It's been awhile since I've put up a ratings post, mainly because nothing's jumped out at me, but this one is worth noting. The Giants-Cowboys game this last Sunday night, is officially SNF's largest broadcast, and the largest primetime audience since 1997. Via SBD....

NBC earned a 15.1 final Nielsen rating and 24.817 million viewers for its "SNF" telecast featuring Giants-Cowboys from 8:31-11:50pm ET, marking the most-viewed "SNF" telecast ever. The first regular-season game ever at Cowboys Stadium also marked the most-watched NFL regular-season primetime game since Broncos-49ers earned 27 million viewers in December '97. Compared to the same week last year, Giants-Cowboys was up 39.8% and 39.2%, respectively, from a 10.8 rating and 17.834 million viewers for Steelers-Browns. The Giants-Cowboys audience was also up 84.2% over the Emmy Awards on CBS (13.471 million viewers). "SNF" was the No. 1 program of the week among broadcast networks in HHs and viewers.

While that certainly is amazing, the NFL probably isn't done yet, and could end up making numbers like it did in the 80s & 90s, this season. Week three has Atlanta at New England on FOX, Indy at Arizona on Sunday Night and the Cowboys Panthers on Monday Night. Week Four then has last year's huge matchup of the Ravens and Pats, as well as the Jets at Saints, and Brett Favre's return to Green Bay. We'll likely see record after record being broken this season.

Giants-Cowboys Draws Best NFL Primetime Audience Since '97

The NFL's blackout policy has been under extreme scrutiny as of late, and rightfully so. Teams from Florida, to Ohio, and all the way to Cali, could be blacked out most of the season, but there's news today that America's team might fall into the same category. The Cowboys will almost certainly set the attendance record with over 100K+ people at their new stadium, but if they don't sell all of their standing room only seats, Dallas-area fans might not be able to see the game on TV. Via CBS 11....

The senior vice presidents of public relations for the NFL, and the league's director of corporate communications told CBS 11 Wednesday night that there are seats that still need to be sold for Sunday's game against the Giants, and that the league has not officially ruled out a blackout.

Brett Daniels, The Dallas Cowboys director of corporate communications, confirmed to CBS 11 that a few hundred seats still needed to be sold, and must be purchased to avoid a blackout.

The Cowboys have not had a television blackout since December 1990.

The NFL deadline for the blackout is Thursday evening. The Cowboys say they have no doubt the tickets will be sold, giving fans at home the chance to watch the game.

As of 10:45 Wednesday evening tickets were still available through dallascowboys.com. The cheapest seats available cost $239. With taxes and fees, the total price for two tickets comes to just under $494. That cost does not include parking, food or drink.

The NFL black out policy is a joke, and this year will solidify that fact. Upwards of 30% of all games will be blacked out in local markets, and with the economy the way it is, it could be even higher. To expect someone to pay $494 to attend a game is just ridiculous.

Cowboys Officials Have No Doubt Game Will Be On TV (CBS 11)

This whole Emmitt Smith as a rogue reporter, for various networks, is highly entertaining. He was last seen talking about tailgating on FOX Sports, but this Friday he's heading to the big time. Emmitt will be taking both the Today Show's, Matt Lauer and Al Roker, on a tour of the Cowboys' new stadium!

Not only will Emmitt be your tour guide this Friday, but Lauer will be interviewing Jerry Jones, and Roker will be hanging with the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. The unintentional comedy of this event could be off the charts.

Emmitt Smith has traded his live Monday Night Football appearances on ESPN, for taped ones on FOX Sports, but he's still bringing the goods. In this clip he talks about the awesomeness of tailgating at the new Cowboys' stadium, and the wonders of the other white meat....PORK! Via NESW Sports....

"For fans that are going to the ball game, they have an opportunity now to tailgate at a brand new stadium and smoke it up and saranate the whole stadium itself. To me tailgating is a part of gameday experience. And what we found is that 42% of the people prefer pork over the other meat. And at tailgate parties I can understand why because pork is easy, easy to cook, its simple and it's affordable, and so going to gameday stadium, look for everyone out there to be tailgatin. To be using some type of pork meat on their grills."- Emmitt Smith

Ah yes....Smoke it up and seranatin' at Gameday Stadium! I've missed you Emmitt.

Great News! Emmitt Smith Is Still Talking! (NESW Sports)

There are certain monikers that stick with a team/player, and every time you hear some one utter the phrase, it makes you think of them and them alone. One of the more famous ones, "America's Team" has been associated with the Dallas Cowboys since 1979, and one that's unmistakable. Well that is until ESPN gets their hands on it. The "Leader" posted an article yesterday titled "The Great Debate: 'America's Team'", and is trying to make cases for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots (!), as the heirs to the title. Seriously....

