August 05, 2003

NFL Network: Coming November 4 to a cable TV near you (if you're in North America). The president and CEO is former ESPN CEO Steve Bornstein and former ESPN anchor Rich Eisen will be lead anchor. The Washington Post has a good overview, and NFL.com has answers to all your questions. [more inside]

posted by kirkaracha to football at 08:29 PM - 17 comments

From the Washington Post article:

Want to know the history of the mouthpiece? Sabol's shop is preparing a segment for the NFL Network. There will be pieces on the "butt slap," the history of the fair catch and the "orange glove guy," who signals when to take a television commercial. How about a five-minute primer on the blocking sled? From a half-hour biography on former Packer Paul Hornung to a segment on the referee's whistle, Sabol said his producers are exploring "every little nook and cranny and every bit of minutiae."

posted by kirkaracha at 08:30 PM on August 05, 2003

Thats Mr. Potata Head to you pally.

posted by lilnemo at 10:16 PM on August 05, 2003

So Eisen is leaving ESPN huh? Wow. That's risky. But good for him. I'll give the network a shot, but here's the big problem. From the FAQ: Will NFL games be shown on NFL Network? No. Our network partners do a terrific job televising the NFL games and we are proud to be the only sports league offering all our games on free, over-the-air television. This applies to all regular-season and postseason NFL games, including the Super Bowl and Pro Bowl. So in other words, you still get the same crappy games you always got, local games blacked out if not sold out, and you need to buy premium packages for other games. Call me a cheap commie, but the appeal of this network is limited if all I get is puff pieces and replays.

posted by vito90 at 08:21 AM on August 06, 2003

So Eisen is leaving ESPN huh? - vito90 Eisen didn't leave ESPN voluntarily...he was shown the door. Saw these other anchors getting extra shows and whatnot, wanted a piece of the action and was given a less then positive response. you cheap commie, you...

posted by bcb2k2 at 08:50 AM on August 06, 2003

agreed. eliminate the frustration of blackouts (added value, or value added, depending on industry), and you've got a willing consumer. There are enough 'insights' on the air, and those are already repetitive.

posted by garfield at 08:50 AM on August 06, 2003

Showing Rich Eisen the door while Stuart Scott still has a job is like hiring Bill Nye to be your science expert when Steven Hawking is available. I'll watch this network just to see Rich.

posted by wfrazerjr at 09:44 AM on August 06, 2003

Don't be hatin' on Bill Nye, yo.

posted by yerfatma at 12:00 PM on August 06, 2003

Eisen was a quality guy - why ESPN let him go is beyond me.

posted by mbd1 at 12:28 PM on August 06, 2003

mbd1: It's all about the boo-yeah!

posted by billsaysthis at 01:04 PM on August 06, 2003

Rich? Are you there? I found something. It's really small, if you squint you can see it. Do you see it? It's your career.

posted by lilnemo at 01:04 PM on August 06, 2003

I know it was mean, and poorly thought out. But it was funny. Seriously, I like Eisen and hope this turns out for him. Though I think he would have been better served staying with ESPN.

posted by lilnemo at 01:05 PM on August 06, 2003

To me Eisen was to Sportscenter, what Aykroyd was to SNL, not essential but complimentary. HEY! they even look alike! This is Sportscenter!

posted by lilnemo at 01:36 PM on August 06, 2003

I was most upset when Keith Olbermann left to do "serious" news. We all know how that turned out (all Monica, all the time).

posted by dusted at 01:42 PM on August 06, 2003

I hate Stu Scott. That bit about "all our games are available free" made me laugh. You get the 3 games your local affiliates feed you, and if you don't happen to give a rat's ass about Buffalo, or get stuck with a meaningless Skins-Cards game since nothing else is remotely regional, you end up missing some quality important matchups with nothing you can do about it. Thank god last season I had sunday ticket. That was awesome. I need to get my free satellite set up first thing when I move.

posted by Bernreuther at 02:26 PM on August 06, 2003

Stu Scott is definitely the most annoying man on ESPN since Berman. Yeah, I trashed Berman, so what? Rich Eisen seems like he could make a career doing something other than sports (which he may be forced to do after this channel doesn't last, which it won't). He was great on VH1's I Love the 80's.

posted by Ufez Jones at 03:20 PM on August 06, 2003

This channel sounds incredibly dull. Aside from fantasy football programs, everything it offers is already being run in heavy rotation on the ESPN channels -- who at this point is saying, "man, I'd sure love to get a chance to see that NFL Films special on the Dolphins/Cowboys Super Bowl"?

posted by rcade at 03:24 PM on August 06, 2003

One thing that would be nice is if they showed some actual vintage game broadcasts from years past. For some reason ESPN Classic has never been allowed to do this, like it is with other sports. The NFL Films specials are nice, but how cool would it be to see a '70s "MNF" game with Frank, Howard, and Dandy Don? Or an early Super Bowl with Curt Gowdy or Ray Scott?

posted by Motown Mike at 08:55 AM on August 07, 2003

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