Athens, GA (Nov 29, 2007) - I am trying to sit here and watch the Packers - Cowboys game on the NFL Network, and I mean really trying. As much as I would hope that a game with all this hype and controversy would be worth watching. Honestly, it is one of the worst produced NFL games I have ever seen, and I do not know how much longer I can hold on.
What is wrong with the production? Well if you have ADD you might be fine. I have it, and I am not. There are more camera cuts and horrid angles than you can shake a stick at. When a play finishes, instead of showing reactions of players on the field, they show players on the sidelines that are not involved in the play at all. They almost miss extra points because they are cutting between sideline shots. The cameramen can not keep up or frame the action consistently, and they have too many shaking cameras.
The audio has been absolutely atrocious, which is actually a blessing because Bryant Gumbel should not be let anywhere withing 1,000 feet of a game broadcast booth. It is like he is trying to craft a game long essay instead of calling a game. He lays out when he should be describing the action and talks when he should not be. His audio levels are so low he sounds like he is somewhere else. He calls them "periods" and not "quarters". He talks about a full page graphic that has been built, but then says we will show it to us later. He is no Greg Gumbel to be sure.
He and Chris Collinsworth are sounding like he is the founding member of the Tony Romo fan club. Who cares that he is rich, single and a scratch golfer? Their banter is better suited to a show like "Real Sports" or "Inside the NFL" than in a broadcast booth. And then there is Deion Sanders. His audio was so in the mud in the first quarter you had to wonder why they turned it on at all. He is strutting around in a three-piece suit with a "21" broach or button on his lapel. Where is Jim Gray when you need him?
Now there are some positives. Their graphics are the crispest I have ever seen on a football broadcast, and CBS Sports could learn how to make graphics readable from them. And to his credit, Gumbel asked Sanders to explain in more detail what he meant in a sideline report. Finally, the clarity of the still "replay" photos is stunning, even with out a High Def Television.
Memo to the NFL: The product is not worth the price you want people to pay. The free product on the broadcast networks is far superior.
One of the goals of Eye on Sports Media is to give you information and stories about the people that make the decisions about what you see, when you see it, and where you see it.
Agree wholeheartedly with everything you criticize about the broadcast, except the "21" Deion was wearing. While I wouldn't put it past him to strut around on a regular basis with his old jersey number pinned on, I'm pretty sure it was a Sean Taylor tribute.
Really enjoyed the post, though. God, I hate Bryant Gumbel.