I'm pleased that the NFL is pleased. I would be more pleased, of course, if I actually got to see the games that the NFL Network broadcasts. Although I get the NFL Network, the games are blocked unless you live in one of the teams' local viewing areas. If the NFL ever actually upholds its end of the bargain for its antitrust exemption (by making the Sunday Ticket available through cable, and by making the NFL Network games available to all), I might actually be happy.

If you get the NFL network then you can see the games. I live in Columbia and I have seen every game so far on NFL network. Please try and get your facts straight before you post lies.

I love the NFL But, too much is too much on Thursdays NFL Network. Since I'm on cable, I dont get the overexposure on Thursdays, and I will not shift to satellite to watch NFL on Thursday NFL is for Sundays and Monday Night. End of story!!!

"vikesfan is wrong" needs to understand the frustration of many football fans throughout the US. Let's be honest, do you really think the largest percentage of the WP readers live in Columbia? I read the Post daily from here in Florida.

The NFL Network simply does not play in many areas of the country. I understand the desire of the NFL to make $$$ (although it is already the healthiest professional sports league in the world); however, it is a conflict between the cable providers and the league which should not affect the fans the way it does -- if they wish to remain America's #1 sport.

I see the network as a new rip off of consumers. Mom and Dad can no longer afford to buy tickets to see most pro sporting events any more. The players are way over paid and many act like fools in games. Let them have their fun. I see why some call it The National Felons League.

vikesfaniswrong is still correct. If you get the NFL Network, you can see the games. Although I live in the Post's region, I'm certain that Alexandria, Virginia isn't in the local viewing region of Kansas City or Oakland, yet I watched that game Saturday night.

Having the game only broadcast on the network regionally vs. not being able to get the network because of your cable provider (which is a legitimate issue for large parts of the country) are two seperate issues.

Outside of games, the NFL network was the most self absorbed, redundant, boring waist of channel space ever.

The NFL network is doing OK, but I think we should launch a grass roots campaign to get Riggo on there as a game analyst or studio analyst.

There's a demographic missing in the current NFL network broadcast team that Riggo is perfectly poised to satisfy. I'm talking about the large contingent of fun-loving, truck-driving, beer-drinking, and astute football fans across the nation that mostly do not have representation in the booth or in the studio.

Terry Bradshaw and John Madden could be seen as flirting with satisfying the group, but no one can address it as perfectly as John Riggins can.

Bradshaw lacks grey matter, and Madden is still great but he's getting old and he represents the more abstruse coaching perspective.

Get Riggins on there to go with the stellar Marshall Faulk, Deion Sanders (let's overlook his fleece-job on the Redskins as he is great on the network), and Coach Mooch.

Riggo for NFL Network!!

No, VikesFan is INDEED wrong. Your cable carrier can choose to carry the NFL Network and STILL black out the Thursday and Saturday night games. Comcast in the Maryland/DC/VA area seems to carry everything, but, for example, in Charleston, SC, a certain cable carrier there shows all of the NFL Network programming EXCEPT the primetime games.

The NFL Network is pretty good, given it it still in its infancy. However, we're being inundated with football nearly on every night of the week. Of course if one doesn't want to watch these games, one can change the channel - which I do. Thursday night NFL games sucks, but I understand why the network is doing it so it's not against CBS and Fox on Sundays. The aura of MNF is gone as it's nothing special anymore since there are games on at different times of the week. Until ratings suffer (which they won't) we may quite soon have the NFL on 4-5 days a week. The only thing I ask the NFLN is that they fire Gumble. He is absolutely terrible and when I listen to him I feel that his voice is better suited to covering womens' figure skaing.

I just want to see ONE game NFL game a week (PATS vs whoever), why can't the NFL set up a per game computer download - so I can watch my team - just like what MLB does.

"The only thing I ask the NFLN is that they fire Gumble. He is absolutely terrible and when I listen to him I feel that his voice is better suited to covering womens' figure skaing."

