CBS' Sean McManus (l) Highlights  Sports Media & Technology Conference

Sean McManus expresses concern about the impact the flex schedule and the NFL's own channel may have on CBS. This coming weekend's Bears-Seahawks game, featuring two teams still in the playoff race, was the first to be moved off of NBC's primetime schedule, and McManus stresses, "The intent of flex schedule was to make sure that in the second half of the season, the primetime network package didn’t get stuck with a bad game. It was never intended to cherry pick the best game." Also, as McManus characterizes NFL Network as "an insurance policy" in case the league cannot get the rights fees it seeks, Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones says a 16-game slate is a possibility in the future.

Taking The Pitch 
David Beckham agrees to three-year clothing deal with Giorgio Armani worth about $41.43M.

Running Up The Score 
Media buyers say final spots on Fox’ Super Bowl XLII broadcast could go for $3M.

Return To Sender 
DHL execs deny report that company is looking to secure a top-level Olympics sponsorship.

Stuck In Neutral 
NASCAR continues to struggle to find an audience in large Northern markets. 

A Change Will Do You Good?
Columnists question effectiveness of changes to FedEx Cup playoffs schedule.

Reporting For Duty 
N.Y. Daily News’ T.J. Quinn, S.F. Chronicle’s Mark Fainaru-Wada join ESPN’s new 15-member investigative reporting unit. 

Gopher It
Dairy Queen makes rare foray into sports marketing with naming-rights deal for club room at Univ. of Minnesota's new TCF Bank Stadium.

The Accused  
Latest steroid allegations surface around Cowboys, Falcons.