Each broadcast TV NFL partner carried a game telecast in Week 3 of the preseason this past weekend. NBC led the way last night with a 5.0 overnight rating for Cardinals-Raiders, up 4% from the comparable Bengals-Cardinals game last year (4.8). The game led NBC to a win among all nets in primetime. Meanwhile, Fox drew a 4.1 for yesterday afternoon's Texans-Saints game. CBS also drew a 4.1 for Texans-Saints on Friday night. Figures for CBS' Seahawks-Chargers on Saturday were not available at deadline. Ratings for all Saturday and Sunday matchups do not include the Seattle-Tacoma and Memphis markets due to inclement weather (Austin Karp, Assistant Managing Editor). In Nashville, Mike Organ noted Friday's Titans-Chiefs "did not earn high local television ratings," with a 12.1 rating on WKRN-ABC (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 8/30).
HOUSE RAVENCLAW: In Baltimore, Childs Walker notes Ravens coach John Harbaugh during Saturday's loss to the Redskins "got annoyed" when CSN Mid-Atlantic's Brent Harris during a halftime interview "asked about an apparent shouting match with Redskins coach Jay Gruden." Harbaugh then "gave a curt response to a question about his team’s futility in two-minute situations and concluded 'give me a good question and I’ll be glad to answer it.'" Walker writes Harris' questions "were the questions many viewers would have posed." Harbaugh "was petty with Harris." Walker: "My guess is he recognized this if he watched the replay" (Baltimore SUN, 8/31). Also in Baltimore, David Zurawik wrote it was "unpleasant to watch such a crude display of ego and power," but Harbaugh "has long been this way, and local sports broadcasters have long let him get away with it." However, Zurawik wrote, "Don't take a job in which you wear a Ravens shirt or hold out a microphone emblazoned with a Ravens logo to the coach and expect to be treated like a journalist. ... In holding that branded microphone you show your acceptance of your subservient role as publicist to the coach and the team that has right of approval over your employment of the telecast" (BALTIMORESUN.com, 8/30).
COMPANY MEN: In N.Y., Bob Raissman wrote with the NFL "being populated by wife beating, drug abusing, gun toting, miscreant thugs, the subject of 'NFL culture' often becomes a topic on pregame shows and even game telecasts." Yet instead of "providing any insight into what is really going on, as [Cris] Carter did, albeit while not speaking into an ESPN microphone, former players pay lip service to these issues without revealing their own experiences, or that of their former teammates, or current situations they know about." The voices "don’t want to take viewers behind the NFL curtain." They have "no desire to 'educate'" viewers, nor are they "encouraged by their bosses who fear any embarrassing revelations will affect the network’s relation$hip with the NFL" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 8/30).
BROTHERLY LOVE: In Philadelphia, Rob Tornoe reported former NFLer Brian Westbrook will re-join ESPN Radio 97.5 Philadelphia and "pair up with Anthony Gargano every Monday morning" from 9:00-10:00 ET following Eagles games (PHILLY.com, 8/28).
