Baltimore rates high -- even without Ravens game
Baltimore had the No. 4 audience for both NFL playoff games Saturday, NBC reports, with a 20.2 rating for the Falcons-Cardinals and a 25.1 for the Colts-Chargers. The average for the two games, nearly 23, was the highest for any market that didn't have a team playing in either game. Finishing behind Baltimore for each game was a city without an NFL team, Portland, Ore.
Oh, and Pittsburgh? Hah! Nowhere to be seen in either top 10.
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A couple of highlights from the CBS' NFL Today Sunday (as culled from the network release):
Bill Cowher: "It’s a privilege and an honor to be a head coach in the National Football League. And I have been flattered about the attention, but the timing right now is not right. I don’t plan on coaching next year. ... Let me say this: Why would I leave a team that I know is going to a Super Bowl next year? Here’s my team right here." (CBS is carrying the Super Bowl in 2010.)
Boomer Esiason on whether the NFL overtime setup is fair to the team that loses the coin flip: "Dwight Freeney is making $72 million, Bob Sanders is making $37.5 million and Robert Mathis is making $30 million, and they have a job, too. Their job is to stop the opposing team’s offense. Since 1974, about 30 percent of the time, the team that has won the coin toss has actually scored on their first series, meaning that about 70 percent of the time it goes the other way. The defensive players, the special teams players, all get paid. The Colts did not live up to their paychecks."
Comments
Boomer Esiason hit it right on the head. The Chargers had a great drive (with a little help from the Dolts D getting caught for 3 penalties). Too bad pretty boy Peyton didn't get his hands on the ball, but that's the way it goes. All the Dolts can go see their chaplains and get their TS cards punched!
Posted by: dave taylor | January 5, 2009 2:59 PM
Hey Ray,
How about shining some light on how bad of a job Fox does with college football?
We get to the biggest games of the year and instead of Fowler, Herbstreit and Corso, we get Rose, Johnson, Switzer and George.
The actual play-by-play teams are worse. Some of these guys & gals I've never heard of and their lack of enthusiasm is draining. I've heard more rah-rah watching a midweek MAC game on ESPN. These crews would be relegated to the 14th-16th games if they worked NFL games.
When does ESPN take over the BCS coverage?
Charles B - SP
Posted by: Charles B | January 5, 2009 10:35 PM
Charles B- You are right on ball with this one.
Fox college broadcasts are horrible. They do more crowd shots than football. They set no atmosphere and have the worst analysts/announcers.
How they can do no college football all year (regional Fox channels don't count) and them be the face of the BCS is a joke.
Posted by: EC | January 7, 2009 6:42 PM