If we were to carve a Mt. Rushmore featuring the most common targets in Media Circus history, Chris Berman’s mug would no doubt be on it. 

His staunch refusal to give up the shtick that made him famous twenty years ago has worn on sports fans and transformed him from whacky sports guy into annoying, self-absorbed sports guy.

But before you think to yourself, “here comes another Berman bashing session” and click the back button, stay with us.  This time, we’re switching gears. 

Something dawned on us this Sunday night after the late round of Sunday afternoon NFL games drew to a close.  After wasting the first three hours of football engrossed in a depressing Rams loss, we had missed quite a bit of action throughout the league.  In years past, this would be no problem, for the 6:30 hour brought us the Sunday staple, NFL Primetime – a fast-paced, highlight dominated whirlwind that ensured that you were brought up to speed on the day’s action going into the Sunday Night game. 

Sure it had it’s fair share of Berman moments that made you want to hit the mute button – personally, we would cringe anytime Marshall Faulk highlights were cued up, due to exhausting “Marshall, Marshall, Marshall” routine – but all in all, it was a solid 60 minutes packed with frill-free highlights.  Exactly what it needed to be.

Last year NBC took over the Sunday Night duties and as part of the package, the NFL stripped ESPN of its ability to do the extended highlights show they had done since 1987.   In stepped NBC’s version with its futuristic set, self-absorbed name and 23 anchors providing a jumbled mess of pre and post game analysis, forced segments and ego. 

Instead of Berman and Tom Jackson, we get Bob Costas, Jerome Bettis, Chris Colinsworth, Tiki Barber, Peter King and Keith Olbermann.  Six people in studio when all fans want is some freaking highlights of the day’s games. 

A year later it’s as obvious as Tiki’s fake laugh, the loss of NFL Primetime has left a void that has not been adequately filled by Football Night in America.  Under normal circumstances, the consumer would be able to determine the better show by ignoring the other. 

But these aren’t normal circumstances.  This is the NFL.  They see it as perfectly reasonable to dictate what show fans get to watch based on who pays them the most money. 
……

Whew.  We blacked out there for a minute.  Did we actually just write 400 words in support of a Chris Berman show?

Crap that actually came from somebody’s mouth
"The Chargers are stunningly bad.  Norv Turner has done a stunningly awful job...  Last night was an embarassment.  This was a Patriots team that was ready to be had." - Bill Plaschke

We tend to wait until at least Week 4 before determining that anyone has reached “stunningly bad” territory.  We’re conservative like that.
____

"The Patriots did not win games because they were cheating; they're just a better football team and more prepared than other teams." - Sean Salisbury

We’re not going take away anything the Patriots have accomplished, but the idea of cheating with illegal video taping usually lends itself to playing better and more prepared.
____

”One of those, perhaps, game changing penalties.” – Jim Nantz on an illegal shift that negated a Chiefs TD

Considering it took away a touchdown, we’re going to say, yes, it was a game-changer.
____

"Cam Cameron, that ninth overall selection on Ted Ginn Jr. is paying dividends … not…. with a first-round pick that early, you should be hoping to find the next Steve Smith – not Desmond Howard or Dante Hall."  – James Black , Yahoo Sports

Considering that in Steve Smith’s first two games in the NFL he had 2 receptions for 27 yards, it might just be a bit premature to determine if Ted Ginn is the next Steve Smith.

One Sopranos Question Answered
After the controversial final scene of The Sopranos, many people have been wondering what happened to their favorite mob family. 

Did they die?  Did they go into the Witness Protection Program?  Did they just keep playing Journey on the jukebox all night? 

Well, after last week’s Sunday night game, we can at least be sure that one of the Sopranos made it out of that diner in tact as Carmela Soprano was doing a bang up job as the new sideline reporter for NBC’s Football Night in America. 

Good to see she landed on her feet.

