CBS in bed with the Patriots, more silliness from Sunday night, and hula dancing

by BigBlueShoe on Dec 10, 2007 4:31 PM EST in Analysis

Awful Announcing has a rather disturbing story up. CBS and the Patriots are now in bed together:

CBS and the Kraft Group are partnering to launch The CBS Scene Restaurant & Bar, a three-story, 15,000 square-foot entertainment and sports venue at the new Patriot Place near Gillette Stadium set to open in the fall of '08. The restaurant, part of the 1.3 million square-foot Patriot Place project, will also include facilities for CBS, CBS Sports and local TV and radio affiliate stations to telecast game coverage, pre-game reports, local newscasts and live broadcasts. Additionally, the venue will boast a memorabilia display and more than 130 HD TV's broadcasting both live and former CBS programming.

I guess things like impartiality, ethics, and integrity mean less to CBS than selling over-priced hot dogs and beer. Basically, the affiliate stations and other media outlets that will house CBS reporters and news people will get built by the New England Patriots. Doesn't that strike anyone as a conflict of interest? We can now throw CBS in with the ESPNs of the world; no ethics, no standards, no journalistic sense. Just another big media whore laying a brick on the face of us NFL fans.

In other news less depressing, Al Michaels sounded drunk last night! Forget his horrible Howard Cosell impressions, but did you hear him call Dallas Clark "Dwight Clark" last night? I laughed when I heard it slip out, because Dallas is indeed very similar to Dwight Clark. Maybe Manning and Clark will have a Montana and Clark moment in the championship game this season, if the Colts are fortunate enough to get there.

Also, Gary Brackett better make the damn Pro Bowl along with DE Robert Mathis and Bob Sanders. Brackett has 4 INTs and a gaggle of tackles this season. He's the only starting LBer from last year's defense, and DAMN has he elevated his game. The Colts should have seven Pro Bowler this year. If they don't, the Pro Bowl is total sh*t and should be disbanded without ceremony.

Colts Pro Bowlers (aka, they better be hula dancing): Peyton Manning, Joseph Addai, Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark, Robert Mathis, Gary Brackett, Bob Sanders. Pro Bowl balloting ends tomorrow at noon.

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Dwight

I DID hear that. I was working at the hospital and watching the game from room to room while working, and I remember asking somebody, "Did he just say 'Dwight Clark'?" I haven't gotten the chance to watch my DVR'd copy, so I'm glad I wasn't hearing things.

Al Michaels needs to lay off the sauce. I can't imagine a world where Madden is the half of that team that makes sense.

Check it to pancakes! Pancakes!

by Picky on Dec 10, 2007 4:39 PM EST 0 recs

Pro Bowlers

I think you've left one off: Jeff Saturday. Jeff has anchored the O-line through this year's injuries. I doubt Addai would have performed as well as he has without Saturday's contributions. Plus, I can't think of any game where anyone has really dominated him, but I can think of several games--especially Denver and the first Jacksonville game--when he was a rock.

The fault, dear Brutus, lies not in the stars, but in ourselves.

by Coltsfan58 on Dec 10, 2007 5:11 PM EST 0 recs

And furthermore,...

What struck me most about the announcing was that Al and John really seemed to stop analyzing the game midway through the first quarter. Yes, it was by then apparent that the Colts were going to stomp the Ravens, but still both should have stuck to analyzing the play rather than telling stories. Madden in particular could have reviewed line play for both teams. Alas, actually breaking down the action isn't what NBC has in mind. It wants "entertainment".

The fault, dear Brutus, lies not in the stars, but in ourselves.

by Coltsfan58 on Dec 10, 2007 5:16 PM EST up 0 recs

On top of all that

You have Collingsworth at halftime saying how nobody but his mother was watching the game because the Colts blew out the poor Ravens who had left everything on the field in the Patriots game. I'm not sure Collingsworth mother can stand to watch him either.

by Blueisgood on Dec 10, 2007 6:04 PM EST up 0 recs

Crab Cakes????

What was up with that, BTW? I know they were far behind, but the Ravens were in the red zone for one of the first times in the game (possibly the first), and SNF decides that we need to watch a 60 second tutorial on how to make and serve crab cakes. ?????

Check it to pancakes! Pancakes!

by Picky on Dec 10, 2007 7:30 PM EST up 0 recs

crab cakes

those crab cakes did look damn delicious though.

Damn, now I have a craving. too bad it's hard (or impossible) to find good crab cakes in Indiana.

Charlie Weis Ate My Baby

by jdb on Dec 10, 2007 7:34 PM EST up 0 recs

Well

It's hard to find a good crab cake anywhere outside of Bonge's in Perkinsville. If you've never been, check it out this summer, get there early or bring your cooler along to tailgate while you wait 2 hours for a table.

by gatling on Dec 10, 2007 9:51 PM EST up 0 recs

I wish I had been drinking too...

that game was the worst. I like to see a solid win, but damn. It should at least look like a football game.

by will on Dec 10, 2007 7:12 PM EST 0 recs

"balloting ends tomorrow at noon"

that statement is hilarious.... Almost as hilarious as NBA all star balloting starting after week one of the regular season.

Why not forget about the final three weeks, quite possibly the most key weeks of the season (if one believes in the word clutch or not) when picking th best players of the year. All star voting is a joke, all star games are jokes, and if we get even the least bit upset if one of our guys don't make an all star, then we ourselves are jokes.

by Burt Doyle on Dec 10, 2007 11:05 PM EST 0 recs

I think...

