NBC NFL Rock Stars Glass Wall Overlooking Midtown

NBC NFL rock stars2.JPG
Originally uploaded by swingsha.

If you've ever wondered where that NBC glass wall that features the "Rock Stars" after each NFL Sunday Night Football telecast was located, here it is. It's right at the top of 30 Rock itself in New York City's Midtown Manhattan, and hence the term "Rock Stars."

NY Giants Give A Great Example Of A 4-3 Overset Front

IMG_7447
Originally uploaded by jacorbett70.

This defensive front was first used by the Pittsburgh Steelers and is now popularized by the Tampa Bay Bucs and Indy Colts, both coached by Tony Dungy. The idea of the front -- where the weakside defensive tackle is at an angle on the center and the strongside tackle playing between center and guard in what's called a "Three Technique" -- is to make the offensive line constrict, closing off running lanes and makikng an more effective pass rush.

Arizona Cardinals Matt Leinart Parties With Britney Spears At Jackrabbit Lounge In Scottsdale, Az

Well, at least it's not the Pussycat Lounge, another hot spot. This comes from Perez Hilton.com. This happened before the New Year, so it's old news but still interesting given Matt's track record. Still does make you wonder about that newborn he's got. I'll also bet Paris Hilton had something to do with this hook up because she was partying with Matt last year.

Britney Spears has been noticeably missing in action the past week.

Now, PerezHilton.com has all the details on where she's been and what star she was seen getting her groove on with at a club on Friday night.

This is good!!!

Sources reveal exclusively to PerezHilton.com that Britney has been spending some time in Scottsdale, Arizona, a town known for its many spas and retreats.

Spears has frequented Scottsdale in the past, most recently escaping there in 2005 with FedEx during her first pregnancy.

Britney has been unwinding with her family and on Friday night she really let loose!

The newly single pop star was spotted at Scottsdale hotspot Jackrabbit Lounge.

The awful hair extensions were gone and the chic blonde bob was back!

Plus....Spears was totally macking it with none other than Matt Leinart!



Britney came sans large entourage. Just two girlfriends and a big burly bodyguard.

However, her attention was focused on Matt all night long!

The quarterback, previously linked with Paris Hilton, plays for the Arizona Cardinals.

And Friday night he was playing Britney Spears!

Sources tell us that the pair were flirting hardcore on the patio area all night long, bumping and grinding and whispering in each others' ears.

Could a love match be in the air???

Possibly!

But before Britney gets too comfortable in Scottsdale, she is heading to Las Vegas, where Spears will ring in the new year at Pure in Caesar's Palace.

New year, new man? Big comeback?

We hope so!

Oakland Raiders Offensive Line Blocking Problems

49ers - Raiders, originally uploaded by JRR.

The Oakland Raiders offensive line was terrible. But as I've stated before, it wasn't because they're bad players, it was the way they were asked to block.

This photo -- of the Raiders in white against the SF 49ers -- is a textbook example of the problem. Here, all of the linemen are retreating, and thus giving space for the Niners pass-rushers to force themselves and manuever. This is a pass pocket that will fold quickly.

What they should do is almost run block and fire out early. This way shown is too old.

Arizona Cardinals Matt Leinart At The CES Show In Las Vegas

Matt Leinart, originally uploaded by Domain Barnyard.

What's Arizona Cardinals QB Matt Leinart doing now during the team's offseason? He's signing autographs at the Poloroid booth at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Domain Barnyard -- not the person's real name -- snapped this photo.

Donald Driver and Vernand Morency Thanking Brett Favre

Donald Driver and Vernand Morency 12.31.06 thanking Brett Favre, originally uploaded by planetexpress.

Regardless of what he does, it's clear that the Green Bay Packers enjoy Quarterback Brett Farve. I think he's going to come back for one more year. I have no inside information on that, just plain gut feeling. Remember, he's still got the gas in the tank, and the problems were not really his in the making.

Terrell Owens Fires Kim Etheredge; Harsh Words

The report reads...

Terrell Owens fired his publicist, Kim Etheredge, last week. The two had some harsh words over the last few weeks.

Etheredge didn't want Owens to do a ESPN interview with Michael Irvin, but he did it anyway. She also didn't want a NFL Network interview with T.O. following the Atlanta game, but he did it.

Owens had tuned Etheredge out over the last few months and it all came to a head last week.

