I was trying to come up with a way to do a video highlight with clips from each of the pregame shows for each Monday, but I'm still working out the kinks. In the meantime, I wanted to share my thoughts (and get yours) on each of the pregame shows. I'll get into each network individually, but I thought as a whole every show seemed to lose a bit on their fastball and only one really has improved (see below). It's not that Strahan and Patrick were necessarily bad, but all of the new teams seemed a bit dull compared to last year. The only crew that even came across as slightly excited that it was the first weekend was that of the Sunday Countdown team. The three network groups really didn't wow me and in the case of NBC....made me want to change the channel. Let's get into them network by network....
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NBC: I still just can't get past the amount of people on the show and all of the switch overs and moving around of the analysts gets distracting about ten minutes through. While I thought Dan Patrick was good in his first showing, I personally think Keith Olbermann despises his role on the show. He seriously makes me want to change the channel and I think he's so polarizing that other people probably feel the same way. Bob Raismann of the Daily News even went so far as to call Olbermann an "agenda-driven punk" and that he should have "better things to do".

Now I don't necessarily agree with the term agenda-driven punk, but I can understand Bob's frustration. As far as the rest of the program goes, I really think that Peter King should be getting all of Tiki Barber and Jerome Bettis' airtime. Sure he plays to his favorites, but he has more relevant information than Barber or Bettis could ever come up with combined. I feel bad for Cris Collinsworth when he tries to start up a discussion with those two.

The show should really just be Costas, Collinsworth and Dan Patrick with Peter King providing reports, but every network seems to think they need an ex-player to provide nothing these days.

CBS: The only difference between CBS and NBC is that with the peacock I get mad an say I'm going to change the channel, and with CBS I actually do. I just don't get a sense that any of the participants, outside of JB, are that into their roles.

Also, if you saw the halftime show you probably lost your mind just like I did. I tuned in to catch any information on Brady's injury and they spent the whole time airing a glorified commercial for the new CBS building that Robert Kraft built outside of Gillette Stadium. I understand that there needs to be time fillers occasionally, but they really should have scratched it and talked about one of the most important injuries in the history of the league. Maybe CBS wanted to ignore it in hopes that people will still watch Patriots games this season on the network, and not hurt them in the ratings game (thank god for Brett Favre right?).

FOX: I really thought Michael Strahan was going to wow me during his first show, but he too came off as lackluster. I can't stand the whole Terry Bradshaw "dumb redneck" schtick they put us through every Sunday and with Strahan now on-set, it's only going to get worse. It really takes away from the genius of perhaps the best analysts the Sport has (minus Jimmy Johnson). Although I did chuckle when Howie Long said, "he brings our Championship total to eight and our divorce total to six," about Strahan.

Menefee is getting better though and it's still my go to pregame show in the morning. Well, until Frank Caliendo shows up and then I switch to ESPN. Speaking of which....

ESPN: I don't know what it is about this group of people, and I hate to say this in their presence (Hi Bristol!), but when Emmitt isn't on the show....Countdown is actually not bad. Sure it's a bit cheesy, and both Ditka and Key are a little bit over-the-top, but the analysis is there and they seem to be genuinely excited that early in the day for Football. If you can get past all the chuckling every 10 minutes, they actually have a lot of good points and gameday information. The show is especially good for you fantasy freaks out there because they update injuries and starter info just about every 15 minutes or so.

I'm not saying it's the best, but it somehow became tolerable in the offseason.
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All in all, I'm just not overwhelmed with any of the shows or the new hires. Outside of ESPN, the other three have regressed, and in one case even became almost completely unwatchable. I really hope for NBC's sake that they get rid of some of that ridiculously large cast of characters, but that doesn't seem likely to happen in the near future.

No place for partisan Keith Olbermann on NFL show (NY Daily News)

There isn't official word of the Dancing With The "Stars" cast for next season, but a few sites are claiming to have inside info. On the list are such "celebrities" as Kim Kardashian, Toni Braxton, Lance Bass, Florence Henderson and one Daniel Constantine Marino, Jr. From In Touch via The Palm Beach Post....

