings, that they’ve changed strategic basketball, however are unable to say so. Put it this fashion: How does one classify a recreation with 80-90 3s an excellent, well-played recreation?
CBS continues to be posting color-coded, vertically boxed graphics giving viewers about 12 seconds to learn an inventory of a QB’s earlier 10 passes and whether or not they had been full (and for a way far) or incomplete. Apparently, saying, “He’s eight-for-his-past-10” could be too straightforward.
With Dobie gone, it gained’t be the identical down on the Gillis Grocery Retailer. Assume I’ll go downtown with Maynard and watch ’em tear down the previous Endicott Constructing.
Too many ineffective analysts, too few good ones
Our Man of the Week is Fox’s understated and regular Chris Myers. Throughout Washington-Giants, he risked additional employment by eschewing the chance to say that Antonio Gibson “is operating downhill” to go along with “straight forward.” Think about!
Myers additionally took a wanted late-game swipe at Giants WR Kenny Golladay for stepping out of bounds after catching a go with nobody close to him. Myers’ sales space mate, Daryl “Moose” Johnston, who hadn’t stopped talking all recreation — typically noting that the Giants haven't any offense — had chosen silence after Golladay’s untimely give up.
That brings us to ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit, a former plain-talker who has transitioned to real pigskin gibberish. Saturday throughout Chiefs-Broncos, he substituted 2-yard and 3-yard “features” with the long-form obscure, “made constructive yardage.”
He first defined Patrick Mahomes, the 2018 NFL MVP: “[Coach] Andy Reid has developed this offense round Patrick Mahomes’ versatility.” Who knew?
After the sport, ESPN analyst Randy Moss famous the Chiefs’ go-ahead landing was “a game-changer.”
Two nights later, throughout the Georgia-Alabama CFP championship, Herbstreit selected to speak the whole recreation, rendering something that may have been value listening to misplaced to his personal gadgets.
However there at the moment are extra analysts like that than ever earlier than. Why? If I knew, you’d be the second to know!
It’s laborious to clarify to these unfamiliar with each, however earlier than the Raiders had Fred Biletnikoff, the Jets had Don Maynard. Each had been lanky, virtually scrawny big-play, deep-end, sure-hands, principally sideline receivers.
And each had the identical model — no model. They simply caught the ball. And when you didn’t understand how good they had been after that, that wasn’t their drawback.
However that was effectively earlier than TV confirmed receivers making 6-yard catches, then rising to make first-down gestures, in slow-mo replays — earlier than TV mindlessly determined to attempt to destroy the sport.
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