2025-2026 NFL Season Thread

[Moviefan1203]

Originally Posted by fatediesel

The Big Ten is bidding out their TV package in two parts, and Fox got the first part. It wasn't a surprise that Fox was the high bidder because they've been trying to get some more high-end games and already has a relationship with the conference since it owns 51% of the Big Ten Network.

Bidding hasn't begun on the second part yet so it's possible that ESPN could keep some of the rights. It's also rumored that CBS and Turner might make a joint bid similar to how they do the NCAA tournament with CBS and TBS or TNT splitting the package. Fox will also likely bid on the second package.

Note: This TV contract doesn't begin until 2017. ESPN/ABC will still have the same rights as the past for the 2016-2017 school year.

Is Fox keeping Pac 12 as well?

[BizCat]

Originally Posted by fatediesel

More changes at ESPN:



http://thebiglead.com/2016/05/09/maj...randy-moss-in/

I have never liked Cris Carter - horrible analysis and his 'fall guy' comment was stupid. Ray Lewis, as a player, I liked, but not as an analyst (barely understand the guy). I do like Ditka, interested to see what they do with him. Randy Moss is an excellent option.

Originally Posted by rickah88

I enjoy Cowherd! Although I thought he was either fired, or let go after his comments about the Dominican Republic(when discussing MLB)?
How is Berman still there? He was great in his heyday, but now he just looks miserable. Like he doesn't want to be there.

Berman is the man.

Originally Posted by fatediesel

Cowherd had already announced he was leaving for Fox when he made the comments about Dominican players. After the comments ESPN moved his final day with the network up a week. His comments about Dominicans were nothing worse than things he's said plenty of times over the years, but since he was leaving anyway ESPN wanted to make it seem like they were punishing Cowherd.

Berman came close to leaving a few years back. DirecTV and the NFL Network tried to put a package together where Berman could have a radio show/TV simulcast that would air on DirecTV after The Dan Patrick Show (which Rich Eisen ended up doing), and then do NFL work for the NFL Network. Apparently it's well-known within the industry that Berman has always wanted to live in Hawaii so with the DTV/NFLN package he could have lived in Hawaii and just travel to LA for Sundays during the NFL season and other special events. Apparently Berman gave it serious consideration but decided he wanted to remain with ESPN because he enjoys doing baseball work in addition to his NFL duties.

Glad he stayed. I don't do satellite and hardly watch NFL Network.

[fatediesel]

Originally Posted by Moviefan1203

Is Fox keeping Pac 12 as well?

Yeah, all the other major conferences are locked into TV deals into the 2020s.

[Bigdog]

Originally Posted by fatediesel

He's got experience doing virtually every sport and has been one of ESPN's top college football announcers. I've never had any problems with him, he does a pretty good job of not talking too much. We'll see how he gels with Gruden though.



ESPN has done some major cost-cutting as they've lost millions of subscribers. They didn't want to lose Tirico, Colin Cowherd, or Skip Bayless but they got outbid, and they got outbid for the Big Ten rights. A few years back ESPN never got outbid if they truly wanted something. They've got so much money locked up in long-term contracts with the NFL, NBA, and MLB that they have to be more selective with what they bid on and can't overpay like they did in the past.

Always liked him when he had the Red Sox gig before he got screwed out of it. If any person has busted their chops and worked to earn the privilege to have this job it is Sean McDonough imo. Glad to see him get his chance on one of the biggest stages of all.

[RageATL]

AFAIC, NFLN has been kicking ESPN's ass for years. In fact, the only reason I ever tune into ESPN these days is for their NFL game broadcasts (and in another realm, for CFB game broadcasts).

[Moviefan1203]

Source - http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...oming-to-town/

The mayor of Las Vegas believes the Raiders are ready to make a move.

Mayor Carolyn Goodman told ESPN that Raiders owner Mark Davis isn’t just using Vegas as leverage to get a better stadium deal in Oakland. According to Goodman, a move to Vegas is close to happening.

“Mark Davis has assured us that Las Vegas is not getting played in a Raiders stadium deal,” Goodman said. “I know we will have a team.”

The proposal for a domed NFL stadium in Las Vegas includes the Raiders paying $500 million, the Sands Corporation paying $150 million and taxpayers paying $750 million. To pass the tax increase, the Nevada legislature would have to act.

“The Raiders will come if Nevada handles this properly,” Goodman said.

Some around the NFL believe the league is simply too averse to gambling to allow a team to move to Vegas. But the league isn’t averse to accepting hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer money to build a stadium, and if Nevada approves the deal, it would be hard for the NFL to say no.

Interesting.

[fatediesel]

I have no doubt the Raiders are serious about Las Vegas, the question is are the other owners on board? He needs at least 23 other owners to be in favor of the move to get it approved by the league, and there's numerous owners that have spoken cautiously about Las Vegas. One thing Davis would have going for him is he'd probably get the other California owners and the Texas owners to vote in favor of the move since they don't want the Raiders in their states.

