The Saints won a rather thrilling Super Bowl last night, and the majority of the East Coast got to drink themselves to sleep after learning of most business calling an audible day-off for workers because of snow. Now that the haze has worn off, there are three rather interesting stories that happened over the Super Bowl weekend that I'm looking at today. In order they are Michael Irvin's rape allegation and firing from ESPN Radio, Warren Sapp getting arrested and being dropped from NFL Network's coverage and Steve Phillips sitting down with Matt Lauer this morning. First up....Michael Irvin....
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On the same day that his former teammate Emmitt Smith was getting into the Hall of Fame, Michael Irvin was getting fired from his ESPN Radio job after another alleged rape charge was levied against him Dallas. Not only that but ESPN decided to fire the former Cowboy WR from his gig at 103.3 FM even though Irvin's contract was set to expire at the end of the week. There were reportedly no plans to renew it, but ESPN opted to fire him anyway. Irvin (unlike Sapp) made his appearances on NFL Network over the weekend, spoke briefly about the allegation to reporters, and then filed a $100 Million counter suit against his alleged victim. Via ESPN....

Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin made his first public appearance since he was accused in a civil suit of rape. He filed a $100 million countersuit against his accuser.

Irvin worked the Hall of Fame ceremonies for the NFL Network on Saturday. He was subdued at times but also emotional, especially when former teammate, running back Emmitt Smith, was selected for induction.

"It's not about me, but that's it," Irvin told a small group of reporters before they had a chance to ask questions. Irvin said he would only talk about the Hall of Fame.

Irvin's suit, filed in Dallas County, Texas, asks for $100 million in damages for allegations filed in a lawsuit that claim Irvin raped a woman identified as "Jane Doe" at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., in 2007.

The countersuit claims that the civil suit filed by the woman caused him to be fired from his radio job.

It's interesting that ESPN decided to follow up with the story after taking no time in firing Irvin. Like the story said, no charges were filed against him and his contract was set to run out, so it really makes no sense as to why ESPN Radio decided to fire him right away.
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The day after Michael Irvin got his walking papers, another analyst in Miami spent the night in jail. A crazy story came out of South Beach that NFL Network Analyst Warren Sapp had been dropped from the network's coverage of the Super Bowl, and after NFL-N confirmed the claims, Sapp spent the night in jail on a domestic abuse charge. Via the Sun Sentinel....

Police arrested Sapp on Saturday on one charge of misdemeanor domestic battery. An arrest affidavit says the incident happened around 5 a.m. Saturday in the former defensive tackle's hotel room at the Shore Club on Miami Beach.

Sapp's attorney said the former player is taking the matter seriously and will cooperate with authorities.

"He sincerely apologizes to the NFL family and fans for taking away any distraction from today's big game," Christopher Lyons said. "We ask that everyone reserve judgment on the matter until all the facts come out in a court of law."

The woman said she had been dating Sapp about two years. She told officers the two were partying with a large group of friends when she got tired and went to lay down.

Sapp entered hours later, pulled her out of bed and tried to get her out of the room, according to the complaint. The complaint says he yelled at the woman about men she had been hanging out with and men listed in her cell phone. The woman told police Sapp choked her, threw her down on a couch, then picked her up by her shirt and neck and threw her down again — injuring her leg. The victim had a swollen knee and bruises on her neck, the affidavit says. She was taken to the hospital.

Just a messy situation all around. According to Sports by Brooks, Sapp had been seen around Miami with a certain lady friend, but as of now the accuser wants to remain anonymous.
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As far as Steve Phillips, the former ESPN Baseball analyst made an appearance on the Today Show this morning to talk about his sexual addiction. Phillips, who is giving his first public interview since leaving the same rehab clinic Tiger Woods reportedly has been staying at, told Matt Lauer that he, "I couldn't stop myself from doing the things I was doing, even knowing the consequences." Here's the clip....


Man, what a weekend!