What do a sultry soul singer, a sexy reality starlet known for her bodacious butt, a rodeo cowboy, a Hall of Fame quarterback, an openly gay former boy-bander and the 74-year-old “Mrs. Brady” have in common? As In Touch can exclusively reveal, they’ll all be getting their groove on during the seventh season of Dancing With the Stars! “Toni Braxton, Kim Kardashian, Jewel’s boyfriend Ty Murray, Dan Marino, Lance Bass and Florence Henderson will all be competing,” an insider tells In Touch. “The cast is eclectic and diverse: We’ve got young, old, gay, straight, dance professionals and people who’ve never danced before.

The official reveal isn't happening until August 25th on Good Morning America, but if the reputable In Touch magazine says it's true...then I believe it. A former athlete seems to win the thing every year, so he's got a chance, and with the ratings the show gets it's really just free press for CBS.

Update: Now there's word that he isn't going to be on the show....

Dan Marino denies 'Dancing With the Stars' rumors (Sun Sentinel)

Dancing With the Stars sneak peek! (In Touch Weekly)
Dan Marino on "Dancing With The Stars"? (Palm Beach Post)

This just completely threw me for a loop yesterday. I knew Gus Johnson had done some coverage for Women's College Basketball (which he did Saturday) but now CBS has Bill Cowher working overtime and providing insight for the Sport...

There's nothing really wrong with using him for extra coverage considering his wife was a professional BBall player and his daughter plays for Princeton, but the timing was pretty odd. This clip aired about 5 minutes before the NFL Today Pregame Show.

Cowher wasn't on set at first so the group had Charlie Casserly there to fill in. By the time he was on camera CBS had the rare and pointless 6-man desk. They couldn't even move their arms.

Good news for you folks wanting to see the "Path to Perfection" this Saturday night. The NFL has decided to make your dreams come true by letting NBC and CBS simulcast the Patriots-Giants game.....

The NFL has arranged with broadcast television partners CBS and NBC for an unprecedented three-way national simulcast of the NFL Network telecast of Saturday night’s New England Patriots at New York Giants game when the Patriots will try to become the first NFL team to go 16-0 in a regular season, NFL Commissioner ROGER GOODELL announced today.

“We have taken this extraordinary step because it is in the best interest of our fans,” Commissioner Goodell said. “What we have seen for the past year is a very strong consumer demand for NFL Network. We appreciate CBS and NBC delivering the NFL Network telecast on Saturday night to the broad audience that deserves to see this potentially historic game. Our commitment to the NFL Network is stronger than ever.”

CBS and NBC will carry the NFL Network feed of the game with BRYANT GUMBEL and CRIS COLLINSWORTH in the broadcast booth. The game also will be televised by WCVB-ABC (Channel 5) in Boston, WMUR-ABC in Manchester, New Hampshire (Channel 9) and WWOR (Channel 9) in New York. The telecast begins at 8 p.m. ET with kickoff set at 8:15 p.m. ET.

Woo hoo! Everyone gets to see a blowout, but a historic blowout. Everyone better show up for the live-blog now.

NFL arranges simulcast of Patriots-Giants on NFL Network, CBS and NBC (NFL.com)

This seems like the best idea a Pregame Show has come up with, and while I know it's been done before it hasn't been done to this degree. Bill Cowher plans to gameplan both the Offense and Defense for his ex-team the Pittsburgh Steelers this Sunday on NFL Today.

Cowher will take the team he coached just a year ago and dissect and plan exactly how the Steelers can beat the Patriots. This should provide us Football nerds with a great inside look at how coaches prepare from game to game. Also, Bill's Steelers were the ones who stopped New England's 21 wins in a row in 2004....Mike Tomlin should probably take notes.

Didn't Do A Preseason Preview for CBS, but here's the Super Bowl Preview from last year.

Other 2007-2008 Previews: ESPN , NBC, FOX

Unlike the NFL on Fox, CBS is actually pretty dependable. They've been covering the NFL for 48 years now, and not much has changed. I consider myself an NFC person, so I don't spend a lot of time over at the Eye (this is mainly because I despise the Ravens, and for some reason they televise all of their games even if you live in Martinsville, VA....look it up on a map). Well that's going to all change this year. I'm all over you CBS for once again burying the saintly Gus Johnson (I don't care what you say Anon commenter #892) and your placement of him at every Browns game.