The Coaches and Players should vote on it after the last regular season game. The fan vote is a joke. I'm sick of big names winning the popularity contest when there are people like Fred Taylor who actually deserve to make the Pro-Bowl based on performance, not their name or the market they play in.

The current state of the Pro-Bowl is a joke. We might as well have a reality show with some popular NFL players in Hawaii every year. At the end they can play a pretend football game.

by the21eraser on Dec 10, 2007 11:29 PM EST up 0 recs

hmm

Mathis is a stretch but no way clark makes it. Please. What about Winslow, Gates, Gonzalez? I like mathis and clark and am happy they are having good years but come on....there are OTHER players in the league/conference. Clark has also dropped way too many passes this year to get a nod over 3 guys with BETTER numbers than him.

Put the bias to rest since it makes you lose credibility.

I agree that the other guys should make it and would throw Saturday in there. I also think Bethea is on the bubble to make the Pro Bowl.

The Pro Bowl is stupid anyway so not like it matters.

by Rob L on Dec 11, 2007 9:22 AM EST 0 recs

Are you serious?

Clark is arguably the best TE in all of football this year.

The Shogun of Harlem

by shonuff on Dec 11, 2007 10:12 AM EST up 0 recs

Amen!

Dallas is having a career year. The pro-bowl is based on the season not the career. Dallas Clark deserves the pro-bowl bid this year.

by bleedingblue on Dec 11, 2007 11:09 AM EST up 0 recs

Witten is the best TE in football

try watching other teams for a change

by Terry on Dec 11, 2007 11:59 AM EST up 0 recs

I do watch other teams...

And I think Witten and Clark are the best two TEs in the league. They do everything right and aren't just big WRs.

by DallyDrake on Dec 11, 2007 12:14 PM EST up 0 recs

We're talking AFC

don't call me a homer. We're talking about the pro-bowl. Last I checked Whitten is in the NFC. So don't be blatantly ignorant to try and be an ass.

by bleedingblue on Dec 11, 2007 1:19 PM EST up 0 recs

I guess you can't read

the post said best TE in football, the comment wasn't limited to AFC.

by Terry on Dec 11, 2007 2:07 PM EST up 0 recs

didn't know we were still

discussing that comment. I thought we'd gone sub topic. I agree Clark isn't the best in the NFL this year, but he's close. You have my apologies. I take it back you aren't an ass just misunderstood.

by bleedingblue on Dec 11, 2007 2:46 PM EST up 0 recs

that just

shows your bias . He is definitely ONE of THE best in the game..but not THE best..What about Gates or Witten? Both have at least 350 more yards than Clark, Gates has 9 tds (as does Clark) and Witten has 7 tds..there are also about 8 more tight ends that have more yardage than him this year...granted he was hurt this year, but you can't argue that..yeah he probably would've had better numbers but the fact is he doesn't...like a recent poster said though..it is a popularity contest..

by OneMore on Dec 11, 2007 10:24 AM EST 0 recs

that just

shows your lack of attention to what I said. I said he's ARGUABLY the best. If, as you say, he's definitely ONE of the best, doesn't that inherently put him in the discussion/argument as to who is the best? "The Best" player at any position is a matter of opinion - it's not like there is some correct answer that can be derived by a formula. If you say something like Ben Utecht is the best TE in football, then you lose credibility. Not when you say Clark belongs in the pro bowl.

Seems to me that we are saying the same thing.

The Shogun of Harlem

by shonuff on Dec 11, 2007 11:54 AM EST up 0 recs

Don't you just love it

that a team that has cheated and knows just about everything about most of the teams and how they play both offense and defense gets endorsed by CBS?

It is just me, or are they totally not getting the crap they deserve for cheating for so long?

Brady had to have known...

"Brett Favre looks like a man in a parking lot playing with boys." - John Madden

by kirbir on Dec 11, 2007 11:27 AM EST 0 recs

Clark

He's caught the same % of the passes thrown to him as Winslow. Can't compare the DPAR/DVOA since FO decided he's a WR since he's split out more than on the line.

I'm a blogger now http://shakennbaken.blogspot.com/

by shake n bake on Dec 11, 2007 11:29 AM EST 0 recs

Still thinking about the Pro Bowl

Since my post last night pumping Jeff Saturday for the Pro Bowl, I got to thinking: do long snappers get picked for the Pro Bowl? If not, who does it during the game?

Justin Snow has not made a bad snap this year that I can recall, though I would appreciate being corrected if I've overlooked one. No bad PAT snaps (I think the failed PATs were on low kicks by Adam V.), no bad FG snaps, no bad punt snaps. If there was a long snapper rating like they do for QBs, wouldn't his rating be a perfect 158.3?

Having considered everyone's nominations from the Colts for Pro Bowlers, I suspect that no matter how deserving any Colt is, he'll be behind a Pat, since the NFL's idolatry for all things New England holds no bounds. For instance, Wes Welker will surely be selected, even though Reggie Wayne is an immeasurably superior WR. Dan Koppen will probably get the nod at C over Jeff Saturday, even though the Patriots run the ball poorly and both teams pass protect about equally well (though for the Colts that good [though somewhat inconsistent] protection has come with an injury-depleted line). I'm preparing for disappointing news.

The fault, dear Brutus, lies not in the stars, but in ourselves.

by Coltsfan58 on Dec 11, 2007 10:49 PM EST 0 recs