The NFL Network seems to be moving forward from their stressful start to 2009 (see: Cable, Comcast) and has been adding people slowly as the summer comes to an end. Michael Irvin is set to make his debut on the network, and according to Variety, Stacey Dales has also found a home there....

Irvin, a five-time Pro Bowl player and three-time Super Bowl champion, served as an analyst for ESPN for four years and was host of Spike network's reality skein "4th and Long," which aired earlier this year.

"NFL GameDay Morning" has been extended to four hours for the upcoming season that begins Sept. 13.

Irvin, who played 10 seasons with the Cowboys and will be a participant on the next cycle of ABC's "Dancing With the Stars," will join Marshall Faulk, Deion Sanders, Warren Sapp and Steve Mariucci in the studio.

Also, NFL Network announced Stacey Dales will be the new co-host of "NFL GameDay Morning," along with Spero Dedes. Dales comes from ESPN and ABC, where she covered college football and basketball and the NBA.

Two really good pickups if you ask me. Dales finally gets a chance to come off the sideline, and work in a studio, while Irvin heads back to television after some needed years in radio. I really think having his own show helped Irvin become a much better analyst/reporter, and these two hires certainly have my approval.

Irvin catches gig at NFL Network (Variety)

I still have yet to watch an entire episode of "Dancing With The Stars", but with the news of the latest group of wannabe dancers, I might have to check it out. Not only is the arch-enemy of Terrell Owens, Joanna Krupa, involved, but so are Natalie Coughlin, Chuck Liddell and THE Michael Irvin. And those are just the Sports stars (minus Krupa)! Here is the full list....

Kathy Ireland, 46
Joanna Krupa, 30
Mya, 30
Natalie Coughlin, 26
Chuck Liddell, 30
Tom DeLay, 62
Donnie Osmond, 51
Michael Irvin, 42
Louie Vito, 21 (Pro Snowboarder)
Mark DaCascos, 45 (Host of Iron Chef America)
Aaron Carter, 21
Macy Gray
Ashley Hamilton, 34 (Son of former DWTS competitor George Hamilton)
Melissa Joan Hart
Debi Mazar, 45 (Actress from Entourage)
Kelly Osbourne, 24

Now I don't know much about previous season, but this group of dancers seems like it has the potential to be the best. Best on an unintentional comedy level, I mean. Watching Chuck Liddel alone, hammered out of his mind, would be enough on its own.

It's been well over two weeks since Artie Lange's tirade on "Joe Buck Live", and the story just will not die. Lange went on Michael Irvin's radio show today in what was supposed to be a discussion about the program, but quickly turned into another awkward appearance for the Stern sidekick. Not only did Artie Lange defend himself , but he also challenged Irvin's co-host to a fight at one point, and bragged about book sales following the show. Oh and there was this moment, in which Irvin brough up the news that Lange might be going back on the show. Here is some of the audio via SRI....

I think we all know that Lange is going to be on the second show, black-listed from HBO or not, and that Buck will be making the right move by doing so. In its first airing, JBL almost tripled the ratings of the final "Costas Now" show, and a return visit from Lange would certainly improve on that. Who cares if Joe Buck is uncomfortable? HBO is in the business of making money, and that's how they're going to get people to tune in.

Artie Lange Talks To Michael Irvin About His Appearance on Joe Buck Live (Sports Radio Interviews)

HBO has nabbed Brett Lorenzo Favre as the first guest on Joe Buck Live, and the interview will serve as his first interview since the Vikings rumors began. Not only will Favre be appearing on the debut show, but the network has also lined up David Wright, Michael Irvin and comedian Artie Lange. Wait really?

Primed to be entertaining, informative and lively, the premiere of Joe Buck Live will offer a diverse collection of interviews, opinions and humor as the topic of Sports & Celebrity is addressed. The show will originate from midtown Manhattan and a live studio audience will get to participate.

Segment One: One- on-One live interview with former Green Bay and New York Jets quarterback Brett Favre.

Segment Two: The Glare of Celebrity with former Dallas Cowboy wide receiver and radio personality Michael Irvin and Cincinnati Bengals newsmaker and wide receiver Chad Ochocinco. David Wright of the New York Mets will appear in a taped piece on living in the hot New York media spotlight.