CBS is also coming off of their Super Bowl year, so the Jim Nantz train has one less stop to make this year. He can go back to his paltry schedule of covering just Golf, The Final Four, Cup Stacking, WWE Hell in a Cell, The Ms. Senior Colorado Pageant, and The Winter Olympics (that joke never gets old....okay maybe it has).

So what's there to look out for this year at CBS? Well AA's focus is going to be on the ever-evolving/mysterious Nantz/Simms feud that has been rumored for years. CBS suits have long been bothered (allegedly) how this spills out onto the airwaves, and I'm banking on it coming to head this year.

The Studio Show is by far the most serious of the bunch, and gets even more intense as Bill Cowher joins JB, Marino, Esiason, and Sharpe. Seriously CBS, do you know how much more credible you'd be if you got rid of Shannon Sharpe? Guess not. Moving on....up until now I had no idea what Charlie Caserlie's title was, but thanks to the CBS Press Release we now know that it is "The Official GM of the NFL Today on CBS" (whatever the hell that means). Good to know

Well look out CBS the AA Eye will be watching (get it? eye like the logo...nevermind). Haikus and grading after the pretty collage, and if you missed the games each pair is getting Weeks 1 and 2....click here.
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NFL Today Preseason Overall Grade: B-

Team #1- Jim Nantz and Phil Simms (Grade B-....and falling)

No Feud Here, What Feud?
Phil Talks Down To Jim Sundays
Jim Leaves, UFC

Team #2- Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf (Grade C-)

Dan Misses Boxing
Gumbel Misses Studio
Booth Fans Empty

Team #3- Dick Enberg and Randy Cross (Grade D+)

Dick Confused Often
Randy Confused Even More
Dick Randy = Porn Star

Team #4- Kevin Harlan and Rich Gannon (Grade C)

Kevin Excited
Gannon Has Really Big Feet
Nothing Left To Say

Team #5- Ian Eagle and Solomon Wilcots (Grade B+)

Eagle Likes To Dance
Solomon Provides Beat Box
Where's Spencer Tillman?

Team #6- Gus Johnson and Steve Tasker (Grade B-)

Patron Saint Gujo
With Special, Special Teamer
Say Hi to Cleveland

Team #7- Don Criqui, Bill Macatee, and Steve Beuerlein (Grade B)

Criqui Hall Of Fame
Beuerlein Always Serious
Bill Likes Ice Dancing
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There you have it.....tell me why and how I'm wrong in the comments.

CBS Releases Announcing Assignments For Weeks 1 and 2 (Awful Announcing)
Your Official MNF Review: Game One (Awful Announcing)
2007-2008 NFL Season Announcing Preview: Sunday Night Is Football Night (Awful Announcing)
2007-2008 NFL Season Announcing Preview: NFL on Fox (Awful Announcing)

When Mondesi's House first emailed this to me I thought I would open the story and see that Bill was a replacement on Dancing With The Stars. I just picture him spitting all over a beautiful Latin Woman (Latina?) while doing the can-can. But alas, no such luck.

He is howevah, going to be driving a sports car....which could lead to crashes....which could lead to anger....which could lead to spitting. We can only hope.

He apparently prefers left turns, 150-mph speeds and a new-fangled, ABC summertime series called "Fast Cars and Superstars: Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race," and we're not making that up.

Barely two months off the Steelers' job, this 15-year head coach and soon-to-be CBS studio analyst went out last week and filmed seven made-for-reality-TV episodes that required him to dress in a blue racing uniform, squeeze into a stock car and vroom-vroom around Lowe's Motor Speedway near Charlotte, N.C.

It's a NASCAR reality show, and will air on ABC. I wonder how the folks at CBS feel about him jumping to another station? Hopefully the NFL Today Analyst doesn't pull a Roethlisberger and not wear a helmet.

CowheReality (Mondesi's House)
Cowher Rides onto Reality Show (Post-Gazette)