Monthly Archives: February 2013

No record for CBS, but Super Bowl rating hardly left in dark

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Get it? I made a pun out of the power outage. By the way, Craig Ferguson is taking full responsibility.

The game didn’t set a viewer record, as it did the previous two years. I’m sure that will spark stories of a drop in ratings and the beginning of football’s downward spiral.

Forget about it. The number still is staggering. And as usual, I’m left with my annual question: What were the other 31 percent of the country watching during the Super Bowl?

From CBS:

The CBS Television Network’s coverage of Super Bowl XLVII featuring the BALTIMORE RAVENS’ 34-31 win over the SAN FRANCISCO 49ers’ on Sunday, Feb 3 (6:32-8:41 and 9:11-10:47 PM, ET) was watched by a Nielsen estimated average of 108.41 million viewers, making it the third most-watched program in television history (Super Bowl XLVI – 111.3 million; Super Bowl XLV – 111.0 million).

CBS Sports’ coverage of Super Bowl XLVII earned an average fast national household rating/share of 46.3/69 (47.0/71; N.Y. Giants-New England; Super Bowl XLVI), making it the second highest-rated Super Bowl in 27 years (1/26/86; 48.3/70; Chicago-New England).

Last night’s Super Bowl HH rating/share peaked at a 50.7/73 with an average of 113.92 million viewers from 10:30-10:47 PM, ET. 

Posted in NFL

Don’t look, Phil Simms; Hard to recall network analyst who got creamed worse after Super Bowl

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Best advice to Phil Simms: Stay away from surfing the websites for a while. It’s not pretty.

I’ve been doing this longer than I care to admit, and I can’t remember a Super Bowl TV analyst getting obliterated worse than Simms did following his performance Sunday.

I’m not trying to pile on, but the volume and magnitude of the criticism is noteworthy if you follow this beat.

Richard Deitsch, SI.com:

The biggest problem on Sunday was Simms. He did not have a strong game, from his  inability to let plays breathe (tweeted media critic and NBA All-Star Kevin  Durant: “Feel like I’m playin madden, Phil Simms talkin to damn much.”) to too  often not providing clarity to the questions posed at him by Nantz.

More from Deitsch:

Minutes later, when Nantz asked him whether the Ravens should take a safety,  Simms said he would not punt the football. He followed that by saying Nantz  brought up a great point, followed by reaffirming his original position. (The  Ravens ended up taking the safety and them punting.) It’s simply hard to imagine  Cris Collinsworth or Mike Mayock being so hesitant on such a big stage.

Richard Sandomir, New York Times:

Once the game resumed, Simms did not seem to draw inspiration from Beyoncé or studying highlights in the dark. He offered a trite truism about the 49ers, who were trailing badly: “When you’re down, you have to make great catches.”      

Simms then added this tortured analysis: “One thing I’ve taken out of this game, and really all through the playoffs, is if you watch it, the number of big plays in the games are because the quarterbacks are throwing the football.” (Yes, yes!) Arm strength, he emphasized, is important.      

Then, after the 49ers had amassed 105 post-blackout yards and 14 points, to the Ravens’ 15 yards, Simms said that the power failure had not hurt the Ravens but that it had helped the 49ers. That just sounded wrong.

Dan Levy, Bleacher Report:

It’s amazing that Phil Simms is still, after all these years, the best option as a color analyst for CBS. Simms consistently failed to give viewers anything more than they could see with their own eyes, eschewing second-level analysis for straight narration on replays. 

Tom Hoffarth, Los Angeles Daily News:

After the power came back and CBS retained its audio in the third quarter, Nantz joked that it was Simms’ powering up his cellphone that caused all the problems.

“Yeah, I was doing some of my best work during that blackout,” Simms joked.

But not many were laughing.

Ken Fang, Fang’s Bites:

Phil Simms was missing and perhaps CBS needed to issue an Amber Alert for him as he did not have his best broadcast. Simms did not step up for a big game, a rarity for him. Normally in the upper echelon of NFL analysts, Simms had a pedestrian performance. Several times Nantz tried to set up him, but instead, we received silence from Simms. I’m not sure what was going on in the booth. 

Tom Jones, Tampa Bay Times:

It was a rough day for Simms. Too many times, play-by-play man Jim Nantz had to prod Simms for a comment. Nantz, who called a good and enthusiastic game, had to ask Simms to speak out on a brawl, as well as a fake field goal by the Ravens.

In both cases, Simms did little but relay what we already saw, failing to give the strong opinions that a good analyst should. Simms never said anything dumb, mostly because he hardly said anything at all.

Charlie McCollum, San Jose Mercury-News:

Simms was really the chief culprit, notably in the second half. He is the master of stating the obvious instead of providing any real insight, but on Sunday he just seemed a bit addled with things getting worse as the game went along.

