You think ESPN sucks? Well, NFL Network is Worse?

[JimmyHendricks 0]

Sorry, it has to be said:

 

When I heard about an official NFL Network, I was psyched. 24 hours of nothing but football? Great! I hated having to pick and choose on the ESPN's, so I figured there would be non stop NFL Films crap 24/7. I wanted to get sick of Steve Sabol....well, I already was, but I wanted to hate him MORE!

 

Well, I got the network last year, and well, it was OK. They have "NFL Total Access", which is their answer to Sportscenter. It's an alright show, and Rich Eisen is very Chris Berman-like, but during the offseason it's HORRID. It's always an hour long, but really should be 30 minutes when there is no football being played, save for the Draft. During the season, they recap all of the games, injuries, etc. and it's an action packed hour. In the offseason they spend all of their time asking Drew Brees on Chargers cam what that thing on his face is. Well, not really, but there isn't anything meaningful.

 

And then there's the rest of the programming. There's NFL Films Presents, but not enough of it. We get "In Their Own Words: Someone", and an NFL Films well, filmed "Greatest Game". Why can't they show the original network telecast of these games?

 

Worst of all, two things: They only show about 4 programs a day, on a loop, every 4 hours. For instance, "In Their Own Words: John Randle" is on FOUR times during this afternoon. So are 3 other shows. This evening, they'll do the same thing. Then overnight, they show NFL Total Access back to back for 8 hours. I guess they are trying to be like Sportscenter, except that Sportscenter updates itself throughout the day. Total Access does not.

 

Recently, they've had stupid, no nonsense programming. They have shown hour long weekly (sometimes daily, sometimes ALL day) features on the Dolphins, Buccaneers, and now Chargers cheerleaders. Nothing is more exciting than seeing some angry bitch yelling at a 20 year old because she was slightly out of step, then seeing said 20 year old calling her boyfriend crying about how she doesn't want to be a cheerleader anymore. Ugh.

 

There only seems to be about 3 commercials that they can run. I swear, I've seen that stupid NFL Shop commercial where the fake Eagles Mascot Kangaroo runs in and starts stealing jerseys about 500 times now. It's on EVERY commercial break. And, they always show a "Best of 2005" clip during each commercial break. Too bad they only seem to have about 5 of those as well. I've seen Larry Johnson's winning TD against the Raiders and Shawn Alexander breaking the TD record over and over and over.

 

It has the potential to be something terrific, but they keep showing the same crap over, and over, and over, and over......and over.

 

So, a boring recap show, repetitive programming, and horrible "original" shows= NFL Network is teh SUCK!!!11!!

 

Anyone else who has this channel agree?

[Special K 0]

Well, I don't get the network.

 

However, I follow the NFL fanatically and there's really only so much news/analysis you can do in the offseason, after the draft.

[sfaJack 0]

I don't get NFL Network either, but what are they supposed to do? Read the daily transaction wire from each team or give updates on how much weight an offensive lineman is working out with on a given day?

 

I guess you could make the argument that they should show more old/classic games, but with the ridiculous amount of airtime they have to fill during the offseason even that would get old because there are only so many "classic" games out there to show. Who would want to watch a random Vikings/Lions game from week 3 of the 1982 season?

[JimmyHendricks 0]

Well, how many programs has NFL Films done in it's history? THOUSANDS. Yet, they only show 4 programs on a loop, all day. With the treasure trove of footage that they have, there is no reason for anything to be repeated in the same WEEK, yet along several times each day. I agree that there isn't much you can talk about during the offseason, which is why NFL Total Access should only be 30 minutes instead of an hour.

 

They act like they don't have enough programming to fill 24 hours with, which is exactly the opposite.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

This Sunday is Ravens day on NFL network, which is awesome.

 

Plus come November, they'll have the thursday night game in HD none the less.

[Guest Princess Leena]

I agree. I'm also rather disappointed.

 

But, this is the norm in the 10000 channel days we have now. Many channels are a total ripoff. The Tennis Channel shows live tennis about 2 months out of the year, and complete SHIT outside of actual tennis for the rest... repeated a zillion times.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Yeah, I actually enjoy NFL Network during the season- they show the history and classic games of the matchups coming up that week and whatnot.

 

But it is pretty horrible in this downtime. Thing is, it's July- meaning it's training camp or about to be training camp time. They should start picking up on that soon, and during preseason, it'll get better. But from February until July, aside from April, it can be pretty abysmal.