Segment Three: A comedy panel featuring Paul Rudd, Artie Lange and Jason Sudeikis, offering their unrehearsed take on sports and celebrity.C

I honestly thought that the first episode was going to just be a lame panel discussion about athletes and celebrities, but this lineup is pretty impressive. The show will also be airing a few taped segments, including one from the Will Ferrell comedy site, "Funny or Die". I'll try to have clips up later tonight, or tomorrow morning.

The "4th and Long" PR people have been great in sending out info and videos to get the word out on the new show, but I bet they'd been trying to keep this bit of news under wraps. The Dallas Morning News is reporting that three individuals are suing Michael Irvin, and the producers of the show, for stealing the idea from them....

Three men are claiming interference against Michael Irvin in a lawsuit, saying the former Cowboys star stole their football reality show concept and turned it into a cable TV program.

The men say they approached Irvin in 2007 to pitch their show titled “Guts to Glory,” featuring contestants competing for a spot on a professional football team, according to a lawsuit filed in Dallas County District Court last week.

Irvin’s Dallas-based attorney, Larry Friedman, said his client had thought of the concept several years earlier after he watched the first episode of the reality TV series "American Idol." Irvin met with dozens of people regarding a reality football program, Friedman said.

The men presented their concept to Irvin and his agent and representative in August 2007, according to the lawsuit, obtained by Courthouse News Service. In the following months, they negotiated an agreement regarding how much money each side would receive.

The agreement first proposed that Irvin and his agent receive 25 percent of a producing fee in connection with the show. In March 2008, Irvin’s representatives told the plaintiffs he wanted 95 percent of the fee, the lawsuit states.

Fourteen months later, “4th and Long” appeared on TV.

Cases like this are rarely found in favor of the plaintiff, but it sounds like these three have a pretty good case. You can read more of the actual report here, and I'll try to keep you all updated on the case as it goes along.

3 sue ex-Cowboys star Michael Irvin over '4th and Long' TV show (Dallas Morning News)

I completely forgot to check out the debut of "4th and Long" when it aired, but lucky for me, Spike puts full episodes up on its website. Not only was the show hilarious, mainly because of Michael Irvin being dressed in all black and channeling his inner Jerry Jones, but because just about every contestant threw up. Let's go to the montage!

I love how Irvin just randomly appears and then disappears into the tunnel. He's like a ghost, I tell you! Well a ghost dressed in an all-black Armani suit. Still though, I'm kind of digging the show, and I'm definitely going to watch next week.

4th and Long: The Puking-est Show on TV (TSB)

The Dallas Cowboys have gone out on a limb, and promised a roster spot to whomever wins the Michael Irvin hosted "4th and Long", with a roster spot. Well that process begins tonight when the show kicks off on Spike at 10pm. Here's a little video on the participants, and a list of the celeb guest stars, if you're interested....

Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Irvin and Spike TV are on a quest to give a football hopeful a shot at making the Dallas Cowboys roster in the new series “4th and Long.” Premiering on Monday, May 18 (10:00-11:00pm ET/PT), Spike TV will chronicle the rigorous training, heated competition, and compelling moments among 12 talented unsigned football players – individuals who either blew their first shot at making the NFL, or never had one to begin with. In a 10-week training camp, Irvin will offer his wealth of experience and guidance to mold them into NFL-caliber players. Each week a different contestant will be cut, with the eventual victor heading to training camp with football’s legendary franchise, the Dallas Cowboys.

The twelve players participating (6 wide receivers and 6 defensive backs) have impressive pedigrees including high-school All-Americans, Arena League MVP’s and starters at Division 1 college programs such as the University of Texas, University of Oklahoma, University of North Carolina and the University of Tennessee.

