NFL Network (NFLN) is an American television sports channel dedicated to American football, owned and operated by the National Football League (NFL). It was launched November 4, 2003, only eight months after the league's 32 team owners voted unanimously to approve its formation. The league invested $100 million to fund the network's operations.

NFL Films produces commercials, television programs, and feature films for the NFL. It is a key supplier of NFL Network's programming, with more than 4,000 hours of footage available in their library. Thus, much of the network's highlights and recaps feature NFL Films' trademark style of slow motion game action, sounds of the game, and the talk on the sidelines.

Beginning with the 2006 season, the channel began to broadcast eight prime time regular season NFL games, currently running under the banner of Thursday Night Football. In addition to live games, the network has covered the NFL Draft since 2006; its coverage has competed with ESPN and ESPN2.

The NFL Network logo changed to match the new NFL logo, which premiered officially at the 2008 NFL Draft. Unlike the updated logo for the league, the NFL Network's new logo saw more subtle changes such as using a darker shade of blue and changing the "NFL" lettering to match that of the new NFL logo. The day of the 2012 NFL Draft, the network changed the logo to resemble that of their sister network NFL Red Zone, and also played down the "HD" branding of the network as of late, as effectively all cable providers currently carry the analog 4:3 version of the channel as a downscaled version of the HD feed, including letterboxing of all programming.

The NFL Network works from studios in Culver City, California, near Los Angeles, and broadcasts their worldwide feed from Encompass Digital Media (formally Crawford Communications) in Atlanta, GA.^[1]

Starting with the 2010 season, the channel started broadcasting the Arena Football League. Each Friday, the NFL Network has a Game of the Week, going through the playoffs and culminating with the ArenaBowl. Also beginning in 2010, the channel began to broadcast 14 regular season CFL games. It will also air the Grey Cup.

Executives[link]

• Steve Bornstein, President and CEO; also, the NFL's Executive Vice President of Media (also the former Chairman of ESPN, and served as president of ABC)
• Steve Sabol, President of NFL Films (sports filmmaker, winner of multiple Emmy Awards)
• Howard Katz, Chief Operating Officer of NFL Films (veteran TV sports executive; former president of ABC Sports; former ESPN Senior Vice President)
• Judy Fearing, Senior Vice President of Consumer Marketing (former ESPN and Pepsi marketing executive)

Live NFL games[link]

NFL Network televises eight live regular season games during the season. They run on either Thursday or Saturday nights, beginning in November.^[2] Five games usually air on Thursday nights and three on Saturday nights. As with the games broadcast by ESPN's Monday Night Football, they are also aired on broadcast TV in the primary media markets of the participating teams, although the home team's market broadcasts the game only if it is sold out 72 hours before game time.

Veteran TV announcer Bryant Gumbel was the play-by-play announcer, and former Fox and current NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth was color commentator for six games. In 2006, Collinsworth missed two Saturday games due to his NBC commitments. Dick Vermeil was his replacement in that event. Collinsworth won the Sports Emmy for best game analyst for his work on the NFL Network telecasts. Marshall Faulk and Deion Sanders replaced Collinsworth when needed in 2007.

These games are also broadcast on Westwood One Radio in the United States and Canada, by Sky Sports in the United Kingdom, and usually by Rogers Sportsnet in Canada (except for games involving the Buffalo Bills, which are instead carried on CITY-TV).

In August 2007, the network televised the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New Orleans Saints due to NBC wanting to cover, the later canceled, preseason game in China.

The 2007 schedule began on Thanksgiving night, November 22, with a game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Atlanta Falcons in Atlanta's Georgia Dome. Gumbel and Collinsworth returned as the booth announcers.

On April 11, 2008, Gumbel resigned as play-by-play announcer. Four days later, the season schedule was released, with the Run to the Playoffs schedule modified. It will now begin the first Thursday in November instead of Thanksgiving and there will be no game in Week 17.

Bob Papa, who is also the radio voice of the New York Giants on WFAN, has announced the games since 2008. Until the 2008 season, Cris Collinsworth also announced on the network. He has since been hired to replace John Madden on NBC games, who retired on April 16, 2009. Matt Millen, former general manager of the Detroit Lions, was named Collinsworth's replacement shortly thereafter. Former Washington Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann joined Papa and Millen in the booth for the 2010-11 season. In May 2011 it was announced that Brad Nessler and Mike Mayock would serve as the network's new game announcers.

Other football[link]

NFL exhibition season[link]

NFL Network televises all 65 NFL exhibition games each August. Some are aired live, but a majority of these contests air on a tape-delayed basis, using the home team's local broadcast for the first half and the visitors' broadcast for the second half and overtime if necessary. In 2007, eight live broadcasts were scheduled; two of them were produced by NFLN using the Run to the Playoffs production crew and the other six used the format just mentioned.