Etheredge accepted the firing with dignity but wouldn't talk about it Sunday. T.O. said it was a business decision and nothing personal.

Etheredge is hopeful to get other clients. She is good friends with Cowboys linebacker Kevin Burnett (she even baby sat his kids), and she's cool with Akin Ayodele.

But what it doesn't say is how she came to Owens rescue last year when he took more than the required does of either pills or some combination of meds that had him so dizzy some believed he was trying to take his own life. For a reminder, let's turn to Wikipedia:

A police report filed on the night of September 26[7] seemed to confirm the attempt, saying that Owens' publicist, Kim Etheridge, found him unresponsive with an empty bottle of pain killers, pried two pills from his mouth, and called 9-1-1, after which an ambulance transported him four blocks from his Deep Ellum condo to the hospital.

According to the police report, Owens and Etheridge both said he was depressed, and Owens answered "yes" when asked whether he had intended to harm himself. Owens' publicist, however, refuted the report, stating that Owens had suffered an allergic reaction to the medication combined with a dietary supplement. ESPN reported that about half the police report was blacked out, including the phrases "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication" and "a drug overdose."

Owens left the hospital later on September 27. At a news conference after his release, Owens denied having made a suicide attempt, stating that he expected to join the team for practice the next morning. He stated that he was "not depressed" and was "very happy to be here," and denied that doctors had pumped his stomach, calling speculation to that effect "definitely untrue."[9] The press conference took place after Owens had run routes and caught passes with the Cowboys' at the team's practice facility in Valley Ranch.

Owens' publicist lashed out at the police and said they took advantage of him. Notably, Owens himself made no such statements, and at his press conference praised both the police and medical personnel who treated him.

I would think that's worth something, but it seems that it is not. I don't know what really went down between him so I'm not going to come to a snap judgment. But as I think about it, Terrell now has a chance to get a real good PR person, the only question is, wiill he listen to that person.

NFL 2006 TV RECAP - MORE THAN 220 MILLION AMERICANS WATCHED NFL GAMES

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
280 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017
(212) 450-2000 * FAX (212) 681-7573
WWW.NFLMedia.com
Joe Browne, Executive Vice President-Communications
Greg Aiello, Vice President-Public Relations
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NFL 1/9/07
NFL 2006 TV RECAP
VIEWERSHIP INCREASES FOR ALL TV PARTNERS

MORE THAN 220 MILLION AMERICANS WATCHED NFL GAMES

NFL RATES RECORD 66 PERCENT HIGHER THAN OTHER PRIMETIME PROGRAMMING

NFL GAMES ARE 3 OF TOP 7 NETWORK PROGRAMS;
TOP 5 AMONG MEN 18-49; TOP 16 CABLECASTS

Football fans across America continued to tune their televisions to NFL games in large and growing
numbers in 2006. According to Nielsen Media Research, 222 million Americans (up from 195.8
million in 2005) – or approximately three-quarters of the U.S. population – watched NFL games in
2006; and all NFL TV partners experienced increases in viewership for their NFL games.
In 2006 – the first year of new television contracts featuring “flexible scheduling” and earlier start
times for primetime games – viewership increased on all NFL TV partners for the first time since
2002.

INCREASED VIEWERSHIP ON ALL NFL TELEVISION PARTNERS
Network Average Viewers Increase From 2005
CBS 15.2 million +1%
FOX 16.6 million +5%
NBC 17.5 million +7%*
ESPN 12.3 million +41%**
NFL Network 4.1 million --
Source: NFL, Nielsen Media Research
*compared to ABC MNF in 2005
**compared to ESPN SNF in 2005

In addition, NFL viewership on broadcast television finished ahead of network primetime viewership
by its widest margin ever. NFL games on CBS, FOX and NBC averaged 16.3 million viewers – 66
percent higher than the average primetime viewership among the four major over-the-air
networks (9.8 million average on ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC).
NFL VS. PRIMETIME VIEWERSHIP ON BROADCAST TV

NFL on Broadcast NFL
Broadcast Primetime % Advantage
2002 Avg. Viewers 15.8 million 10.3 million 52%
2003 Avg. Viewers 15.5 million 9.9 million 56%
2004 Avg. Viewers 15.4 million 9.8 million 57%
2005 Avg. Viewers 15.6 million 9.7 million 61%
2006 Avg. Viewers 16.3 million 9.8 million 66%

Source: NFL & Nielsen Media Research. NFL regular season on Broadcast television
(CBS, FOX & NBC…ABC prior to 2006). Broadcast primetime on BIG 4 networks (ABC, CBS,
NBC & FOX) all programs, NFL regular season dates used.

