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Phil Simms is offended by complaints about Thursday Night Football

 

Posted by Mike Florio on November 21, 2014, 2:22 PM EST

http://nbcprofootballtalk.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/simms.jpg?w=241

Last night’s game between the Chiefs and Raiders ended up being much better than expected. Then again, the bar was low.

 

But the surprisingly strong performance from Oakland and the late victory from the previously winless home team and its ability to hold off a Chiefs franchise that had been 7-3 represents an exception for Thursday nights in 2014. Actually, it represents an exception for most prime-time games this season.

 

Phil Simms of CBS, the outlet that broadcast Thursday Night Football through Week Eight and that now loans Simms and the rest of the production team to NFL Network, doesn’t appreciate the concerns that have been raised about the quality of the weekly short-week games.

 

“That’s a lot of talk from other people with games on other networks, and I want to say to them, ‘Look in the mirror and see how your games are going,’” Simms told 610 Sports Radio in Kansas City on Thursday. “I see blowout after blowout in some of these night games, and nobody talks about the quality of play there. You know, I’m a little offended by it, and I want to tell them to be quiet and worry about what you do, and we’ll worry about what we do at CBS.”

 

Simms expressed specific objection to criticism of last week’s Thursday night contest. (Frankly, I don’t think it was a bad game, and I don’t recall hearing any complaints about it.)

 

“I heard some, you know, experts, you know, commentators, talking this past week about the Buffalo-Miami game,” Simms said. “I thought it was very well played, an exciting game. Tense, hard hitting. Everything you’d want in a game. . . . Buffalo has struggled moving the ball against everybody. What’d you expect their offense to come out there and be great? So I get a little ticked off about those questions. . . . Let’s look at some of the numbers on the other games that are going and compare them and then tell me what you think.”

 

He’s absolutely right about that. Sunday Night Football has consisted of plenty of lopsided games this year. Ditto for Monday Night Football. The difference is that the Sunday night package on NBC, which essentially took the reins from Monday night when Monday night migrated from broadcast to cable in 2006, entails games of significance, regardless of the outcome. The portion of the Thursday night package that was simulcast on CBS and NFLN featured divisional games only, adding a rivalry dynamic to games that wouldn’t naturally draw as much widespread interest.

 

Simms misses the mark when assuming that the criticism comes from people who work for other networks. Most if not all of the other networks want to acquire the rights to the Thursday night games when the package is finalized for 2015 and beyond. Most of the concern about Thursday night games comes from folks with no direct or indirect connection to the broadcasting industry.

 

The concern extends beyond the quality of the contests. Playing with only four days between games has triggered a string of complaints from players and coaches over the years. Simms speaks as if the opposition from those who have to perform with only four days in between is narrow and limited.

 

“I have not heard a player or coach complain to us — a few players have spoken out, ‘Oh, it’s stupid and this,’” Simms said. “But you do it once a year, and let’s be honest. Most players on a team play 20 to 30 snaps every game. They’re not out there for 60 or 70. There’s a few. Offensive linemen. A few special people on defense, whatever. But all in all, I’ve gotten great feedback from the players. The one reason they like it, they get that mini-break when it’s over. And even the coaches say the same thing to me, almost universally, that this is good. Play the game, get a few days off, and start again.”

 

In my own experience, it’s more mixed. Plenty of players like it, plenty of players don’t like it. Most coaches don’t like it, but they tolerate it. Coaches prefer as few variables as possible; for them, the best schedule has every game being played at 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday. All coaches definitely prefer having more than three days between game days to get a team ready to play again.

 

Simms also defended short-week football from an injury perspective.

 

“We haven’t had like a rash of injuries on Thursday night,” Simms said. “I can think of very few, really. So, you know, I don’t know the numbers. I’m sure somebody has crunched those numbers, and the fact that I haven’t heard them tells me that they’re not negative towards the Thursday night game. Because if they were . . . other people doing games would bring them out.”

 

There’s that whole “only people who work for other networks complain about Thursday night” thing again. Regardless, the issue with player health and safety isn’t that there are more injuries on Thursday. It’s that players with injuries from the prior Sunday have less time to recover. Making it harder for them to play well or to play at all. It also exposes them to enhanced risk of injury aggravation.

 

Bottom line? Thursday Night Football will continue. And the complaints about it will continue, no matter how much it ticks off Phil Simms or whoever is serving as the analyst for the Thursday night games. And the complaints will have no connection to inter-company politics and rivalries about which no one outside the industry really cares.