 

By the way, right now they've got a program on the 85 Bears, then a debate on the league's top defenses on NFL Films Presents, then In their own words: John Randle (as you mentioned), then Seattle Seahawks segments on NFL Films Presents, then NFL Total Access, followed by Road to the Super Bowl (Seahawks), and Game of the Week (Carolina at Seattle- which really wasn't that great a game from what I remember). That's 6 programs on a loop! So, I think maybe I don't get it as bad because I watch from afternoon-evening... if you watch it in the A.M., it's usually on a loop repeating the previous day's P.M. showing.

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

But from February until July, aside from April, it can be pretty abysmal.

 

It is pretty good during the combine too. It is really after the draft until pre-season where very little of interest happens.

 

During the season the network is great, and their analysis is certainly much better than what you get from the ESPN guys.

[sfaJack 0]

their analysis is certainly much better than what you get from the ESPN guys.

You get better analysis than that here at TSM.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Ugh. Usually I could just ignore it, but they took the MSG network off my cable lineup for this.

[NoCalMike 0]

I wonder why they don't show some of the classic games and/or superbowls in their entirety. As a Redskins fan, I would love to see Superbowl XXII in it's original broadcast form, not just as one of the clipped shows they always have.

 

Before Dish Network got the NFL channel, everyone was talking it up like it was the best thing since sliced bread, but once I got it and watched it, I was more than dissapointed.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

I'm getting some Comcast bundle deal -- Internet/D. Cable/Phone. The only thing making me consider ordering one of those extra group of channels was the NFL Network. Glad I turned it down after reading this thread.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

I think it should be illegal to talk about the NFL until August, unless something actually, you know, happens.

 

I mean, do we really need ESPN already doing segments on who is going to win the Super Bowl, when the pre-season hasn't even started yet? Fuck football.

[Guest Felonies!]

I think it should be illegal to talk about the NFL until August, unless something actually, you know, happens.

Does this mean we'll have to arrest all the Packer fans in Wisconsin? I'm for this.

[Guest Princess Leena]

I wonder why they don't show some of the classic games and/or superbowls in their entirety. As a Redskins fan, I would love to see Superbowl XXII in it's original broadcast form, not just as one of the clipped shows they always have.

 

The NFL doesn't allow any previous games to be aired, anywhere. Except for preseason, where the network gets to replay EVERY game, which is very cool.

 

The reason for it? Nobody knows.

[Guest Vitamin X]

They're probably just paranoid of people recording the games for themselves at home.

[KingPK 0]

I seem to recall that they used to show full NFL games because I distinctly remember going to a friend's house for a fantasy draft in 2004 and watching a bit of a Patriots/Colts game from the 90s on NFL Network.

 

It seems like they're really going to ramp up the content this season with the prime-time late season games and airing 2-hour versions of the top 4 games of the week.

 

As for the Super Bowls, maybe the networks are asking for too much to give them the rights to air them (I'm not sure how that all works).

[Guest Princess Leena]

But, the networks are getting nothing since there are no replays.

 

I assume it has to be all because of stupid NFL rules.

 

There's at least the Sunday Ticket thing as a reason not to show replays of regualr season games... but for playoffs and after, I don't get it.

[Hawk 34 0]

At least get movie rights to stuff like

 

Heaven Can Wait

Paper Lion

Rudy

Varsity Blues

Knute Rockne All American

Remember the Titans

Brian's Song

Father was a Fullback

Jim Thorpe-All American

All the Right Moves

The Longest Yard (Original)

Go Tigers

 

Some of these aren't about pro football but they are classic or well liked movies surrounding football

 

Obviously, they wouldn't air stuff like Any Given Sunday, North Dallas Forty, The Program because they don't like a negative look at football.

[JimmyHendricks 0]

I seem to recall that they used to show full NFL games because I distinctly remember going to a friend's house for a fantasy draft in 2004 and watching a bit of a Patriots/Colts game from the 90s on NFL Network.

 

You are exactly right. They did that for a while about 2 years ago. I remember seeing a Cowboys/Redskins game from around 1997 or so from FOX. I can remember because of the old school FOX clock/score in the upper left of the screen. What they would do is only show the plays, and in between (huddles, timeouts and such) would be edited out. They would only show after a play if it was something big, like a TD or a major injury or penalty. It was a little annoying and choppy, but they could air an entire game in 90 minutes that way. However, that stopped after a few months.