It's time to rescind the Cowboys' honor and turn it over to the Patriots. The Cowboys are known for wanton spending and attention-mongering with zero results. The Patriots are widely regarded as the NFL's most efficiently run organization. Their owner, Robert Kraft, was a season-ticket holder who aspired to buy the team one day -- and did. The American dream and capitalism all in one.

What's more, the Patriots were formed in Boston, a.k.a. "The Cradle of Liberty" and crucible for the American Revolution.

They were an original member of the American Football League, which is celebrating its golden anniversary this year.

They changed their name to New England to reflect their meaning to a region where Pilgrims landed. Some teams, such as Minnesota and Arizona, claim a state. The Patriots claim six.

The Patriots wear red, white and blue. When they score, Minutemen line up behind the end zone and fire their muskets into the air.

They're loved. They're despised. They give a nation of sports fans plenty to talk about. They win.

They're called the Patriots, for crying out loud.

What's more American than all of that?

The thing that's so dumb about this isn't just that they've had the term since the 70s, but rather that they're just using Football teams. Shouldn't you consider the Yankees (perhaps more fans out there), the Red Wings (the American working man's team), and/or the Celtics?

As much as I hate the Cowboys, that nickname is theirs and theirs alone.

The Great Debate: 'America's Team' (ESPN)

I wish I was joking about that above headline, but according to the Miami Herald, it's true. FOX analyst Jimmy Johnson was all set to go on Survivor, but after one of his physicals revealed a blockage in an artery, he was told to stay home....

The need to compete did sneak up on Johnson in the oddest of ways recently, though. Survivor is one of his favorite shows. And he wanted to be on it. So he went out back on the private beach, Rhonda with the video camera, and explained to the producers why he should be allowed even though he worked for a rival network. He filled out thick files of paperwork and signed contracts. He got his yellow-fever shots. And he was headed to Africa for 45 days of seclusion when the doctor called about some of his tests. One artery to his heart was totally blocked, another blocked 70 percent. He wouldn't be going anywhere. He has lost 30 pounds since. No more big bowls of butter-pecan ice cream before bed. And now the big, bad leader of violent men sheepishly orders the lighter dish when Honeybun says no to the prime-rib wrap.

Dammit! How awesome would it have been to have that little leprechaun running around on an island with kids half his age? I'm thinking that now that his health is better, he needs to revisit this idea of his.

Jimmy Johnson living in luxury with football a distant memory (Miami Herald)

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)

It's truly amazing how much the NFL runs the world these days. So much so in fact, that CBS is moving the Emmy Awards up a full week due to a combination of NFL games on Sunday, September 20th. CBS has a double header that they're worried will run into the program, but the real reason is the Sunday Night Football matchup between the Giants and Cowboys on NBC. The 20th would also be the television debut of the new Cowboys' stadium, and a move a week up would put the Emmys up against the Bears and Packers, a much better matchup for the network. Via The Hollywood Reporter....

The 61st Primetime Emmy Awards will air a week earlier than previously scheduled.

Originally slated for Sept. 20, the awards show will take place Sept. 13.

The reason: CBS, which carries the Emmys this year, has an NFL doubleheader Sept. 20, which could bleed into primetime and delay the start of the show.

"This is better for the live event, the broadcast and our audience at home," said Jack Sussman, CBS' executive vp specials, music and live events.

The original date for the broadcast was set before the NFL released its 2009 TV schedule.

In addition to preventing a possible delay, the move to Sept. 13 also will pit the primetime Emmys against the lower-profile Bears-Packers NFL game on NBC. Had the Emmys aired Sept. 20, the show would've faced the marquee Giants-Cowboys showdown.

While the move obviously makes sense, there is one small negative. The Emmys usually are a perfect vehicle to promote the Fall season on CBS, which starts the next day. Going up against the Giants and Cowboys though would be ratings suicide, so the move is probably worth it.

Emmy ceremony pushed up a week (THR)

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)

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)

I passed along the info yesterday, that ESPN was pushing hard for the Cowboys opener in their new stadium to be the first MNF game of the season. Well apparently every other network has requested that game as well, which means that it looks like ESPN won't be getting it. Via Barry Horn at the DMN....

Fox, NBC, CBS and ESPN have informed the NFL they would like to telecast the Dallas Cowboys' home opener in September at their new stadium in Arlington.