I agree. The first game of the season, he spent most of the first half saying "and they turn it over on downs" when the team was about to punt on 4th down. I think somebody clued him in on the term during the halftime break and he hasn't done it since.

Given football is such a demanding sport (on the player's body), I do NOT like have games other than on the weekend (and maybe Monday night).

Team A plays on Thursdayc December 7th. Team B plays on Monday, December 11th.
Team A plays Team B on Sunday December 17th. One team has 10 days to recooperate/prepare/etc while the other team only has 6 days. I think this gives an unfair advantage to Team A. And this is wrong.

The only drawback to the NFL network is how bad Bryant Gumbel has been as the lead broadcaster.

The initial commenter is correct. Many cable companies carry the NFL Network, but black out the actual NFL game broadcasts because the NFL Network charges more to include the games.

So the jerk who made the comment about getting your facts straight actually DOES NOT have his own facts straight.

A further clarification is necessary about whether the games are carried on the NFL Network. Here in South Dakota, we have had the NFL Network on cable for over a year. However, when it came time for the live games to be televised, we did not receive the first few, because the Network charges the cable providers more to carry the games. We had the pregame show, but then a different program ran during the game. Eventually, our cable company reached an agreement with the NFL Network (presumably involving more money) to carry the games. It is my understanding that this is the situation throughout the country.

Incidentally, a part of the dispute has been that the NFL Network wants the cable companies to carry the games on the basic tier of channels, which means that the company would have to absorb the additional cost, whereas the cable companies would prefer to carry it as a premium channel for which the subscriber would pay more money.

Non compelling games + a crappy announce team + crappy production values = who cares...

The NFL Network has a LONG way to go before it is seen as a viable network. it might also help if they advertise a little more on the cable systems to show what channel they are on and when the game will be. They need to take the money and instead of lighting up their cigars with it, spend money on advertising and production.
And I will NO WAY pay extra to watch the games they offer.

And Kudo's to the cable companies that do not buckle to the pressure from the NFL to carry their games. The NFL seems to think that people will pay more to watch these games and are charging the Cable companies more to allow them to show the games. What this basically means is that they (The cable companies) are trying to do is keep your bill lower, and not to be forced by a network to pay higher prices.

Quite frankly, I love the game and been a solid supporter for over 30 years...even been to a Superbowl or two... but this will be my last "proactive" year as a fan. I will no longer plan to watch any games next year. Its simply getting too hard to watch & follow the teams with yet another channel to try and find and follow... with the NFL Network being the last straw. I can't pay more and don't have the time to try and figure out where all the games are. To top it off, I'm tired of the drugs, antics and patiotic BS and of course the ongoing-pukefest Chevy commercials with John Mellencamp. I've never done so much clicking away from games in my life! Yep... I'll be moving on. Somebody can have my seat...

The NFL through its Network is making access to their sport more inequitable for the average fan. Through satellite only packages and now this Network, why is the NFL taking a position that alienates their fans? Or worse uses them as leverage in negotiations with cable providers. I see the sport I love so much drifting further and further away.

What good is a television network that no one watches? How many cable systems actually subscribe to the NFL Network? What good is selling a mass product that very few have access to? These are the questions that NFL should be asking. The NFL Network is a bust because a small percentage of the country has access to it.

All you whiners: just get DirecTV and you'll get the games. Why deal with those idiotic cable systems? They all blow.

With that said, the games on the NFL Network this year have NOT been must-see tv. I can watch almost any NFL game but something about their productions turns me off.

the only problem with the NFL network is that everyone doesn't have it. their broadcasters are some of the best in the business. bryant gumbel is amazingly knowledgeable, as anyone who's seen his HBO show can tell you. cris collinsworth is the best color commentator on television, bar none.

as for the games, football fans love nothing more than to complain about late-season nationally-televised games that held promise in the preseason, but turned out to be nothing. there's only so much the networks can do about the performance of football teams.

and denverfan15 - the NFL network is not responsible for the content of chevrolet's advertising. they're just doing what every other network, including CBS, FOX, ESPN and NBC, has done: chasing the almighty dollar.