Arena Football League[link]

NFL Network carries the Arena Football League national broadcasts, which began in 2010. NFL Network broadcasts a weekly Friday Night Football package every week at 8:00 ET, with the season running from March to August. The NFL stated that unlike when the NFL last showed interest in arena football, there will be no attempts to buy into the league.^[3]

The NFL Network broadcasts the regular season each Friday and goes through the playoffs, culminating with the ArenaBowl. The NFL Network broadcast ArenaBowl XXIII in 2010.^[4] Broadcasters include Kurt Warner, Tom Waddle, Paul Burmeister, Fran Charles, Charles Davis, and Ari Wolfe.

College football[link]

NFL Network televised the 2006 Insight Bowl between Minnesota and Texas Tech on December 29, 2006, from Tempe, Arizona.^[5] The game featured the biggest comeback in NCAA Division I-A bowl history, with Texas Tech coming back from a 38-7 third-quarter deficit to win 44-41 in overtime. The network has made the game available for free online viewing at its site.^[6]

The network also broadcast the Texas Bowl in Houston, whose promotion rights are owned in part by the NFL's Houston Texans. It was played December 28, 2006. Rutgers defeated Kansas State, 37-10.^[7]

The network also showed a college all-star game after the season. The Under Armour Senior Bowl, in Mobile, Alabama which was played on January 27, 2007.^[8] NFL Network was also expected to show the Las Vegas All-American Classic in Henderson, Nevada on January 15, but the game was canceled due to lack of sponsorship.

On April 14, 2007, the network showed the Nebraska Cornhuskers' spring football game.

The network again aired the Insight, Texas, and Senior bowls in late 2007 and early 2008. In addition, it showed two games between historically black colleges and universities in the 2007 season, one of which was the Circle City Classic at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana.

As of 2011, with ESPN purchasing the rights to almost every bowl game except the Sun Bowl and Cotton Bowl Classic, NFL Network no longer airs any bowl games, although they continue to carry the Senior Bowl.

High school football[link]

NFLN aired two broadcasts of high school all-star games in June 2007: the Bayou Bowl between players from Texas and Louisiana on June 9 (NFLN carried the FSN Southwest feed live), and the Big 33 Football Classic between players from Pennsylvania and Ohio on June 16 (sharing its feed with CN8 (now Comcast Network) and cable outlets in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Canadian Football League[link]

On July 1, 2010, NFL Network began airing live Canadian Football League games simulcast from Canada's TSN. NFL Network will air Thursday games, three Saturday games in July, and then Friday night games beginning again in September (after ArenaBowl XXIII). NFL Network won't air CFL games in August due to a large number of NFL preseason broadcasts.^[9][10] In addition, NFL Network does not show any playoff games, including the Grey Cup championship, as those games are all played on Sundays opposite the NFL. Those games will instead be seen on the online service ESPN3, a sister network to TSN.

Programming[link]

International distribution[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2009)

• Canada - NFL Network is available in Canada through various service providers, including Bell TV and Rogers Cable. Regular-season NFL broadcasts will be blacked out in Canada to protect Rogers Sportsnet, which has purchased exclusive Canadian rights to the Thursday-Saturday package. Also, CFL telecasts shown on NFL Network will be blacked out in Canada as well to protect TSN, for the same reason.

• Mexico - NFL Network is also shown in Mexico on SKY México.

• The United Kingdom - It was reported that the UK could have received the channel in 2008.^[11] Sky Sports as of December 2010 broadcast Red Zone live via the red button option on the Sky Digital platform.

• Philippines - SkyCable in Manila plans to carry the network by the summer of 2011.^{[citation needed]}

NFL Network HD[link]

NFL Network HD is a 1080i high definition simulcast of NFL Network that launched in August 2004.

It is available nationally on DirecTV and Dish Network, and regionally on Verizon FiOS, AT&T Uverse, and some Comcast and Cox Communications cable systems.

Shows that air in HD include NFL Total Access, Around the League, NFL GameDay, Live Wire, Sounds of the Game, Starting 11, Thursday Night Football and Saturday Night Football, NFL Replay, and pre-season games.

In mid-October 2008, studio shows began to air in "enhanced HD", and have contained extra scores and stats on the right side of the screen that are only seen on the HD version of the channel. Other content that's only available in 4:3 standard definition is shown with stylized pillarboxes, or for some footage, blurred edges. On May 1, 2009, NFL Total Access began to air in full HD without pillarboxes or enhanced graphics. NFL GameDay began airing in HD the following September.