The Cowboys are the NFL's No. 1 television attraction, and the team's first regular-season game at the new stadium is a bonus for the networks.

Networks give their game preferences to the league before the schedule is completed. The schedule will be released next month.

This really isn't a surprise, and when I posted yesterday on the subject, I didn't really even think about NBC's role in all of this. It's no secret that NBC usually gets first dibs in cases like this, and the NFL and Jerry Jones would probably like nothing better than the first game of the season to feature the new stadium. We'll find out in a month either way though.

Networks vie for Dallas Cowboys' home opener (Dallas Morning News)

Jerry Jones' new and still-to-be sponsored stadium, got some good news recently. Not only is U2 going to be playing a show there, ESPN execs came on a tour and will officially petition the league for the stadium to host the first game of the Monday Night Football season. Via the Dallas Observer....

The National Football League will release the '09-'10 schedule next month -- at which point, just maybe, Jerry Jones's Enormodome will officially announce that it's making its national prime-time bow on Monday Night Football, enh. Sports Business Journal reports that ESPN execs toured Jonestown a few days back in anticipation of requesting the league give the Worldwide Leader the first shot at the Arlington stadium in September; Jones has likewise requested an NFC East opponent. And, looks like it'll be the AT&T Thunderdome. Alas, reports the subscription-only story, Jones is "sensitive to the timing of any potential announcement, given the public beating that some companies have taken over big-money sports sponsorships recently and the potential price tag for the stadium deal."

It certainly makes sense given the buzz around the stadium, and the popularity of the Cowboys. If I was a betting man, it put good money on it being the Giants that join Dallas on Monday night, but the Skins or Eagles wouldn't be a bad alternative.

ESPN, U2 Want a Piece of Jonestown (Dallas Observer)

Crazy night last night. I was supposed to go "On the DL", but for some reason my power went out (so Dan and Nick just made fun of me for an hour). When it came back on, ESPN was magically the last channel I was on, and out of nowhere, it popped up. The Cowboys release Terrell Owens.

My first reaction was shock, because I really didn't think they'd do it, but my second feeling was that of relief. Relief that Ed Werder can finally do his job again! Here is the clip from ESPN last night, and listen closely as Stuart Scott gives you the important details of Owens' career....

"He was just MVP of the Celebrity All-Star Game, for the second year in a row."- Stuart Scott

Ummm okay? Thanks for that bit of nonsense, Stu. I love the look on Neil Everett's face at the time. Too funny. Oh and I fully expect T.O. to be a Redskin by the end of the week. Good times!

The Starting Five scored an interesting interview today with First Take's Skip Bayless, and among the many in depth topics, Bayless relives his time in Dallas. When writing a book on the team, Skip came out (no pun intended) and challenged Troy Aikman's sexuality, and to this day....he's standing by the allegation. Not only that, but he's now even saying that the ex-Cowboys QB was possibly racist.

I also knew I had to go back and live with them because I had no plans on leaving Dallas. I wish I could have written it even harder than I did because I felt like I tip toed through some of it.

I wish I had sledgehammered it because it was the truth and everyone who knew what was going on inside the locker room told me the book was a terrific job and that I nailed it.

Because I did. It’s exactly what happened. All I heard from people around the country who didn’t read the book was, “You outed Troy Aikman?”

I didn’t. The coach definitely thought he was gay and a lot of his teammates thought he was gay. More than that, they thought he was racist and they thought he was trying to get Barry Switzer.

Love him, or hate him, the guy sure knows what he's doing. I personally think that he's one of the many things wrong with Sports Media these days, but you can't argue his intelligence. Whether or not the claims are true or not, it helped him sell books, and eventually land at ESPN. Be sure to check out the rest of the interview that TSF put together, it's definitely worth a read.

The Skip Bayless Interview (The Starting Five)

Everyone is always piling on T.O., including the ESPN Sunday Countdown crew. Both Keyshawn Johnson and Cris Carter have been critical of the wide receiver multiple times this season, which is why some of their comments came across a bit hypocritical this past weekend.

The set was discussing Anquan Boldin's recent run-in with a coach, and both Johnson and Carter were sticking up for the Arizona receiver. This isn't sitting well with the Dallas Media, who are calling both analysts hypocrites today. Via Barry Horn at the Dallas Morning News....

As we all know from watch ESPN's Sunday studio show this season, Keyshawn Johnson and Cris Carter aren't very fond of Terrell Owens. The ex-WRs have picked, picked, picked on T.O. for everything from alligator arms to lizard leanings. They think T.O.'s sideline behavior has been lousy.

