SI.com's Richard Deitsch reported ESPN's Lindsay Czarniak is "getting two high-profile NFL gigs this fall," first as a sideline reporter for the Sept. 8 "MNF" Chargers-Cardinals game. She also will work as a reporter on "Sunday NFL Countdown" this season, "teaming with either Ron Jaworski or Merrill Hoge from the site of a major" 1:00pm ET game. Czarniak said, "When the opportunity to report from the sidelines for our second Monday Night game was presented, I immediately knew it was something I wanted to be a part of. The chance to tell the stories as they unfold and be the eyes and ears for our viewers is amazing" (SI.com, 9/1).
GLITCH & GO: In N.Y., Ebenezer Samuel wrote EA Sports' "Madden NFL 15" video game "isn't perfect." Glitches "abound," ranging "from the absurd to the simply nonsensical." To the "company's credit, it's already set up a dedicated status page on all Madden issues, and it's been working feverishly to start fixing things" (NYDAILYNEWS.com, 8/29).
DAVE'S NOT HERE: In Ft. Lauderdale, Dave Hyde noted Florida Int'l Univ. banned Miami Herald reporter David Neal from its games, and the Herald "understandably withdrew all its reporters from FIU games in response." FIU AD Pete Garcia banned Neal "and won't say why" (SUN-SENTINEL.com, 8/29).
SIMMS CITY: On Long Island, Neil Best notes Chris Simms in his first season as an NFL booth analyst is "scheduled to analyze three relatively low-profile games for CBS," beginning with Titans-Bengals in Week 3. Simms "figures to move up in the TV world if he chooses to follow" the "post-playing path" of his father, Phil Simms. His "primary job now is as head NFL analyst for Bleacher Report." He "worked some college games for Fox last season, but moving to the NFL should be seamless, since it is his job at Bleacher Report to know what is going on around the league" (NEWSDAY, 9/2).