Most providers began to carry the network exclusively using the HD feed throughout 2011, downscaling the HD feed with letterboxing to provide the channel in 4:3 form for analog viewers without any deviation, including the "NFL HD" logo. The analog feed was discontinued entirely in April 2012, allowing the network to institute their current logo.

NFL RedZone Channel[link]

The NFL RedZone Channel is a special game day only channel airing from 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT - 8 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT with extended highlights, available on Sundays during the regular season, which premiered on September 13, 2009; although a DirecTV produced channel under the same name was available to DirecTV subscribers as part of NFL Sunday Ticket prior to this date and in fact continues to run concurrently. It is hosted by Scott Hanson who explains and describes situations in transition from game to game. So far AT&T U-Verse, Comcast, Cox Communications, Charter Communications, Dish Network, Golden Belt Telephone, Verizon FiOS, Blue Ridge Communications, BendBroadband, Buckeye Cable, and several smaller cable companies have picked up the new channel.^{[12][13][14][15][16][17]} The channel is available in both standard and high definition, and availability depends on service tier, such as Charter making NFL Network available on their main digital tier, but with RedZone only on their digital sports tier at an additional cost.

In the United Kingdom, the Redzone Channel was made available as a Red Button option to Sky Digital subscribers in December 2010.^[18] The service was expanded to Virgin Media subscribers, again as a Red Button option, from the beginning of the 2011 season.

ESPN partnership[link]

In a report from The Wall Street Journal Steve Bornstein, chief executive of the NFL Network and the former chairman of ESPN, has been in “high-level discussions” with NFL and Disney executives including CEO Robert Iger and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. An analyst quoted in the report suggested combining NFL Network with ESPN Classic which has a wide distribution on expanded basic cable line-ups but attracts a modest audience. ESPN could use its market weight and demand more than the 16 to 17 cents per month that it currently receives from ESPN Classic.^[19] Though such a merger has yet to occur as of 2010, ESPN Networks and NFL Network do share some programming (such as NFL's Greatest Games).

Distribution controversies[link]

The NFL Network and various cable companies have been involved with carriage or lack of carriage of the NFL Network. The NFL Network has created controversy of its own with its site IWantMyNFL.com by encouraging cable customers to make the switch to DirecTV to receive the channel instead of asking cable customers to contact their cable provider and request the network.

Comcast[link]

On November 10, 2006 Comcast announced it would add NFL Network on digital tiers in time for the eight-game Thursday- and Saturday-night package.^[20] On August 6, 2007 Comcast moved NFL Network from the digital tiers to the Sports Entertainment Package. This led to a court battle between NFL Network and Comcast, with the ruling in favor of Comcast but the NFL Network appealed the ruling.^[21] Comcast sent NFL Network a cease-and-desist letter to stop encouraging subscribers to leave Comcast.^[22] Comcast's agreement with the NFL Network ends in mid-2009.^[23] On February 26, 2008 an appellate court in New York reversed field on a judgment made in May 2007 that allowed Comcast to move the network from its second most distributed tier to the company's sports tier. At the time a court date has not been set. Four judges at New York’s Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Department, ruled the language "concerning additional programming package was ambiguous and that neither party has established that its interpretation of the relevant contracts is a matter of law."^[24] Comcast's deal with the NFL Network was set to expire on April 30, 2009.^[25] According to messages sent out to Comcast, Midco, and some Cable Systems customers with or without set-top boxes, NFL Network may be removed from some customers channel lineups. The message said: "In spite of our efforts to continue carrying NFL Network/NFL Network HD, the NFL may terminate our rights. As a result these networks may be removed from lineups as soon as 5/1." On April 10, 2009 it was confirmed that Comcast would remove the channel on that date due to failing to reach a carriage agreement. However, as of April 30, 2009 NFL Network has posted that they would keep running on Comcast so both sides can agree to terms on a good contract.^[26] On July 30, 2009 NFL Network was made available to lower tiered Comcast Digital Cable subscribers.