Former NFL All-Pro Bill Bates will coach the defensive backs and former Dallas special-teams coach, Joe Avezzano will oversee the wide receivers. Guest stars on “4th and Long” include Pro Football Hall of Famers Jerry Rice, Tony Dorsett, and Roger Staubach along with current and former Cowboy greats Drew Pearson, Daryl Johnston, Jay Novacek, Nate Newton, Darren Woodson, Terence Newman, and Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones will also appear throughout the series.

I don't know about this one, but at least I've heard of a few of the guys involved. The show really just seems like a Hard Knocks ripoff, but with less people. And the big question is whether this is a guarateed roster spot, or just a chance to come to camp? Interesting idea, but it might not pan out for Spike.

Neil Best has been posting some interesting Michael Irvin quotes today, including one where he talks about the mile high club. While that is certainly interesting in its own right, the one that I'm most interested is the for ESPN Analyst saying that the "Leader" works its analysts "too hard"....

Irvin said there are no hard feelings between the company and him, as evidenced by the fact he has a daily radio show in Dallas on an ESPN station.

"They work people hard; that's the best way I can say it," Irvin said of ESPN. "They put you through the car wash. [He made a grinding sound.]

"And it's exclusivity. They don't let you do anything else. I had other movies and things I wanted to do.

"But I love ESPN. It was just a decision. With ESPN, they own everything. All the intellectual property, so I could never do this other stuff without being under their cover, or they would have owned it. So it works out best for everybody. And I thank them. They were great."

I can understand the aspect of wanting to do other things, and not being able to. But saying your employer works you too hard, just makes you look lazy. All work is hard, but working in Sports is one of the toughest fields. You get paid very little, work long hours and the team/network basically becomes your family. I respect that Irvin wanted to branch out, but you can't say in one breath that you wanted to do more work, and then say that they worked you too hard.

Michael Irvin says ESPN works its TV analysts hard (Watchdog)

From time to time, I like to take a look at what the "stars" are getting in their various gift bags, but I had no idea they put them together for the Scouting Combine. In fact, they get some pretty cool stuff, if you're ultra into Under Armour clothing. From Sports Biz via With Leather....

* 1 Under Armour Combine Bag
* 3 UA Metal apparel pieces -- short sleeve compression, sleeveless compression and short sleeve loose shirt. All are personalized with position and number on the front, with the last name on the back. (UA says the compression shirts have the lightest fabric weight of any shirt on the market at 3.5 ounces.)
* 1 Travel suit, personalized with number and position on jacket.
* 1 pair of customized combine shoes (weigh 8.5 ounces, designed for NFL combine with footing for lateral, linear and vertical drills).
* 1 pair of UA cleats
* 1 pair of UA slides (sandals)
* 1 pair of UA running shoes
* 1 pair of UA trainers
* 1 Fleece Crew top and bottom
* 1 pair of Metal Compression shorts
* 1 pair of Heat Gear Leggings
* 1 pair of Micro-shorts
* 1 pair of Combine short

What's the retail value, you ask? A cool $900 worth of clothing. But they act like these kids are entering the league without clothing. Just about every school has a deal with Under Armour or Nike these days, so I'm thinking these are going turn into Christmas gifts.

Combine Invite=Free Stuff (Sports Biz)
NFL Prospects Get Goodie Bags (With Leather)

The casting notice went out yesterday for Michael Irvin's new Reality Show, which airs on SpikeTV. And not only are they looking for great players, but they're looking for great stories as well. Namely Vince Papale and Kurt Warner....

Untitled Football Project

ENDS: 10 DAYS 12 HRS 35 MINS 30 SECS
CASTING START: 1/29/2009 12:00:00 AM
CASTING END: 2/9/2009 11:59:59 PM
GENDER REQUIREMENTS: Male Only
AGE REQUIREMENTS: 21 to 40
ONLY OPEN TO MEMBERS IN: United States

Michael Irvin and Spike TV are looking for guys who think they can play either WR or DB! This is for an upcoming reality competition show. The winner will be awarded a coveted spot on the Dallas Cowboys training camp roster!

