John Kerry Urges Negotiations On NFL Network In Letter

Kerry Weighs In On NFL Network Carriage Dispute

THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO HMMMM: After the Patriots beat the Ravens on Monday night, some Ravens players hinted that the game officials favored the Patriots.  Ravens CB Chris McAlister: "As far as the NFL wanting [the Pats] to win, you can't totally not think about it in those terms." BLOOMBERG NEWS' Scott Soshnick wrote NFL Network "would benefit greatly from the Patriots being perfect. With that backdrop, the locker-room skepticism is understandable, especially when you consider how much money is at stake. It's not whether a conflict of interest exists. It's the appearance of a conflict that matters" (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 12/6). 

Many Cowboys Fans In Texas Unable To See Last Week's Game

WHAT WE SAW: During Bears-Redskins on NFL Network Thursday night, when two fans ran onto the field and were surrounded by security in the closing seconds of the first quarter, the camera immediately panned back, and play-by-play announcer Bryant Gumbel said, "We’ll try not to show that to you."  Shots of the crowd and players on the sidelines were seen as the on-field situation was resolved. Gumbel noted Redskins Owner Daniel Snyder was "seated right next to Commissioner Roger Goodell [in Snyder's box]. I’m sure he could have lived without that this evening also.” The network did show a visibly-peeved Snyder, with Goodell seated next to him, looking onto the field.  Earlier in the first quarter, after Redskins K Shaun Suisham missed a field goal to keep the game scoreless, analyst Cris Collinsworth made a comment we're not sure the league appreciated.  Collinsworth: “I hope you took the under in the office pool.”  Collinsworth, however, spoke too soon, as the 24-16 final put the game over the total of 39 1/2 that most sportsbooks had.  Later, after Bears DT Antonio Garay was injured by a chop block, Collinsworth said, “The NFL, in all their wisdom, has determined that is a legal play. Teams have voted year after year to keep that a legal play, and year after year we have seen defensive linemen go out. That’s something that eventually has to be addressed in this game. It just has no place. The safety of the players has to come first.”  Gumbel has received mostly negative reviews for his work on NFL Network, and those are not likely to become more favorable after last night's game.  Among Gumbel's several errors: after Suisham's aforementioned missed field goal, he said, "And this one’s good. No it’s not. My bad. Just short:" Later, with the score 14-3 and the Bears driving, Gumbel said a Bears TD would bring the score to "within six" (NFL Network, 12/6). 

REVIEW: In Chicago, Ed Sherman writes Collinsworth was “typically sharp and biting” last night. During the third quarter he said, “There’s professional football and unprofessional football. Right now the Bears are playing unprofessional football. It’s embarrassing.” But Gumbel "hasn’t paid off as critics have panned him for everything, including his voice." Of “greater concern is Gumbel’s ability to call a game. Thursday, he violated an announcer rule when he didn’t wait for the referee to signal the result of a field goal” (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 12/7).

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