Consider these additional end-of-season facts:

• 2006 NFL national games on NBC, CBS (Sunday national & Thanksgiving) and FOX (Sunday
national & Thanksgiving) averaged a 12.1 rating which exceeds playoff broadcast averages for
other sports: 2006 NBA Playoffs (3.8 rating) & NBA Finals (8.5 rating) on ABC; 2006 MLB
Playoffs (6.0 rating) & 2006 World Series (10.1 rating) on FOX.

• NFL games account for 3 of the top 7 programs on network television this season (chart
below). In addition, NFL games account for the top seven (and 9 of the top 10) programs
among men 18-49 (chart below).

• ESPN NFL games accounted for the 16 most-watched basic cable programs in 2006 (chart
below).
• NFL Network concluded its inaugural Thursday and Saturday Night Football package with
each of its eight games ranking as the top-rated show of the day among all programs on cable
networks. The games averaged a 5.4 cable rating and (including fans who watched locally
over the air) 4.1 million viewers.

• NFL games were the top-ranked program locally a record 80 percent of the time – up from
69.3 percent in 2005 and surpassing the previous record of 73 percent set in 2003. That
means that eight of 10 times the NFL game drew higher local ratings than Dancing with the
Stars, CSI or any other popular TV show.

Following are the top network television programs nationally in average total viewers each week:
Network Program Viewers

1. FOX Sunday National Game 21.8 million
2. Desperate Housewives 20.7 million
3. Dancing With The Stars 20.5 million
4. CBS Sunday National Game 19.5 million
5. Dancing With The Stars Results 19.0 million
6. CSI 18.8 million
7. NBC Sunday Night Football 17.0 million*
8. Grey’s Anatomy 16.9 million
9. CSI: Miami 16.1 million
10. Deal Or No Deal 16.0 million
*does not include Kickoff or Christmas games

Following are this season’s top 10 programs on network television in a key demographic (avg. rating):
Men 18-49

Program Rating

1. FOX Sunday National Game 11.3
2. CBS Sunday National Game 9.7
3. NBC Sunday Night Football 9.1
4. FOX Sunday Single Game 7.9
5. CBS Sunday Single Game 7.2
6. The OT (FOX NFL Postgame) 6.8
7. FOX Sunday Regional Game 6.4
8. Heroes 6.1
9. NBC Sunday Night Pre-Kick 5.9
10. CBS Sunday Regional Game 5.8

Broadcast Notes:

Regional -- First window of a doubleheader

National -- Second window of a doubleheader

Single -- Only window on network not airing doubleheader that week.

Source: NFL, Nielsen Media Research, 9/7/06-12/31/06

Following are the 10 most-watched regular-season games in 2006:
Date Program (Game) Viewers

Dec. 3 FOX Sunday National (mostly Cowboys-Giants) 27.6 million
Nov. 26 FOX Sunday National (mostly Bears-Patriots) 24.2 million
Nov. 23 FOX Thanksgiving Day (Bucs-Cowboys) 23.8 million
Nov. 19 CBS Sunday National (mostly Colts-Cowboys) 23.4 million
Dec. 25 NBC Christmas Day (Eagles-Cowboys) 23.2 million
Sept. 10 FOX Sunday National (mostly Cowboys-Jaguars) 22.7 million
Sept. 10 NBC Sunday Night (Colts-Giants) 22.6 million
Oct. 8 FOX Sunday National (Cowboys-Eagles) 22.1 million
Oct. 29 CBS Sunday National (mostly Colts-Broncos) 21.97 million
Nov. 5 NBC Sunday Night (Colts-Patriots) 21.95 million
Source: NFL, Nielsen Media Research, 9/7/06-12/31/06

Following are the 10 most watched programs on basic cable in 2006:
Program, Date Viewers