Looking for elite football athletes whose careers ended on terms other than their own. Did family, friends, finances or an injury prevent you from achieving your lifelong goal of becoming a pro football player? Kurt Warner was bagging groceries before he became a two-time league MVP and Super Bowl Champion. Vince Papale was tending bar before he walked on the Philadelphia Eagles. Could you be the next professional football player to come out of nowhere?

This is a REAL opportunity to make a lifelong dream a reality.

Direct Submissions:
STEP 1: Download the application and fill it out
STEP 2: Make a 10-minute videotape
STEP 3: Mail the application, video and a non- returnable photo of yourself by February 10 2009

Man they aren't joking around with this whole process. I've never actually tried out for a Reality Show before, but it honestly seems like more trouble than it's worth. Here are some of the questions you have to answer in the six page application....

WHAT WOULD LIFE BE LIKE FOR YOU WITHOUT FOOTBALL?
HOW DO YOU FEEL WHEN YOU WATCH PRO FOOTBALL ON TELEVISION?
DO YOU HAVE A FOOTBALL MOTTO THAT YOU LIVE BY? WHAT IS IT?
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENT DRUGS?

Untitled Football Project (Got Cast?)

(Gracias to WL for the link.)

There's been a lot of talk about Cowboy-based reality talk shows as of late, but this Michael Irvin appearance got lost in the midst. The Playmaker was a guest star on the USA show Burn Notice, and all-in-all, he wasn't half bad. Sure he played a Football Coach, and got beat up, but still good....

The guy does have a certain charm about him, I'll admit that. And to all of you who told me that Burn Notice was a great show, and I scoffed at, I apologize. Great show and good to see Irvin making something of his post-ESPN career.

I've purposely avoided the whole Irvin-Aikman-Romo talk, because I'm sick of talking about the Cowboys when they didn't even make the postseason, but this item I just couldn't pass up. Spike TV is giving Michael Irvin his own reality show, which will be debuting this Spring. Here's the press release via Barry Horn at the Dallas Morning News....

NFL Hall of Famer and Dallas Cowboy icon Michael Irvin has teamed up with 3 Ball Productions, the successful reality television company, to develop an original Spike TV series. This untitled Michael Irvin/Dallas Cowboys project was created by Irvin and his production company, Playmaker Productions, and features twelve amateur hopefuls who will move to Dallas and compete against one another to earn a shot at a coveted spot in Dallas Cowboy training camp next summer and potentially a spot on the team.

This untitled Michael Irvin/ Dallas Cowboys project will premiere in the spring of 2009 and will feature Irvin as on-air talent, keeping a watchful eye over the contestants and helping to mold them into champions as they are put through rigorous competition. The twelve football neophytes, six wide receivers and six defensive backs, will be broken into two teams, overseen by notable former Cowboy coaches and players. Guest judges will appear along the way including other former players, coaches, media personalities and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

"This is a groundbreaking opportunity for football players and football fans," said Irvin. "The unique element is that these men will actually be competing for a training camp roster spot in an NFL camp. There is so much great undiscovered football talent out there, guys that may have missed their shot for one reason or another. This is about hope and a shot at greatness," furthered Irvin.

I'm just as sick as you are of Sports based Reality Shows, but this isn't really THAT bad of an idea. It's like Hard Knocks, but with just one plot line. There is no title yet, and no word if Pacman Jones is a candidate (I kid), but this could turn out to be a good show if done right.

Michael Irvin getting his own Cowboys reality show -- really (Sports Media Blog)

In one of the oddest scheduling moves of all time, The Michael Irvin Show will be bringing on Troy Aikman, right as Obama takes the stage in DC today. And by right as Obama takes the stage, I mean "RIGHT as Obama takes the stage". Via Barry Horn at the DMN....

ESPN-FM 103.3 is ballyhooing Troy Aikman's Tuesday appearance on the MIchael Irvin Show from noon to 1 p.m. at a North Dallas restaurant. But will anyone notice? There will be a historical event in Washington going on called the presidential inauguration.