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Phil Simms is offended by complaints about Thursday Night Football

 

Posted by Mike Florio on November 21, 2014, 2:22 PM EST

http://nbcprofootballtalk.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/simms.jpg?w=241

Last night’s game between the Chiefs and Raiders ended up being much better than expected. Then again, the bar was low.

 

But the surprisingly strong performance from Oakland and the late victory from the previously winless home team and its ability to hold off a Chiefs franchise that had been 7-3 represents an exception for Thursday nights in 2014. Actually, it represents an exception for most prime-time games this season.

 

Phil Simms of CBS, the outlet that broadcast Thursday Night Football through Week Eight and that now loans Simms and the rest of the production team to NFL Network, doesn’t appreciate the concerns that have been raised about the quality of the weekly short-week games.

 

“That’s a lot of talk from other people with games on other networks, and I want to say to them, ‘Look in the mirror and see how your games are going,’” Simms told 610 Sports Radio in Kansas City on Thursday. “I see blowout after blowout in some of these night games, and nobody talks about the quality of play there. You know, I’m a little offended by it, and I want to tell them to be quiet and worry about what you do, and we’ll worry about what we do at CBS.”

 

Simms expressed specific objection to criticism of last week’s Thursday night contest. (Frankly, I don’t think it was a bad game, and I don’t recall hearing any complaints about it.)

 

“I heard some, you know, experts, you know, commentators, talking this past week about the Buffalo-Miami game,” Simms said. “I thought it was very well played, an exciting game. Tense, hard hitting. Everything you’d want in a game. . . . Buffalo has struggled moving the ball against everybody. What’d you expect their offense to come out there and be great? So I get a little ticked off about those questions. . . . Let’s look at some of the numbers on the other games that are going and compare them and then tell me what you think.”

 

He’s absolutely right about that. Sunday Night Football has consisted of plenty of lopsided games this year. Ditto for Monday Night Football. The difference is that the Sunday night package on NBC, which essentially took the reins from Monday night when Monday night migrated from broadcast to cable in 2006, entails games of significance, regardless of the outcome. The portion of the Thursday night package that was simulcast on CBS and NFLN featured divisional games only, adding a rivalry dynamic to games that wouldn’t naturally draw as much widespread interest.

 

Simms misses the mark when assuming that the criticism comes from people who work for other networks. Most if not all of the other networks want to acquire the rights to the Thursday night games when the package is finalized for 2015 and beyond. Most of the concern about Thursday night games comes from folks with no direct or indirect connection to the broadcasting industry.

 

The concern extends beyond the quality of the contests. Playing with only four days between games has triggered a string of complaints from players and coaches over the years. Simms speaks as if the opposition from those who have to perform with only four days in between is narrow and limited.

 

“I have not heard a player or coach complain to us — a few players have spoken out, ‘Oh, it’s stupid and this,’” Simms said. “But you do it once a year, and let’s be honest. Most players on a team play 20 to 30 snaps every game. They’re not out there for 60 or 70. There’s a few. Offensive linemen. A few special people on defense, whatever. But all in all, I’ve gotten great feedback from the players. The one reason they like it, they get that mini-break when it’s over. And even the coaches say the same thing to me, almost universally, that this is good. Play the game, get a few days off, and start again.”

 

In my own experience, it’s more mixed. Plenty of players like it, plenty of players don’t like it. Most coaches don’t like it, but they tolerate it. Coaches prefer as few variables as possible; for them, the best schedule has every game being played at 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday. All coaches definitely prefer having more than three days between game days to get a team ready to play again.

 

Simms also defended short-week football from an injury perspective.

 

“We haven’t had like a rash of injuries on Thursday night,” Simms said. “I can think of very few, really. So, you know, I don’t know the numbers. I’m sure somebody has crunched those numbers, and the fact that I haven’t heard them tells me that they’re not negative towards the Thursday night game. Because if they were . . . other people doing games would bring them out.”

 

There’s that whole “only people who work for other networks complain about Thursday night” thing again. Regardless, the issue with player health and safety isn’t that there are more injuries on Thursday. It’s that players with injuries from the prior Sunday have less time to recover. Making it harder for them to play well or to play at all. It also exposes them to enhanced risk of injury aggravation.

 

Bottom line? Thursday Night Football will continue. And the complaints about it will continue, no matter how much it ticks off Phil Simms or whoever is serving as the analyst for the Thursday night games. And the complaints will have no connection to inter-company politics and rivalries about which no one outside the industry really cares.

The worst thing about Thursday night football is that Phil Simms is broadcasting them.