1. ESPN Monday Night Football (Giants-Cowboys), 10/23 16.0 million
2. ESPN Monday Night Football (Falcons-Saints), 9/25 15.0 million
3. ESPN Monday Night Football (Bears-Cardinals), 10/16 14.23 million
4. ESPN Monday Night Football (Bengals-Colts), 12/18 14.22 million
5. ESPN Monday Night Football (Steelers-Jaguars), 9/18 13.3 million
6. ESPN Monday Night Football (Packers-Eagles), 10/2 12.9 million
7. ESPN Monday Night Football (Packers-Seahawks), 11/27 12.7 million
8. ESPN Monday Night Football (Vikings-Redskins), 9/11 12.6 million
9. ESPN Monday Night Football (Ravens-Broncos), 10/9 12.5 million
10. ESPN Monday Night Football (Patriots-Vikings), 10/30 11.9 million
Source: NFL, Nielsen Media Research, 9/7/06-12/31/06

AFC and NFC Conference Playoffs

From NFLmedia.com

Four games played by the top eight.
That is the quick rundown as the NFL takes the next step towards Super Bowl XLI with its Divisional Playoffs this
weekend that feature the top four seeds in the AFC and NFC conferences.
“The intensity rises,” says Baltimore Ravens quarterback STEVE MC NAIR, who has traveled this route before on the
way to a Super Bowl. “In the regular season, you can make up games. In the playoffs, you lose and you go home.”

In addition to the drama of the weekend due to its sudden-elimination import, there are numerous additional storylines:
• Three games are between teams now either tied in wins (Indianapolis-Baltimore) or separated by only one win
(Philadelphia-New Orleans and New England-San Diego).
• There are two 2006 regular-season rematches (Philadelphia-New Orleans and Seattle-Chicago).
• One game features the NFC’s top seeds of the past two seasons (Seattle, 2005; Chicago, 2006).
• Another game – New England-San Diego – pits a three-time Super-Bowl-winning quarterback – TOM BRADY –
against a QB making his first postseason start – PHILIP RIVERS.

The lineup for all this excitement:

NFL DIVISIONAL PL AYOFF WEEKEND

Saturday, January 13
AFC: 4:30 PM ET
Indianapolis (13-4) at Baltimore (13-3) (CBS-TV)

NFC: 8:00 PM ET
Philadelphia (11-6) at New Orleans (10-6) (FOX TV)

Sunday, January 14
NFC: 1:00 PM ET Seattle (10-7) at Chicago (13-3) (FOX-TV)

AFC: 4:30 PM ET New England (13-4) at San Diego (14-2) (CBS-TV)

NFL Superad - Vote At http://www.nfl.com/superad/vote

Today's the day -- and the last day -- to vote for your favorite Super Bowl ad. The winner gets a trip to Super Bowl XLI in Miami. You can see all of them at Super Bowl Ad

Atlanta Falcons Owner Arthur Blank's Firing Of Jim Mora, Jr. Not A Good Business Move

Atlanta Falcons Owner Arthur Blank's New Year's Day firing of Head Coach Jim Mora, Jr. was not a good business decision. The simple reason is that his record not just of 26-22 will be hard to top but his record of winning the NFC South division and his development of Quarterback Michael Vick as well.

The problems the junior Mora had were very fixable. The real focus should be on the defense, but the media's fixation with Vick seems to have infected the Falcons ability to adress this area. The counter to this is that they did make trades to improve the defense, but more change is needed in the area of scheme. Their defense is far too predictable. Perhaps making a change in defensive coordinator would have helped. Indeed, certainly it would. But Blank has thrown out the baby with the bathwater.

I think what did in Mora Jr. was his comment that he would want to coach at Washington. I understood what he meant, but it was taken far out of context. It was the focus of too much anger and in some cases way over the top. But what's done is done. It should not have cost him his job.

Arthur Blank will be hard-pressed to find a coach that will be as successful as Mora has been. I know that watching his team lose game after game this year was hard. But he needs to take a long terms view of the firm under Mora Jr. and take a few steps back. His decision seems based more on emotion than on cold hard analysis. For example, after three years of development of Vick into a passer, the Falcons now leave themselves without a guarantee of continuity in his training. This is a bad situation. What's the plan? I'll bet there's not a business plan in Blanks's office that answers this question. There should be one.

The weeks ahead will show what kind of owner Blank is. Does he have a good plan? Can he make a coaching choice that will cement the progress of Vick as a passer? We shall see.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Just a very Happy New Year wish to everyone who reads our blog. 2007 will be an exciting time for us!