Oh Noes

Not the "heck of a job" Brownie curse. lol

Adephia cable in Sterling does not carry the NFL network. Can't say that I miss not being able watching the games they have provided.

The NFL Network has a long way to go, but shame on NBC for its horrible sound quality. Apparently an intentional decision to allow crowd noise to drown out broadcasters I actually want to hear.

saintsbaby -
I don't know what coverage you were watching, but Bryant Gumbel is probably one the the worst play-by-play guys I've heard in a long time. Yes - he may know the game, but he does not have the talent to be a broadcaster on a national NFL game. Collinsworth is a great color guy in the booth, but just sounds horrid next to Gumbel. Combine that with the production nightmares they have been having during the games, and I honestly can't watch the games on TV (I'll listen to the radio broadcast and pray Harry Kalas is doing play-by-play.)

So far I've really been dissapointed with the NFL network. I'm really thinking about dropping the digital-tier on my cable because the network simply isn't worth it.

Does anyone expect Pat Bowlen to say anything negative about NFL Network? The owners dreams are coming true as their monopoly power grows.

How soon before flexible scheduling applies to NFL Network games? As a Browns fan I have been subjected to some horrific football but the match ups on NFL Network have been almost as bad.

Don't get me started on Gumbel. He is awful. They do have the right idea with a two-man announcing booth and limited non-game activities (no in game interviews, sideline reporters, etc) though.

I couldn't agree more with Gumblesucks and Marylander. Gumbel is simply horrific. Listening to him broadcast these games reminds me of Jerry Glanville back in the day. Only Glanville did a better job. And I've got news for Riggo Booster. Riggins will never get a National broadcasting gig. Listen to his radio show and count the number of times he says "Um" and "Uhh". Not to mention his misuse of verbs, adjectives, and nouns. Riggins needs to give it up. Sorry...

There are a lot of us who would LIKE to ditch cable, but can't because we a. live in apartments or rental units where dishes are not allowed or b. have houses where there isn't a clear sight line for a dish. And yet, our taxes (through stadium subsidies) pay for this network.

Black Out is a deceptive term to mean censorship to prevent viewers who pay for the channel to watch the games.

Ok back to defend myself. If your super lame cable company blackouts the games themselves that isn't the NFL networks fault. Its not a god given right to watch a NFL game anyways. The NFL is a product either buy it or don't.

It's not the NFLN's fault??
You mean holding NFL games hostage to get ransom from the cable companies is not their faut.
NFLN is using the same business plan as ESPNU.
What, do all you dish guys have dial-up?

I subscribe to RCN (formerly StarPower) in the District, which carries NFLN, but not the games. I imagine that bigger providers with money to burn, like Cox and Comcast, can ante up the $$$ for these "special" games without breaking a sweat and their subscribers like VikeFanIsWrong, are none the wiser, but RCN is not the only fledgling provider to tell NFLN to go screw themselves - IM glad they are - I can do without eight games I wouldnt have seen in my market in the first place, and to hell with the dish too - I'll go to a bar. NFL Network sucks.

The greed, the greed, the greed! The NFL Network would love nothing more than to put all of the games exclusively on their network alone, if only the ratings were good, which they weren't this year! In the future , they will put more and more games on exclusively to lure us to pay more; check out this article in the WSJ (free) for the NFLN's pitiful record this year; if only the fans could have a say in this; maybe the ratings will do it in.

http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB116726966688961161-ZRzidJI3PVFzkiGQSMeL_00_wYQ_20071227.html?mod=tff_main_tff_top

Screw the nfl.
Now that they have all the new stadiums built from tax dollars I can't watch them?
I have watched my last nfl anything.Good riddance.

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