Nobody knows that better than Irvin, who had this to say in the wake of Obama's election victory:

"What a historical moment that was last night. ... From an African-American standpoint, I watched my people -- watched my people -- celebrate the not guilty verdict of O.J. Simpson. They were so hungry for a victory of some kind that they celebrated -- we celebrated -- the verdict of O.J. And I was thinking to myself, 'Two people are dead. Two people are dead.' Now, I'm not talking about my people, I'm explaining them here. They were just so hungry to say 'We have a victory.' And I cringe when I even think about that.

If you're a radio program, and you're NOT airing the speech live, you're making a pretty big mistake. Speaking of radio, it looks like I'm going to be on Mad Dog Radio's, "The B-Team" with Bill Pidto and Bruce Murray, immediately following their coverage of the Inauguration. More details on that later today!

Irvin-Aikman vs. Obama-Biden (Dallas Morning News)

I don't know what it is about Football players and guns getting pulled on them, but former player and radio host, Michael Irvin, is the latest to have a run-in with an armed assailant. Getting a gun pulled on you is the scariest thing in the world, but when it's as random as this, it has to be that much more terrifying. Lucky for Irvin, he knew his Cowboys enough to calm the man down. Via the Dallas Morning News....

A passing motorist pointed a handgun at former Dallas Cowboy Michael Irvin as he drove in Far North Dallas on Monday night, according to a police report.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame member was not injured. He told police he stopped at a red light in the 18200 block of Marsh Lane, near the Bush Turnpike, about 9:30 p.m., when the driver of the vehicle next to him rolled down his window, the police report said.

Irvin put down his window because he thought someone wanted to talk to him and saw the passenger in the other vehicle raise a gun, the report said. Irvin said in an interview Tuesday night that he feared the men had planned to rob him and changed their minds when they saw who he was.

“The passenger pulled out a semiautomatic and I knew what time it was,” Irvin said. “But he said ‘Oh, that’s Michael Irvin, with the Dallas Cowboys.’”

Despite being scared, Irvin said he tried to keep the conversation going.

“So we started talking about the Cowboys and everything,” he said. “Then they got back on the highway.”

“I tell you what, I’m glad he was a Cowboy fan,” Irvin said.

How about that? Knowing Sports can actually save your life! Thank goodness that the guy wasn't an Eagles fan living in Dallas. That conversation might have taken a turn for the worse if Irvin had brought up T.O.

Motorist points gun at former Cowboy Irvin, police say (Dallas Morning News)

I didn't know that ABC was so high on Wipeout, but apparently they think so much of the show that they are running it opposite of the Boss. Bruce Springsteen is performing during halftime of the Super Bowl this year (or next rather), but ABC will be giving you the opportunity to watch "Big Balls" instead.

But that's not the best part. No the highlight of ABC's two-part show will be the addition of a "sideline reporter". Who is that reporter you ask? Well it's none other than Michael Irvin! Via the Live Feed....

The Disney-owned network will air a brief football-themed “Wipeout” special against NBC’s official halftime show headlined by Bruce Springsteen. Then, during NBC’s post-Bowl presentation of “The Office,” ABC will air an hourlong “Wipeout” in which cheerleaders compete against male “couch potato” sports fans.

The strategy will mark the first time in five years a major broadcast network has gone after a rival’s Super Bowl momentum with original entertainment programming.

The two-part ABC special — dubbed “Wipeout Superball Sunday” — pulls out all the stops to cater to NFL fans: Hall of Famer Michael Irvin will lend sideline commentary, the Navy’s Blue Angels will perform a flyover, the USC marching band will storm the course, contestants will run a gantlet with quarterbacks pelting them with footballs, NFL luminaries will stop by the commentary booth, and the show’s signature Big Balls obstacle has been converted into jumbo-sized footballs.

I poked a good deal of fun at the show before, but in all honesty, this isn't that bad of an idea. Most everyone will still be watching Springsteen, however a few might change the channel just to check out cheerleaders on the "Big Balls".