NFL Network later filed a discrimination case against Comcast with the FCC, claiming that since Comcast doesn't charge extra for its owned and operated sports channels Versus and The Golf Channel, it's unfair to charge extra for NFL Network. On October 10, 2008, the FCC ruled as follows:

In the Second Report and Order, the Commission emphasized that the statute “does not explicitly prohibit multichannel distributors from acquiring a financial interest or exclusive rights that are otherwise permissible,” and thus, that “multichannel distributors [may] negotiate for, but not insist upon such benefits in exchange for carriage on their systems.” The Commission stated, however, that “ultimatums, intimidation, conduct that amounts to exertion of pressure beyond good faith negotiations, or behavior that is tantamount to an unreasonable refusal to deal with a vendor who refuses to grant financial interests or exclusivity rights for carriage, should be considered examples of behavior that violates the prohibitions set forth in Section 616.”We find that the NFL has presented sufficient evidence to make a prima facie showing that Comcast indirectly and improperly demanded a financial interest in the NFL’s programming in exchange for carriage. We further find that the pleadings and documentation present several factual disputes as to whether Comcast’s retiering of the NFL Network is the result of Comcast’s failure to obtain a financial interest in the NFL’s programming. Accordingly, we direct an Administrative Law Judge to hold a hearing, issue a recommended decision on the facts underlying the financial interest claim and a recommended remedy, if necessary, and then return the matter to the Commission within 60 days.^[27][28]

The Comcast trial[link]

The trial before an administrative law judge (as ordered above) began on April 14, 2009.^[29]

On April 17, 2009, Comcast chairman and CEO Brian Roberts testified that Comcast is willing to move the channel from the Sports Entertainment Package to a lower priced base package if the subscriber fee was reduced to 25 cents per month. NFL Network currently charges a 75 cents per month fee. He claimed that overall, Comcast saves $50 million a year in license fees by leaving the channel on its Sports Package, which in turn leads to savings for its customers.^[30]

On April 30, 2009, NFL Network Total Access correspondent Lindsey Soto reported Comcast will continue to broadcast NFL Network after their contract expires at midnight as negotiations proceed.

On May 19, 2009, the NFL and Comcast reached a 10-year agreement to place NFL Network on Comcast's Digital Classic package by August 1, 2009 for a price between 45 and 50 cents, instead of the 70 cents the NFL originally requested.^[31] This deal has led to speculation that other cable operators will end their hold outs and try to reach deals that would bring the network to a wider audience.^{[citation needed]}

As of January 3, 2011 the NFL Network is available only on the Digital Preferred or Sports package on Comcast (Xfinity) in Atlanta, GA and not on a Digital Classic package (which does not exist). This is contrary to the above mentioned agreement between Comcast and the NFL.

Cox Communications[link]

Announced on November 10, 2006, Cox and the NFL Network made a carriage agreement for Cox to carry the NFL Network on their Sports & Information Tier. NFL Network had previously insisted that it would only allow cable providers to carry the network on basic tiers, Time Warner has stated it will only carry the network on a digital-sports tier.^[20] This makes Cox the only major cable provider to make a deal with the NFL Network by placing the network directly on a digital sports tier without repercussions from the network. When it was announced that NFL Network would carry Run to the Playoffs on Cox but not on a digital basic tier, It was stated that Cox's Sports & Information Tier "has about 30% penetration across all Cox subscribers and 60% penetration among Cox digital-cable homes."^[32]

Insight Communications[link]

Insight and the NFL Network made a carriage agreement for the network to be placed on Insight's digital tier in 2004. The deal also included NFL Network On Demand and NFL Network HD.^[33] At first, Insight didn't carry the Run to the Playoffs games due to the extra surcharge providers pay to carry the games.^[32] Insight did not show the first-ever game, between the Denver Broncos and the Kansas City Chiefs on November 23, 2006, but the next week's game and future games were available thanks to an agreement that was later reached.^[34]

Dish Network[link]

On February 20, 2008 Dish Network moved the NFL Network from its "America's Top 100" package to the higher "America's Top 200" package. Dish Network notified customers that the NFL Network was "moving out of Free Preview into America's Top 200 package" on February 20, 2008. The move cost the NFL network four million subscribers.^[35] On February 27, 2008 the NFL Network announced it would file suit against Dish Network for moving the network to "America's Top 200". The move stems from the NFL Network's decision to simulcast the 2007 New England Patriots-New York Giants game on CBS and NBC in addition to the game being shown on the NFL Network.^[36] As of March 3, 2008 the NFL no longer encourages customers to switch to Dish Network on the site IWantMyNFL.com instead the network only encourages customers to switch to DirecTV, Verizon FiOS or AT&T U-verse if their provider doesn't carry the network or has placed the network on a higher priced tier.