Keith Thibault, Sports Media Journal:

Simms did not have his best day on the air.  He seemed confused at times about what was happening on the field and was not critical enough of either team.  This was evident when he said he would not “second guess” the Ravens’ fake field goal attempt in the first half.  He also seemed confused about how advantageous a safety would be at the end of the game when Baltimore was forced to punt from its own end zone with :12 left.  I felt Simms had slipped in the quality of his analysis all year.  Yesterday’s performance bore that out.

You get the idea. Unfortunately, so does CBS.

 

 

Posted in CBS

Despite power outage, new overnight ratings record for CBS

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CBS can thank the 49ers for staging their second half comeback. The preliminary numbers look impressive. Full ratings and viewership estimates still to come.

Interesting to note that this overnight rating excludes the power outage. Clearly, though, many viewers continued to watch, as it still did a 46.5 rating. Who knew Steve Tasker had that many fans?

From CBS:

CBS Sports’ coverage of Super Bowl XLVII featuring the BALTIMORE RAVENS, 34-31 win over the SAN FRANCISCO 49ers on Sunday, Feb. 3 (6:30-8:45 PM and 9:15-10:45 PM, ET), earned an average overnight household rating/share of 48.1/71, the highest-rated Super Bowl in the metered markets in history (2/6/11; 47.9/71; FOX; Green Bay-Pittsburgh).

This year’s 48.1/71 is up +1% from last year’s 47.8/71 (N.Y. Giants-New England) in the metered markets. Rating excludes from 8:45-9:15 PM, ET during power outage.

The Super Bowl XLVII rating/share peaked at 52.9/75 from 10:30-10:45 PM, ET. Following is a breakdown of the ratings by half-hours.

(All times ET)

6:30-7:00 – 42.6/67

7:00-7:30 – 46.3/71

7:30-8:00 — 47.9/72

8:00-8:30 – 48.2/71

8:30-8:45 – 48.3/71

8:45-9:15 — 46.5/68

9:15-9:30 – 47.9/68

9:30-10:00 –49.6/70

10:00-10:30 –51.3/73

10:30-10:45 –52.9/75

 

 

 

Posted in CBS

My view of Super Sunday: Not so super for Phil Simms; thumbs up for NFL Network

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I felt like I played in the game.

That’s what watching all this stuff for a zillion hours does to you. Super Sunday is an all-out assault on the senses that drains your very last brain cell. And that was before the power outage hit.

I’m more of a purist who can do without all the sideshows of the Super Bowl. I’ll take Championship Sunday every time.

Yet having said that, I’m already counting down the days until I see Scott Hanson again on NFL RedZone.

Here’s the good, bad and in between from Super Bowl 47–sorry, too tired to figure out the Roman numerals.

Note: I didn’t see every minute of every pregame show. I even watched the hockey and golf for a few minutes. So if I missed something, well maybe I’ll catch it next year.

Intercepted: I’m not sure why, but Phil Simms really was off his game Sunday. Following John Harbaugh’s decision to go with a fake field goal, Simms came back from commercial and said he wasn’t going to second-guess the coach? Huh? Isn’t that what an analyst does?

The call was begging for more analysis, agree or disagree. You can’t be a network analyst in the Super Bowl, and shy away from weighing in on such a controversial decision. Big blow to Simms’ credibility, as evidenced by the reaction on Twitter.

Throughout much of the first half, Jim Nantz, who had a good night, seemed to be working extra hard to draw out Simms, especially when things got a bit chippy between the two teams. Simms was hesitant.

Simms stepped up a bit in the second half. However, on the key play, he waffled on the no-holding call in the endzone. At one point, he said: “The more I see it, the more confused I get.”

Sort of sums up Simms’ night.

Lights out: So now we know that Steve Tasker is CBS’ official “the lights are out” reporter. The power outage made a mess of things for CBS, considering it also knocked out Nantz’s mic in the booth. CBS gave us the first ever power outage running clock in Super Bowl history. So that was exciting.

It wasn’t the network’s finest moment. Given all the billions the network shells out to the NFL, why didn’t it have an on-air interview with a league official to explain the situation?

Networking: I didn’t watch all of the NFL Network’s 8 1/2 hours of pregame coverage, but I watched a lot of it. The network has put together a solid cast of analysts who have developed a good chemistry. The Hall of Famers/Super Bowl champions were in their element Sunday. Marshall Faulk is vastly underrated, and his feature on his hometown of New Orleans was really strong.

The driver of the show, Rich Eisen, is funny, insightful, and not overbearing, unlike another NFL host on another cable sports network. All in all, a good interesting, informative and entertaining package.

