Your Week Two ‘Are You Blacked Out?’ Map-a-thon

There has been much talk about blackouts in this short NFL season. We already know that the folks in Jacksonville won’t be getting their Jags fix this Sunday afternoon. Awful Announcing had a story yesterday that indicates the Cowboys, despite having the biggest football stadium in the world and after one week will be on pace to shatter season attendance records, may have some blackout issues to deal with. Could you imagine the Cowboys having more than 80,000 people at a football game and still getting blacked out? It just might happen unless these antiquated blackout rules change. ↵↵This has little to do with the economy, by the way. Most football fans will spend the money on tickets and merchandise whether they have it or not. The NFL blackout rule has more to do with the fact that of all the major sports, the NFL stadium is by far the least friendly place to bring a family. With all the packages they offer to compete with the live game experience, it’s no wonder fans don’t want to sit in the stadium anymore.↵

↵↵If you consider High Definition telecasts that make it look like you’re at the game, the need to actually go to the game becomes less important each year the technology advances. Add to the HD factor the concept of watching every game at once – like DirecTV boasts – or watching every single touchdown of the season – as the NFL’s own Red Zone channel promises – and the NFL is giving you so many reasons to stay home and watch on TV, going to the stadium seems downright foolish. They want us to spend the money on going to the game in our market, then spend more money to watch the rest of the games on TV. But by blacking out the game in your market, the NFL is trying to have it both ways. If your game is blacked out, the only way to watch it is to go to the game, or buy the Sunday Ticket package. Either way, they get their money or you can’t see the game.↵

↵↵Now that we got that out of the way, what games will you get? Courtesy of the506.com.↵

↵

↵

↵↵With only one game in each market, the Fox map is all over the place, with the biggest audience getting Joe Buck and Troy Aikman call the Saints at Eagles. The Fox second crew of Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa get the late game of Tampa at Buffalo, clearly hoping for a T.O. explosion. (UPDATE: The Lions will be on in Detroit after all.)↵

↵

↵

↵↵CBS has their top crew of Jim Nantz and Phil Simms doing the Pittsburgh at Chicago late game, and not the New England at NY Jets early game, which will be called by Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf. It seems the first crack at the defending champs is a bigger draw for CBS than Tom Brady and a New York market home game. ↵

↵↵And yes, because I know you’re wondering, Gus Johnson will be in Tennessee as the Titans host Houston. If there’s a Music City Miracle II, I don’t know how Gus will survive the season. ↵

↵