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Phil Simms is offended by complaints about Thursday Night Football

 

Posted by Mike Florio on November 21, 2014, 2:22 PM EST

http://nbcprofootballtalk.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/simms.jpg?w=241

Last night’s game between the Chiefs and Raiders ended up being much better than expected. Then again, the bar was low.

 

But the surprisingly strong performance from Oakland and the late victory from the previously winless home team and its ability to hold off a Chiefs franchise that had been 7-3 represents an exception for Thursday nights in 2014. Actually, it represents an exception for most prime-time games this season.

 

Phil Simms of CBS, the outlet that broadcast Thursday Night Football through Week Eight and that now loans Simms and the rest of the production team to NFL Network, doesn’t appreciate the concerns that have been raised about the quality of the weekly short-week games.

 

“That’s a lot of talk from other people with games on other networks, and I want to say to them, ‘Look in the mirror and see how your games are going,’” Simms told 610 Sports Radio in Kansas City on Thursday. “I see blowout after blowout in some of these night games, and nobody talks about the quality of play there. You know, I’m a little offended by it, and I want to tell them to be quiet and worry about what you do, and we’ll worry about what we do at CBS.”

 

Simms expressed specific objection to criticism of last week’s Thursday night contest. (Frankly, I don’t think it was a bad game, and I don’t recall hearing any complaints about it.)

 

“I heard some, you know, experts, you know, commentators, talking this past week about the Buffalo-Miami game,” Simms said. “I thought it was very well played, an exciting game. Tense, hard hitting. Everything you’d want in a game. . . . Buffalo has struggled moving the ball against everybody. What’d you expect their offense to come out there and be great? So I get a little ticked off about those questions. . . . Let’s look at some of the numbers on the other games that are going and compare them and then tell me what you think.”

 

He’s absolutely right about that. Sunday Night Football has consisted of plenty of lopsided games this year. Ditto for Monday Night Football. The difference is that the Sunday night package on NBC, which essentially took the reins from Monday night when Monday night migrated from broadcast to cable in 2006, entails games of significance, regardless of the outcome. The portion of the Thursday night package that was simulcast on CBS and NFLN featured divisional games only, adding a rivalry dynamic to games that wouldn’t naturally draw as much widespread interest.

 

Simms misses the mark when assuming that the criticism comes from people who work for other networks. Most if not all of the other networks want to acquire the rights to the Thursday night games when the package is finalized for 2015 and beyond. Most of the concern about Thursday night games comes from folks with no direct or indirect connection to the broadcasting industry.

 

The concern extends beyond the quality of the contests. Playing with only four days between games has triggered a string of complaints from players and coaches over the years. Simms speaks as if the opposition from those who have to perform with only four days in between is narrow and limited.

 

“I have not heard a player or coach complain to us — a few players have spoken out, ‘Oh, it’s stupid and this,’” Simms said. “But you do it once a year, and let’s be honest. Most players on a team play 20 to 30 snaps every game. They’re not out there for 60 or 70. There’s a few. Offensive linemen. A few special people on defense, whatever. But all in all, I’ve gotten great feedback from the players. The one reason they like it, they get that mini-break when it’s over. And even the coaches say the same thing to me, almost universally, that this is good. Play the game, get a few days off, and start again.”

 

In my own experience, it’s more mixed. Plenty of players like it, plenty of players don’t like it. Most coaches don’t like it, but they tolerate it. Coaches prefer as few variables as possible; for them, the best schedule has every game being played at 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday. All coaches definitely prefer having more than three days between game days to get a team ready to play again.

 

Simms also defended short-week football from an injury perspective.

 

“We haven’t had like a rash of injuries on Thursday night,” Simms said. “I can think of very few, really. So, you know, I don’t know the numbers. I’m sure somebody has crunched those numbers, and the fact that I haven’t heard them tells me that they’re not negative towards the Thursday night game. Because if they were . . . other people doing games would bring them out.”

 

There’s that whole “only people who work for other networks complain about Thursday night” thing again. Regardless, the issue with player health and safety isn’t that there are more injuries on Thursday. It’s that players with injuries from the prior Sunday have less time to recover. Making it harder for them to play well or to play at all. It also exposes them to enhanced risk of injury aggravation.

 

Bottom line? Thursday Night Football will continue. And the complaints about it will continue, no matter how much it ticks off Phil Simms or whoever is serving as the analyst for the Thursday night games. And the complaints will have no connection to inter-company politics and rivalries about which no one outside the industry really cares.

The worst thing about Thursday night football is that Phil Simms is broadcasting them.

Let's have Mayock back ASAP!

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