Restrained: CBS was very restrained with its coverage of the Harbaugh brothers. We didn’t see the first reaction shots of the coaches until the beginning of the second quarter. And we barely got any shots of mom and dad, especially down the stretch. If Fox were doing the game, it would be cutting to the brothers and their parents after every play.

Ray Lewis: When it comes to awkward, it’s hard to beat CBS’ coverage of Ray Lewis. His former teammate Shannon Sharpe did the pregame interview. A questionable call, given their relationship, although Sharpe did ask Lewis about the Atlanta murders.

Then in the studio discussion, Boomer Esiason called out Lewis for not disclosing all he knows about the murders. However, the conversation didn’t go anywhere. Eventually, Dan Marino did an awkward segue back to football.

During the game, Nantz mentioned the murders once, and Simms interjected something that added nothing.

Oops: Joe Flacco could be heard saying, “F-ing awesome” immediately after the game. ESPN immediately issued an apology.

Emotional: The most memorable image of Sunday: The kids from Newtown singing America The Beautiful. Nothing comes close. Wonderful, touching moment.

Disaster: A pregame segment featuring Boomer Esiason and Shannon Shannon handing out Pizza Hut pizzas in the French Quarter was, in the words of my 17-year-old, “really stupid.” I’d say beyond stupid. Really, do the networks need the money that badly to have to shill for those products?

Inspirational: Hard to beat Lesley Visser’s feature on O.J. Brigance on Sunday or any day. Truly moving. Right up there was the story on Chuck Pagano and his battle with cancer.

And in the quality department, enjoyed Bill Cowher’s piece on Vernon Davis that featured insights from his former coach Mike Singletary.

Sobering: Andrea Kremer’s compelling feature on Jacksonville receiver Laurent Robinson on NFL Network. Robinson’s wife tells him, “One more concussion and you’re done.” Hard to imagine how he’ll ever play again.

True words: “Five minutes aren’t enough to discuss this,” said Boomer Esiason during a concussion segment on CBS. Right about that, although they could have had a few more minutes if they dumped the Pizza Hut thing.

Still punishing: Jim Brown appeared on NFL Network and was blunt as always on minority coaching hires and the league’s health issue.

Future analyst: Larry Fitzgerald. The Arizona receiver will be in demand after he hangs them up.

No. 4: Brett Favre, sans tie, was a nice addition to NFL Network. Critics might say he wasn’t polished, and he wasn’t. But I still tuned in because it was Favre. And despite the “you knows,” he still had plenty to say. A network job is there if he wants it, but I doubt he does.

Huh?: Looks like Favre doesn’t spend much time on his computer. Says to Eisen, “What’s a podcast?

Drowned out: It’s great to get some flavor of the town by setting up a stage in front of screaming fans. The problem is that it forces the hosts also to scream, which can be annoying. ESPN, and CBS early on, went the outdoor route more often than not. At one point, Suzy Kolber seemed to be yelling just to be heard. I don’t like to be yelled at.

Puppy Love: I would have liked to have heard Chris Berman call the Puppy Bowl for Animal Planet.

And out: I figure all the promos for CBS’ shows (a new record?) will be ringing in my head for weeks. Good thing the Super Bowl only is once a year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hoe many show promos can CBS squeeze into one Super Bowl?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Puppy: I would have liked to have heard Chris Berman on the Puppy Bowl for Animal Planet.

 

 

Pelley interview with Obama was a missed opportunity

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For starters, I’m not sure when it became essential to hear from the president on Super Bowl Sunday. I’m all about being informed, but this day is about football, not politics.

What’s next? The Republican response to the presidential interview? Speaking of equal time, perhaps coverage of the president’s State of the Union address should include an interview with the winning Harbaugh brother.

Having said all that, I was disappointed that CBS’ Scott Pelley asked President Obama only one question related to his comments about football. Given what the president said about the dangers of the game, this would have been a good time to expand the discussion.

Mr. President, how do you reconcile enjoying a game that you believe is fundamentally dangerous?

Will the government ever have to step in?

And Pelley could have taken it beyond football, given all the recent news about PEDs involving the biggest stars in sports from Lance Armstrong to Alex Rodriguez. How does the president view sports’ ability to curb abuses of steroids and more?

I understand Pelley wanted the President to address the policy issues. Sports, though, is an important part of this society. It would have been interesting to receive his views on the pressing issues there, too.

If we have to hear from the president on Super Bowl Sunday, let’s remember what the day is all about.

 

 

 

Posted in NFL

Sunday books: Richard Dent writes about feud with Ditka; coach never called after Bears great made Hall of Fame

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The Super Bowl is going to be a big day for Richard Dent. The MVP of Super Bowl XX in New Orleans will carry the Lombardi Trophy to the stage tonight for the big presentation.

