NFL Network's highs and lowsCourtesy
Miami Herald
(November 20, 2009) The Dolphins made their first appearance on NFL Network's Thursday night package, and fortunately the channel has improved its game presentation since initially miscasting Bryant Gumbel as a play-by-play announcer. Still, there is room for improvement.
Some TV observations from Dolphins-Panthers: • Bob Papa, in his second year as Gumbel's replacement, quickly served up pertinent information after plays, including who made the tackle. In other words, he is the anti-Gumbel. • The network made considerable and timely use of replays to show big plays and also to demonstrate how plays developed at the line or in the secondary. On a Chad Henne incompletion, one telling replay showed Dolphins receivers unable to get open. But why must all replays be preceded by fireworks and ``Thursday Night Football'' flashing across the screen? Irritating. • Matt Millen, a failure as an NFL general manager but highly capable as a TV analyst, spotted interesting nuances, such as how Dolphins linebacker Akin Ayodele did not react quickly enough to take advantage of the attention commanded by teammate Jason Ferguson. • Not a fan of NFL Network's obtrusive placement of its score/time graphic (dropping down in the upper middle of the screen). The graphic would be better as a thin, straight line across the top or bottom. And NFL Network doesn't update in-game stats often enough. • Wisecracking Deion Sanders kept the pregame show moderately entertaining: ``We tell people he has a Lisfranc injury. They don't know who Lis Franc is!'' Sanders said of Ronnie Brown's foot ailment. And of Monday's dreadful Browns-Ravens game, Sanders cracked that it ``was so bad that I took the batteries out of the remote to make sure I didn't turn back.'' Sanders also revealed that Ted Ginn Jr. ``sought me out'' and ``wanted to work'' this past offseason, but, inexplicably, he offered no details. Sanders said, ``There's no way a 4.3 guy should be averaging 11 yards a catch.'' • One pregame highlight showed coach Tony Sparano wearing a microphone during practice. ``Buckle those chin straps, prima donnas!'' he yelled at players who weren't visible. _______________________
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