[rickah88]

I don't see this happening, of course it could be said that stranger things have happened.

[RageATL]

Originally Posted by rickah88

I don't see this happening, of course it could be said that stranger things have happened.

Pre-Baddell, I bet just about all of us would have scoffed at such a notion. Now that the tyrant is in power, it seems like any/all of the things that we thought we'd never see in the NFL are now on the table.

[fatediesel]

The NFL's stance on gambling is incredibly hypocritical. They say they don't like gambling, yet they love London where there's a sportsbook every 50 feet. They won't let Tony Romo and other players be part of a fantasy football convention being held at a convention center owned by a casino (not in a casino, on property owned by a casino), yet they have no problem with the Lions partnering with MGM Grand for an area in their stadium or the Saints having training camp at a resort featuring a casino. 28 teams have (or had) some sort of affiliation with Draft Kings or Fan Duel, which many states have ruled is gambling.

[fatediesel]

The cover for Maddon 17 will be unveiled tonight at 6:00 ET on SportsCenter.

[Batman1980]

Originally Posted by fatediesel

The NFL's stance on gambling is incredibly hypocritical. They say they don't like gambling, yet they love London where there's a sportsbook every 50 feet. They won't let Tony Romo and other players be part of a fantasy football convention being held at a convention center owned by a casino (not in a casino, on property owned by a casino), yet they have no problem with the Lions partnering with MGM Grand for an area in their stadium or the Saints having training camp at a resort featuring a casino. 28 teams have (or had) some sort of affiliation with Draft Kings or Fan Duel, which many states have ruled is gambling.

Not to mention the NFL is blatantly endorsing fantasy football by pretty much everything they're doing in broadcasts and non-game coverage. Still not sure why they came down on Romo, doesn't make any sense to me.

[RageATL]

Originally Posted by fatediesel

The cover for Maddon 17 will be unveiled tonight at 6:00 ET on SportsCenter.

Surprised this is even a "thing" anymore.

[jwerk]

Originally Posted by RageATL

Surprised this is even a "thing" anymore.

The cover's going to be Peyton or Cam, right? Haven't heard anything, just my guess. Could be Von I guess, he seems to be everywhere.

[West E]

Originally Posted by fatediesel

I have no doubt the Raiders are serious about Las Vegas, the question is are the other owners on board? He needs at least 23 other owners to be in favor of the move to get it approved by the league, and there's numerous owners that have spoken cautiously about Las Vegas. One thing Davis would have going for him is he'd probably get the other California owners and the Texas owners to vote in favor of the move since they don't want the Raiders in their states.

That's pretty much what i'm thinking. A few owners may stick it to us just to get back at Al Davis. Some of them admitted it during the Rams to LA vote. The #2 option is land that Mark Davis has already purchased inbetween San Antonio and Austin.

I'm kind of curious why he doesn't want to wait a few months and see if the Chargers end up staying. He was so set on going back to LA before. Maybe he doesn't want to be a tenant.

[fatediesel]

Originally Posted by jwerk

The cover's going to be Peyton or Cam, right? Haven't heard anything, just my guess. Could be Von I guess, he seems to be everywhere.

Peyton never wanted to be on the cover his entire career, and I don't know if retirement would have changed his stance. The cover athlete for Madden has to do a lot of promotional interviews and appearances and I could see Peyton not wanting to deal with that, especially since he might face questions about the incident with the trainer at Tennessee.

I think Cam is the frontrunner, and I could see Gronk, J.J. Watt, and Von Miller as possibilities as well. There really hasn't been much in terms of rumors for who will be on the cover. EA just announced a couple days ago that they wouldn't be doing any sort of fan vote.

[dcowboy7]

Has a player ever been on the cover & then that team go on to win the super bowl that yr ?

[BizCat]

Originally Posted by Moviefan1203

Source - http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...oming-to-town/

Domed?

I don't really blame him for not wanting to go down to LA. Sharing a stadium to me, while cost-saver, is stupid. I'm not sure why San Antonio talk has dropped other than he would need a few years to build the stadium. I would love to see Oakland stay in Oakland, but I also think Las Vegas would be a great fit.

I don't know if the NFL owners would care. 1, they allowed that idiot Kroenke to bully his way into LA, and 2, the owners get paid from relocation fees.

[fatediesel]

Originally Posted by dcowboy7

Has a player ever been on the cover & then that team go on to win the super bowl that yr ?

No. The Seahawks came close the year of Richard Sherman's cover but lost in the Super Bowl to the Patriots.

[RageATL]

Originally Posted by BizCat

Berman is the man.

Glad he stayed. I don't do satellite and hardly watch NFL Network.

Please tell me you're joking.