It was billed as “Super Wild Card weekend” for the NFL. And wild it was, with many different game storylines, the weather, changing schedules, Taylor’s coat and much more.
Like a lot of people, I settled in for a big weekend of football, bundled in several blankets on the couch. Also, like a lot of you, I had one hand outside of the blankets. That was so I could look at my phone and follow along on social media as the games went on.
“PEACOCKGATE”
What was really wild, to me, were the silly responses to the NFL and NBC putting the Dolphins-Chiefs game only on Peacock. Now, if you were one of those giggling about NBC and Peacock telling us, continuously, that we were watching “history,” I get it.
If you had trouble with the game, due to buffering or some other technical issue, ok you have the right to complain. For the record, mine worked without fail, however had I had issues with this, you may be reading an entirely different column today.
If you just wanted to complain about having to pay to get the game, I have a news bulletin for you: GET USED TO IT, MORE IS COMING!
First of all, unless you have rabbit ears, I have a secret to share with you – the games you see on linear television – you’re paying for. If you didn’t have Peacock, this was an extra step, but paying for the game this way was no different than paying your cable bill each month to get ESPN. Either way, you paid for it.
I saw the X post below from Clay Travis, letting NFL fans know they should fight for having no ad breaks in streaming games. His reasoning is because you had to pay “directly” for it. What difference does it make if you pay for it directly or indirectly – you’re still paying for it?!
I thought I was losing my mind seeing posts like this, so I went and looked at my cable bill. Yep, lo and behold, I pay for all the channels I get, most of which I have never or will never watch. Boy, do I pay.
The truth is none of what is said really matters. Most are just adding on to a popular topic to look sympathetic. If you don’t like it, don’t buy it. We had streaming-only NFL before this game and we will have more games streamed through more apps in the future. Complain all you want, but a few years from now we will look back on this time and wish one playoff game was all we were asked to pay “directly” for.
BLACKLEDGE, McCOURTY SHINE
On television (and streaming), Saturday saw NBC crews in the booth for both games. The Big 10 Saturday Night team of Noah Eagle, Todd Blackledge and Kathryn Tappen had the Browns-Texans game. The Peacock-only Dolphins-Chiefs game featured Mike Tirico along with Jason Garrett and Kaylee Hartung.
In the studio, Ahmed Fareed (filling in for Maria Taylor who is out on maternity leave) lead the way with analysts Devin McCourty and Chris Simms. You also saw plenty of Jac Collinsworth, Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrision.
The coverage was excellent, overall, with just enough mix of football talk and weather reports. I thought game analyst Todd Blackledge and studio analyst Devin McCourty stood out.
Blackledge, the former Penn State and Chiefs/Steelers quarterback, is best known for his work on college football. Personally, I thought he and Verne Lundquist on CBS were the best pairing we had in college football in the early 2000’s. No matter where we have seen him, he is prepared, he is energized and he does an outstanding job of explaining the game, without one needing a degree in football coaching to understand.
While the studio job is a much different animal, Devin McCourty has taken very well to the position since starting full-time with NBC this season. McCourty, who retired in March after 13 seasons with the New England Patriots, has outstanding chemistry with Chris Simms. The two often sound like twins who can complete each other’s sentences. McCourty’s infectious personality mixed with his passion for and understanding of the game has helped make his post-football career transition a strong one.
Dave Greene is the Chief Media Officer for Barrett Media. His background includes over 25 years in media and content creation. A former sports talk host and play-by-play broadcaster, Dave transitioned to station and sales management, co-founded and created a monthly sports publication and led an ownership group as the operating partner. He has managed stations and sales teams for Townsquare Media, Cumulus Media and Audacy. Upon leaving broadcast media he co-founded Podcast Heat, a sports and entertainment podcasting network specializing in pro wrestling nostalgia. To interact, find him on Twitter @mr_podcasting. You can also reach him by email at Dave@BarrettMedia.com.