ABC to 'Wipeout' the Super Bowl (The Live Feed)

The obvious NFC East connection between Michael Irvin and Plaxico is there, but other than that and the fact that they are/were great receivers, I just can't find any reason that Irvin and Burress should be in the same sentence. You can argue that Burress is approaching an Irvin-esqe level of trouble (with a previous domestic abuse charge, a handful of team suspensions and now this incident), but until he has a birthday party in a hotel with hookers and a plate full of cocaine, I think he's safe.

Which is why the following video exchange between Emmitt Smith, Stu Scott and Steve Young before the game surprised me. Emmitt claimed there was no comparison to his former teammate Irvin, and that Plaxico was a "Cancer" and should be "removed from the locker room". Oh wait sorry that was Plaxico "Berries"....

Emmitt did get in a great descriptive word, "divisive", but he couldn't get his last name right to save his life. Too funny. As far as Plax himself goes, the only reason the Giants should even remotely think about cutting Plaxico Burress is if they think their stable of young receivers is ready. Sure they would save a ton of money but saying Plaxico doesn't come prepared is just false. He rarely practices, but apparently he doesn't need to. In his three previous years with the G-Men he's averaged 1078 yards, 70 catches and a little under 10 TDs. Obviously his interaction with the team before games is less than is to be desired, but he's still only missed three games in his four years on the team, with two of them coming this year. I'm not saying the guy is a Saint, but with as many chances that Pacman has had.....I think the Giants' receiver has a few more left before he's shunned from the league or the team.

If you're a Giants fan and you think he needs to go, while I think you'd be in the minority, you'd have every right to feel that way. The Giants Organization can ultimately do whatever they want with him, and I think the fact that he's in a large market like New York doesn't help his cause, but hearing people like Emmitt and Young sticking up for Irvin in the same breath that they damn Burress....just doesn't sit right with me.

I'd also be interested what Irvin himself has to say about the troubled receiver. If anything is talked about on his radio show today, I'll let you know.
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(Stepping down from my soapbox) Now that's out of the way, let's get to the rest of your Monday Nighter in quotes. Many thanks to JFein who kept track of the quotes throughout the game (quietly starting a slow clap).

"What has happened to the Jacksonville?” - The Mike Tirico in the pregame the introductions on the Monday Night Countdown

“Sage Rosenfels is the kind of guy who’s gonna be a late bloomer.” - Steve Young on the 30-year old Quarterback

“I’d like to take Pittsburgh, but since they aren’t playing, I’ll take Houston.” - Mike Ditka

"The roof is open because of the storm.” - Mike Tirico

“Houston’s QBs have combined to throw 17 interceptions in just 11 games. GACK!” - Tony Kornheiser

“Let me just say that these uniforms make the Texans look like Ketchup bottles.” - Tony Kornheiser

“Del Rio’s got a hot leather jacket on.” - Tony Kornheiser

“18 interceptions in 12 games, on pace for 600.” - Tony Kornheiser
“Who does your math?” - Ron Jaworski

"I love it when receivers catch the balls with their hands." - Ron Jaworski

"Mine was longer." - Ron Jaworski

"He could have gone for 30 yards there." - Tony Kornheiser on Sage Rosenfels not keeping the ball and instead throwing into traffic
"Really Tony? 30???"- Ron Jaworski
"Okay, 15."- Tony Kornheiser

“[David Garrard] has better hands than Jerry Porter.” - Ron Jaworski after the QB caught one of his deflected passes

Mike Tirico: “That’s the tallest building in the world not in a downtown area.”
Tony Kornheiser: “I didn’t know they kept stats on that.”

"Did you just hear that? Jacques Reeves runner-up in the Big Ten 200 meters? How did he know that?” - Tony Kornheiser on Mike Tirico

"Remember when the astronauts were brought into the Astrodome for a great barbeque" - Tony Kornheiser making no sense

"Always a good clue when you see a quarterback's arm go forward and forward and the hand empty, it's an incomplete pass." - Mike Tirico

"Talk about hitting the pillow and not having any regrets." - Mike Tirico

"Slaton untouched by a human hand." - Mike Tirico

Update: Apparently the better part of those came from SS' Live-Blog last night. Great work all.