 

It has always bugged me that network replays of NFL games can't be aired, save for what I just mentioned. Instead, we get NFL Films versions, which aren't bad, but I'd like to enjoy the GAME, and not the NFL Films experience with Harry Kalas narrating and Sam Spence's music. It would be cool to hear what the TV announcers thought at the time. There's another thread here with YouTube links to stuff like that. It's awesome to hear John Madden in disbelief at Barry Switzer going for it on 4th and 1 TWICE against the Eagles. You don't get that with NFL Films stuff.

 

I would think that on their own network that the NFL would air stuff like that. I mean, they don't have to ask permission to air their own games, do they? But alas, we don't get that. We get "Making the Squad: Chargers Cheerleaders" instead. Ugh.

 

You'd think that the NFL would understand that if someone is going to pony up the money to get a NFL Network, that they would be a pretty devoted fan. Yet they act like no one watches the network for more than a hour or so a day, because they repeat everything over and over and over--including commericals. And it's that way during the season as well. They'll show the "Game of the Week" each week, about 3 times a day. It makes no sense.

[JimmyHendricks 0]

Also, they are really, really pushing and advertising the fact that LIVE NFL GAMES!!!!11!! will be airing this upcoming season. I think they believe that people will order the network on that basis alone, and then fill the schedule with repeated fluff.

 

Like Leena said, they also will show all the preseason games, which is kind of neat, but it's the preseason, and it gets boring quick when you have the 6th string QB in there. What they do is what Sirius satellite radio does and show the first half with one team's announce team, then the second half with the other's. It's kind of cool, and balanced. If only they would do that with the regular season.

 

Speaking of that, they really seem to touch on recent stuff. I mean, almost all of the programming (save for a vintage NFL Films show here and there) focuses on something that happened in the last 3 years or so--most of it the 2005 season. I'm a huge nostalgia fan, and love the old 60's John Facenda narrated stuff. Yet they don't show much of that. I sure hope they realize that people care about that stuff.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

I honestly think the reason for not showing full NFL games and instead showing the NFL Films versions is that it's much easier that way to make the games seem a lot better than they actually were.

 

EDIT: Understand I'm not saying football sucks. Rather, in many sports the past is glorified because all we remember are the highlights. I hear writers all the time talk about how today's players lack fundamentals. I guess all those blooper tapes that were popular 15-20 years ago never existed.

[Black Lushus 0]

honestly, I've never had the desire to go back and watch an old game...of any sport really. Highlights are just fine by me.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

I think it should be illegal to talk about the NFL until August, unless something actually, you know, happens.

Does this mean we'll have to arrest all the Packer fans in Wisconsin? I'm for this.

 

As a Wisconsinite, I would be for it. I mean, I like the Packers and all, but when it's the middle of summer and you have teams like the Brewers actually, you know, PLAYING...then the radio stations shouldn't all be talking about Packers training camp constantly, what Brett Favre had for lunch, and other meaningless crap like that.

[Guest Felonies!]

Yeah, the Wisconsin Sports Depth Chart is like

 

Packers

Badgers

Packers

Brewers

Packers Training Camp

Bucks

Packers

Marquette

Packers

 

It wouldn't bother me quite as much if the yokels didn't pronounce "Packers" to rhyme with "Bakers"

[Guest Vitamin X]

The Green Bay Payckers?

 

honestly, I've never had the desire to go back and watch an old game...of any sport really. Highlights are just fine by me.

I agree mostly with this, but I've seen NFL Films, and particularly ESPN Classic, show entire games in the fashion mentioned above (no in-between plays unless something major happens). That was actualyl how I got to see the infamous 1982 Chargers/Dolphins playoff game, which does deserve to be watched in its entirety because it's the longest game of all time. And a hell of a good one too, I don't think I've ever seen a game in pro football as good as that one.

[Guest Princess Leena]

Let's also include NBA TV on this. With their constant WNBA crap.

 

But, at least their "All-Star" game last night was hilarious with its awfulness.

[sfaJack 0]

I heard something about a "dunk contest" at the end of it last night that resulted in many "dunks" getting blocked by the bottom of the rim. Did that actually happen?

[Guest Felonies!]

The Green Bay Payckers?

Something like that. There's some weird vowel shift goin' on. Ask a Wisconsinite (at least one north of Kenosha) to say "put the milk and soda in a bag." It's like watching Fargo.

[Guest Princess Leena]

I heard something about a "dunk contest" at the end of it last night that resulted in many "dunks" getting blocked by the bottom of the rim. Did that actually happen?

 

Yep.

 

During the later minutes of the game, they decided to stop and have a "slam dunk" contest. Only one made it... and it was pathetic.

 

Why must David Stern keep this WNBA farce going on forever.