So it was surprising to hear Keyshawn kid-gloving Cardinals WR Anquan Boldin this morning after his sideline spat with former T.O. sparring partner Todd Haley.

"No. It's not that big of a deal," Keyshawn said. If it was, you could see players grabbing him ... I've been with Todd Haley and I've been around Todd Haley. He coached me with the Jets. He coached me in Dallas. In our meeting rooms (he) was the worst. You would like to be a fly on that wall. I don't how we could even be in the same room, I don't know how we can get along so well. But that's just a player and a coach out there competing. I work for TV, but I hate it because they try to turn it into more than it is. And, it's not that big of a deal."

Said Carter: "For one, a lot of times you don't know what the players are saying. But as players and coaches, we're a fraternity. Whatever we say on Sunday's or Monday's during the game it doesn't count. This is a competitive atmosphere. It's a result's oriented business ...When you have an athlete like him and he can't participate in the game, he's going to let the coach know that. And he has a right to know that because of the sacrifice he's made for his teammates."

Considering that the Carter-T.O. "Bullet incident" happened only a few short weeks ago, it's definitely surprising that he would be a Boldin apologist. Forget the fact that anytime Keyshawn says that someone is a "distraction", that it's extremely hypocritical. I know the media is trying to play up the whole fight between Anquan and Coach Haley, and ESPN was right in dismissing it over the weekend, but they should be more careful about who they do and don't defend on-air.

Do Keyshawn and Cris Carter have a double standard when it comes to T.O.? (Dallas Morning News)

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)

According to Sports Business Daily's John Ourand, ESPN has scheduled the first game at the Cowboys' Stadium in 2009, and it will feature a pretty interesting matchup. BCS Championship contender Oklahoma will travel due South to Arlington, TX, where they'll meet up with Mountain West powerhouse BYU....

ESPN will televise the first college football game from the new Cowboys stadium September 5, when Oklahoma plays BYU. The game will be part of ESPN Kickoff Week presented by Gillette. ESPN has not decided yet whether to telecast the game on ESPN or ABC. The game will kick off a five-year deal that will see ESPN or ABC telecast a Labor Day weekend game from the new stadium. "We are delighted to present this compelling game and impressive new venue to a national audience, and look forward to working with Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys in future years to build a new tradition in college football," said ESPN/ABC Sports President George Bodenheimer.

That's a great game, and probably the best venue to hold it in. At least since it's not a Cowboys' game, we won't be beat over the head with Jerry Jones interviews and mentions. Although, I don't see how they won't have something with him at some point or another.

ESPN To Televise Oklahoma-BYU From New Cowboys Stadium In September (Sports Business Daily)

At the beginning of the season, I thought it was a lock that CBS was going to take the NFL "TV Partners Cup" this season, but because of the Brady injury and a "fading Favre", FOX once again won the ratings battle for the year. It was a close race though. I've sifted through the numbers, via SBJ, and here's how they networks came out in the end....

The NFC's channel averaged a little over 17 Million viewers for the year, with NBC clocking in at 16.6, and CBS hitting exactly a 16.2. The interesting thing with the numbers though is that, when compared to the 2007 totals, the only network that did better was NBC. CBS was hit the hardest by being down 2.1, and while FOX was down slightly from last year, NBC actually gained 4.2% in viewers and 2% in the final average rating.

As far as Pregame Shows go, FOX won the overall award with CBS only trailing slightly, as both networks showed gains over 2007. ESPN's Countdowns were the only pregame shows that brought brought in losses (Monday: -4.8%, Sunday: -4.5%), and in its first year, NFL-N's "NFL GameDay Morning" averaged a rather paltry 270,000 viewers.

Other notable numbers:

- Cowboys played in six of the top games on FOX and CBS.
- Steelers played in five.
- ESPN averaged an 8.9 cable rating for its third season of Monday Night Football (up 3.5%).
- The NFL Network averaged a 6.2 cable rating (down 12.7%).
- "The OT" on FOX beat out "Football Night In America" on NBC by an average rating of 6.9 to 4.0.

We don't know everything about rich, old white people, but what we do know is that they don't know how to successfully complete a high five. Philly fans and owners were obviously happy during last evenings dismantling of the Cowboys, but showing your glee by palming your wife in the face, isn't really the best idea. Via Deadspin....

Awkward! And is there anything better than the "multiple replay" when someone gets hit in the face? I submit that there is not!

I'd High Five Her Face Right Now Too (Deadspin)