Greatest Cliché on Turf - Version 6.0
At this point it’s so predictable it’s almost not worth pointing out.  But what the hell.

In basically every season since 2001, the media has done the same dance with the St. Louis Rams. 

Step 1 – Announce that the Rams may once again be “The Greatest Show on Turf”
Step 2 – Watch as Rams start out slowly and realize that they’re offense isn’t anywhere close to where it was from 99-01
Step 3 – Lash out at the Rams for thinking they were good enough to be compared to the Greatest Show even though no one but the media themselves suggested it. 

And allow us to demonstrate it in action in 2007…

Step 1 -  “The Rams could be headed to their most explosive season since the “Greatest Show” tore up the league” - St. Louis Post-Dispatch writer Bill Coats on June 9, 2007
Step 2 – Rams fall to 0-2 after scoring 29 total points
Step 3 - “Check the emotions of the principals with the St. Louis Rams in what is supposed to be a renewal of "The Greatest Show on Turf" offense.” – Gerry Fraley, San Francisco Chronicle on September 17, 2007

Join us next September when we go through this exercise all over again. 

Media Rant - Being John Madden
Sunday’s main event between the Chargers and Patriots turned into a bit of a disappointment after New England jumped out to a 24-0 lead.  Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on your perspective, John Madden put on a show that only John Madden could perform and, and, and when you, yyyayy know, get John Madden to be John Madden, he’s going to the things that John Madden does.

You might have come into the telecast wondering what John thought of Tom Brady:

"You say look at Tom Brady, how smooth he is, how great he is, he looks like silk.  But he works very, very hard at being that."

You may have thought the previous comment couldn’t be topped in the man crush department.  If so, you’d be wrong:

"Give me Tom Brady and I wouldn't need any cameras either!"

Hey John, what of these Bill Belichick defenses?

"That's the thing about these Bill Belichick defenses... you think they're going to do something, you're almost sure they're going to do it, then they don't."

How are the Chargers going to get pressure on Tom Brady?

"They're going to have to get it from the outside, plus (from) a push up the middle."

So pretty much from everywhere.  Thanks captain obvious.  Oh, but uh, what does next Sunday night’s game between the Cowboys and Bears at Soldier Field sound like?

”It sounds like football in Chicago.”

It’s the little things in life…

“ I remember in training camp, it was either going to be (Jeromey Clary) or (Cory) Lekerkerker - I just wanted to say Lekerkerker - but he beat out Lekerkerker."

At least Madden keeps things simple.

"(Shane Olivea) gets his back bent in a way that your back doesn't bend."

Or not.

"That's a move that you can make if you can go forward and then your next move is backwards.  Usually you juke a guy and you go right or left, but when you catch the ball and go backwards, you see that and make him dive in air, and then go forward again, you're going to get a first down.  There's not a lot of guys that make that move."

Definitely not. 

"I think if (Randy Moss) has a chance to win, he's a pretty good team guy."

So if his team wins, he’s a team player?  Man, that sounds just like a team guy to us. 

Bob Carpenter Memorial Snappy Line
When Brad Nessler saw that he was broadcasting the Notre Dame-Michigan game this year, he probably thought he was going to witness a battle between two super powers in college football.  Instead he got two 0-2 teams desperately trying not to get dumped to a disastrous 0-3.

The only way to spice up that mess was to get snappy.  Two times. 

“Trevor basically saying that Charlie Weis has some laws of his own.” – Brad Nessler after a taped interview piece with Trevor Laws, Notre Dame D-Tackle

“The Machete with another slice of defense for Michigan.” – Brad Nessler in reference to LB John “The Machete” Thompson

Frankly, if Bob Carpenter sees a guy with the last name Laws and a guy with a nickname like “The Machete” in the same game, he expects nothing less than two snappers. 

Job well done, Brad. 

The Media Circus is written by Josh Bacott and Pat Imig.  They swear this stuff is real.  Email them at info@joesportsfan.com