I refuse to say his name, but the decision to air a certain quarterback's first game as a Jet as their main game of week one, seemed to work out swimmingly for CBS this past weekend. The numbers are still coming in but Sports Business Daily is reporting an 11.0 for the single game on the network, and according to Variety, that's the highest total CBS has seen in the last nine years....

Earlier in the day, the Eye posted its best opening-day NFL average in nine years courtesy of Brett Favre's debut with the New York Jets. The net's regional coverage during the 1-4:15 p.m. ET window, which was highlighted by the Jets against the Miami Dolphins and the New England Patriots against the Kansas City Chiefs, averaged an 11.0 household rating/24 share in the metered-market overnights -- up 4% from last year's 10.6/23 and up 24% from an 8.9/20 in 2006.

Pretty amazing, but I don't think they're out of the woods just yet. CBS has the ratings boom of the Pats-Jets next weekend, which everyone will be watching, but after that they don't get #4 back for three weeks. The Jets will be on Monday Night Football during week three, FOX during week four and then have a bye week five.

If you add to that the fact that the first game back is against the Bengals, the second against the Raiders and the third against the Chiefs....it'll be week nine at the earliest before they get a potentially good game (based on how the Bengals looked Week One). Also, Don't even get me started on the potential NBC Flex games in Denver (Week 14) and Seattle (Week 16). I'm not saying people will stop seeking out the Patriots entirely, and there are a few games people will definitely watch regardless (PIT-NE: Week 13), but CBS definitely won't be setting in records like they did last year. Especially when the other networks (Fox, NBC, ESPN, NFL-N) take both teams away from them a total of 11 times this season

Football a touchdown for NBC (Variety)
NFL ratings roundup (Sports Media Watch)