Wild thing, you move me.
How was that for 6½ hours of football? Last time we spent a Saturday stuck on one channel was for WPIX’s Superman Marathon. Let’s get to it, shall we?
* Do you see what I see? NBC’s best use of TV as TV — a universally uncommon practice — was educational and
fun!
After Peyton Manning audibled to a running play that led to a first down on third and long, NBC’s tape, shot from behind Manning, showed the entire left side of the Jets defense to have abandoned the line of scrimmage to defend the pass.
We saw exactly what Manning saw, and it was an extraordinary sight. That might have been the best between-plays use of videotape all season.
* Mark Sanchez, start to finish, threw high, very high. Was this intentional, part of the plan? Was this designed to eliminate the underneath coverage interceptions Sanchez too often throws? We were kinda hoping Cris Collinsworth would help with that.
* With 29 seconds left, Collinsworth struck gold; he nailed the next-to-the-last play, calling for Sanchez-to-Braylon Edwards “against man coverage on the outside.”
Bingo! Sanchez hit Edwards in single coverage at the right sideline, a gain of 18, a play that turned a long game-ending field goal into a short one.
* Games sure move along when they’re not unplugged every few minutes for “instant” replay reviews, don’t they?
* NBC’s titling the two games “Win Or Go Home,” was a stroke of creative genius, wasn’t it? Most viewers were still under the impression that NFL playoff games are double-elimination or best-of-seven.
* During NBC’s pregame, Tony Dungy said that he doesn’t like the new overtime rules for playoff games because “They’re a lot to remember.” They are? (Bill Cowher, during yesterday’s CBS pre-game, called the new rules, “No big deal.”)
* Mike Mayock, analyst on Saints-Seahawks, is another who doesn’t breathe out without talking. Is “Talk as much as you possibly can” standard TV orders? And it doesn’t matter if you know what you’re talking about — and he does — when we have stopped listening.
Reader Bob Mantz: “If NBC didn’t have commercials, Mayock would have had laryngitis by halftime.”
* Saturday’s best graphic referenced crowd noise. Count the redundancies: “Seattle Seahawks: Opponents average 2.7 false start penalties per game [1] at Qwest Field, the highest average [2] for an NFL home stadium [3].” How many visiting stadiums are there, anyway?
* Drew Brees, 404 yards passing. Every stat-stricken TV, radio and print expert who still doesn’t realize that 300-plus passing yards is often the losing side’s total, a matter of necessity and even desperation . . . aw, forget it.
* NBC had 35 minutes to give the opening lineups in Saints-Seahawks, but waited for the game to begin. Thus, with the Jets starting defense being displayed, a Manning quick-snap appeared in the background.
Why not post the starting lineups just before kickoff? Because it has never been done that way, that’s why.
* Shortly after Tom Hammond told us that Reggie Bush was able to run for “positive yardage,” Mayock told us that receiver Robert Meachem is the Saints’ “vertical threat.” Anyone got a slide rule?
Want to announce? Better off Ted
Spoke with a struggling sports TV and radio man, late last week. He recognizes that he has a strong voice, but still lacks what it takes:
He has never been addicted to drugs or alcohol; he has never been jailed nor even arrested; he has never stolen nor scammed anyone. And he has publicity photos, not mug shots.
He’s not as worthy as the overnight TV and radio sensation, Ted Williams
.
*
Goodness, there were a lot of empty second-deck seats in Kansas City yesterday. What seemed to be the issue? Ticket prices?
*
Old Times: Jiggs McDonald
was on MSG’s Islanders telecasts last week. Saturday in St. Louis, MSG’s Sam Rosen
chatted with Blues boss John Davidson
.
*
Few gave the Seahawks a chance, but when Mike Fran-say-so
dismissed them with a haughty wave from his throne, they became a lock.
Sean ’em all how to do it
Sean McDonough
continues to separate himself from the pandering pack because he won’t ignore unsportsmanlike conduct, not in fans, coaches or players.
Saturday on ESPN2, West Virginia’s Darryl Bryant
grabbed a rebound, then held the ball with one arm for the final two seconds of the Mountaineers’ six-point win at Georgetown. But with his other arm, Bryant taunted the home crowd. And, even with ESPN set to throw it to the next game, McDonough didn’t give it a look-away pass.
“He looks at the crowd and points to the scoreboard — not sure [West Virginia coach] Bob Huggins
would like that gesture after a nice win.”
Sure, not much, but plenty by comparison.
*
Football in a vacuum, no context: CBS found it important to note, yesterday, that the Ravens’ Joe Flacco
is one win short of Dan Marino
‘s 36 wins in his first three years at quarterback.
Come on. How many of those wins had far more to do with Baltimore’s defense than with Flacco’s quarterbacking? But any stat, any time.
Moments later, Jim Nantz
noted that Flacco, after his second first-half fumble, was among the NFL’s regular-season fumble leaders.
*
Brent Musburger
is announcing the BCS title game tonight. Astonishing how so many of the most self-smitten, rehearsed and excessively annoying land the top assignments. Musburger, Chris Berman
(golf’s U.S. Open), John Sterling
, Joe Morgan
, Joe Theismann
. It’s as if the TV execs who should know best know the least.
*
Ryne Duren
, Yankees reliever in the early 1960s, died last week at 82. When we were kids we adopted Yankees as our own. The stars — Whitey Ford
, Yogi Berra
, Mickey Mantle
, Roger Maris
— were easy. But one kid in the neighborhood chose Duren. Why? Because Duren wore glasses and so did he.