The game on Jan. 20, 1986, capping off the Bears’ legendary season, was a defining moment for Dent. It eventually led to the defensive end’s induction into the Hall of Fame in 2011, an honor that was long overdue.

Dent now tells his entire story in a new book, Blood, Sweat & Bears: Putting a Dent in the Game I Love.

Here’s a Q/A I did with Fred Mitchell, the long-time Chicago Tribune columnist, who is the co-author of the book.

What about Dent’s career stands out for you?

The most remarkable aspect of Richard’s career, from my perspective, was that he quickly integrated himself into the Bears’ defense as an 8th-round draft pick out of tiny Tennessee State in 1983. They don’t even have eight rounds in the NFL draft anymore. Furthermore, Dent amassed 34 1/2 sacks in a two-year stretch (1984-85) en route to becoming the franchise’s all-time leader in sacks (124.5 with the Bears and 137.5 for entire NFL career) and Super Bowl XX MVP.

How did he feel about being perhaps overlooked for so long?

Richard retains some bitterness about the Hall of Fame selection process after being a finalist six times. He feels there should be greater transparency as far as how members of the selection committee voted each year. He also would like former players added to the selection committee. Richard is forever grateful for his HOF selection, but repeatedly says “the numbers are the numbers,” which should have been good enough to get him inducted many years earlier.

Any surprising revelations in the book?

It was surprising and disheartening to learn that Richard and his longtime Bears coach, Mike Ditka, continue to feud after all of these years. Richard said Ditka has yet to congratulate him on his Hall of Fame induction in 2011. The sting remains for Richard that Ditka often referred to him as “Robert” when speaking to the media in a deliberate effort to tweak him. Hopefully the two will reconcile at some point and share the good vibes of being fellow Hall of Famers and a Super Bowl champ.

What was it like working with Richard? What did you learn from him?

Richard has an inspiring story to tell about overcoming the odds of growing up in a modest-at-best home setting in rural Atlanta with seven brothers- a few of whom spent time in jail. I appreciated Richard’s candor in talking about the distrust he felt from the Bears organization, which accused him of selling and using cocaine and ordered him to be tested for drugs early in his career. His legal appeal in 1988 proved to be a landmark case in the NFL and it forced the league to come up with a more comprehensive testing program.

Saturday flashback: Jim Murray’s brilliance on Super Bowl III; ‘Missionaries swallowed the cannibals’

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I defy anyone to write a better column off Sunday’s game.

*****

First of all, are you sitting down?

Be sure who you tell this to or they’ll think you’ve been drinking.

On Sunday afternoon, the canary ate the cat. The mailman bit the police dog. The minnow chased the shark out of its waters. The missionaries swallowed the cannibals. The rowboat rammed the battleship. The mouse roared, and the lion jumped up on a chair and began to scream for help.

The first thing that’s going to surprise you about the Super Bowl game is the closeness of the score. But, hang onto your hat. If you think that’s a shocker, wait till I get to the punch line.

The –- come closer and let me whisper this -– New York Jets are the Super Champions of football! Cross my heart! That funny little team from that funny little league they left on pro football’s doorstep a few years back. You know the one -– the team whose checks bounced and so did their quarterbacks.

And you know that smart-alecky quarterback they got for $400,000 and the NFL sat down and like to have busted laughing? Well, turns out he was a bargain. You know, they called him “Broadway Joe” and he went around wearing women’s fur coats and he closed up more bars than Carrie Nation? A sleep-to-noon guy who had been a model youth. He didn’t smoke till he started kindergarten and he never drank in high school till the sun went down. And when someone said the Jets had a “Boozer” in the backfield, someone thought it was a description instead of a name.

They said (Norman Van Brocklin did) that Broadway Joe would be playing in his first professional game in the Super Bowl. Well, he likes it better than that game they play over in that other league. He got beat three times over in that league.

They said the Jets were the third-best team in their own league. If so, it’s a good thing they didn’t send the best. Everybody would have switched over to Heidi.

I would say, on the basis of what we saw Super Sunday, the NFL is a couple of years away. I mean they have individual performers, but the AFL appears to be better in teams.

. . .

It was like the turkey having the farmer for dinner, the rabbit shooting the hunter, the dove pulling the feathers out of the eagle.

The worm had not only turned, it was chasing the early bird right down the street and up a tree. And Broadway Joe can be singing the old Jimmy Durante tune, “You Know Darn Well I Can Do Without Broadway, But Can Broadway Do Without Me?”

Even at 400 grand, he may be the biggest bargain in Manhattan since they gave those Indians all those beads and started to put in subways. As for the NFL, it will have to start building to catch up.