Jaguars/Texans Live Blog - 2nd Half (SS Reporters)

There something about Obama that brings out great things in people. A while back it was an eloquent speech from Emmitt Smith, and now Michael Irvin is the one putting things into perspective. The former ESPN analyst was on Mike and Mike this morning and he had the following to say about last night. Via Fanhouse....

"What a historical moment that was last night. ... From an African-American standpoint, I watched my people -- watched my people -- celebrate the not guilty verdict of O.J. Simpson. They were so hungry for a victory of some kind that they celebrated -- we celebrated -- the verdict of O.J. And I was thinking to myself, 'Two people are dead. Two people are dead' Now, I'm not talking about my people, I'm explaining them here. They were just so hungry to say 'We have a victory.' And I cringe when I even think about that.

"But last night I watched a celebration. A real celebration. A real celebration, and it was a celebration for everybody, and everybody celebrated, and they kept showing this shot, and I was watching, of this little black girl and this little white girl, just sitting there crying together, and I thought, wow. I thought about Martin Luther King and his 'I Have a Dream' speech, and I thought about him saying, black kids and white kids playing together. ...

"Last night we removed all differences and became just one, and I thought that was a beautiful thing. It was just a beautiful thing. I stood here with my kids, we watched it and we cried and we prayed."

Well how about that? I don't care what your political background is, but that was just beautifully put. You can only hope that this pride and overall good feeling continues.

Just for the heck of it....let's go back and watch that Emmitt speech again....



Michael Irvin's Eloquent Expression of Pride in Election of Barack Obama (Fanhouse)

Say what you want about Michael Irvin, but just like Sean Salisbury, he seems much happier since he left ESPN. Not only is he in a better mood, but his show in Dallas actually pulls some pretty big guests, and is actually interesting from time to time. On Tuesday nights Irvin also has a show called Inside The Huddle which airs on Tuesday night, and this past Tuesday's guest was Terrell Owens. DC Fanatic just happened to catch an interesting exchange between Irvin and T.O. during a commercial break, one where Irvin didn't realize his mic was still live....

If you couldn't tell what all that whispering was, Irvin was getting ready to pass along the intel that Jerry Jones is unhappy with Brad Johnson at QB, before T.O. stops him. The best part about the whole thing is that Owens is barely even paying attention while texting away on his phone and still has the sense to stop the Playmaker. No one ever said he wasn't smart!

T.O. and Irvin were awesome on Inside The Huddle tonight (DC Fanatic)

It's been awhile since Michael Irvin has had a network to call his own, but after the August 4th HOF Induction Ceremony he very well could be calling the NFL Network home. Irvin will be working the event for the NFL-N and future projects are sure to follow....

NFL Network returns to Canton, Ohio for the 45th Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony honoring the Class of 2008. NFL Network’s broadcast team is headlined by 2007 inductee Michael Irvin, Fran Charles, Steve Mariucci, and Adam Schefter for seven hours of live, high-definition coverage on Saturday, August 2 beginning at 4 p.m. ET.

Irvin, who last year delivered a stirring Hall of Fame induction speech, joins NFL Network’s Hall of Fame team to offer a first-hand perspective of the emotions felt by inductees as they enter the fraternity of pro football legends.

“There’s no better example of true passion for the game and the honor felt by becoming a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame than the emotional induction speech given by Michael last year,” said NFL Network Executive Producer Eric Weinberger. “His respect for what the Hall of Fame stands for and the legends it celebrates resonates with every football fan. We welcome his insights and knowledge as part of our team from Canton.”

I said it then and I'll say it now, Irvin's speech last year was what it's all about. It was good to finally see a real side to the man and not the overacting analyst he portrayed on ESPN. Hopefully he brings more honesty to this broadcast and maybe he'll work out for the NFL Network. Lord knows they need to add something that's not Deion Sanders.

Irvin joins NFL Network's Hall of Fame coverage (NFL Network)