On January 15, 2009 New York State Supreme Court Judge Rich Lowe ruled in favor of NFL Network, claiming their 2006 agreement for carriage on America's Top 100 package is still valid and Dish Network violated it by moving it to the America's Top 200 package, but he did not order Dish Network to move the channel to the lower package immediately.^[37]

On April 10, 2009, it was announced that NFL Network and Dish Network have reached an out of court settlement to place the channel on the "Classic Silver 200" package.^[38]

Charter Communications[link]

Charter Communications was one of the first MSO's to provide NFL Network in 2004.^[39] Initially the deal called for the network to be carried on Charter's digital-basic programming and included NFL HD and NFL On Demand.^[40] However in December 2005 the network pulled the signal from Charter and filed breach of contract suit against Charter in New York Supreme Court over contract language regarding distribution.^[32] It was reported that NFL Network wanted a 125 percent rate increase and placement on expanded basic tiers. ^[41]

In August 2011, Charter Communications and NFL Network announced that the two had reached a new, long-term agreement to carry the NFL Network and RedZone in time for the 2011 season.^[42][43]

Major cable providers not carrying NFL Network[link]

• Bright House Networks
• Cablevision
• Time Warner Cable
• Wide Open West

Background[link]

The NFL Network is embroiled in a dispute with several cable companies. Perhaps the most public controversy is over its removal on some systems owned by Time Warner Cable, the second-largest system in the United States, which occurred in September 2006.

NFL Network has insisted that it be placed on basic service and wish to charge the cable companies a monthly rate of $0.61 per subscriber, while Time Warner and other major cable companies wishes to place it on a sports tier. Cable companies feel that a channel with such marginal interest and few live games with filler programming would be tough to sell during non-football season months.^[44] NFL Network's position is that demands are unreasonable and many other providers place NFL Network on a basic tier without subscriber backlashes.^[45]

2006 free preview[link]

NFL Network offered a free preview from December 24 through December 30, 2006 to West Texas area cable systems run by Suddenlink Communications^[46] and to New York area cable systems run by Time Warner Cable and Cablevision. The package included the Texas Bowl and Insight Bowl, but not that week's NFL game between the New York Giants and Washington Redskins, which was shown on WNBC. (NFL policy dictates that games that originate nationally on a cable/satellite network be simulcast on a broadcast station in the participating teams' market.)

However, Time Warner Cable and Cablevision were only interested in showing the Texas Bowl, which featured the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, who developed strong local appeal in 2006 and barely missed a berth in the Bowl Championship Series. The NFL denied that request and would only offer this free preview if Cablevision and/or Time Warner make the entire preview week available to customers.^[47]

Time Warner then offered to carry the free preview on a digital tier. Cablevision, however, continued to refuse to carry any NFL Network programming other than the Texas Bowl. They even announced that they would put it on channel 14 (a TV listings channel used for overflow sports from MSG Network and FSN New York) at 6:00 p.m. until the end of the network's postgame coverage. The NFL, however, stated that it would not accept that request.^[48]

On December 21, however, after New Jersey legislators threatened legal action, Cablevision changed its mind and indeed showed not only the game between Rutgers and Kansas State, but also the entire free preview schedule. Time Warner had made a similar announcement only hours earlier.^[49] Suddenlink agreed on December 22 to carry the entire free preview for their customers in the West Texas area.^[46] The free preview did not lead to long-term carriage deals, and the standoff continued between all three cable companies and the NFL Network.

2007 Packers vs. Cowboys controversy[link]

2007 saw fresh controversy against the NFL Network. That year the network turned out to possess the rights to matchups with major implications. The first came in late November when one-loss Dallas hosted one-loss Green Bay. Green Bay's Brett Favre was also having one of the best seasons of his career and would eventually lead the resurgent Packers to the NFC Championship Game. Most fans could not see the game because of carriage restrictions, now even more noticeable because it involved nationally respected teams in a highly anticipated matchup. This controversy would pale in comparison to the final game the NFLN would broadcast that season, and of course the Rodgers-Favre-Packers media storm (which started after that game).

2007 Patriots vs. Giants controversy[link]

In December 2007, Massachusetts Senator John Kerry wrote a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell asking for the league to settle their differences in time for the New England Patriots-New York Giants game on December 29 that would be broadcast on Saturday Night Football. The game was the Patriots' record-sealing win that made them the first undefeated team through the regular season in 35 years. Kerry urged for a solution to be decided upon in time so that Americans can witness "a historic event."^[50] An agreement was worked out between the NFL and two of the League's TV partners, NBC and CBS, to allow the NFL Network broadcast of the game to be simulcast on those networks, resulting in the first NFL simulcast since Super Bowl I and the first three-network simulcast in the history of the league.^[51]

In addition WWOR "My 9," the MyNetworkTV affiliate in the New York City area, and ABC affiliates WCVB 5 in Boston and WMUR 9 in Manchester, New Hampshire, expressed dissatisfaction over the CBS/NBC simulcast stating it violated the agreements. The stations had already been scheduled to show the game, as per NFL rules. Greg Aiello, an NFL spokesperson, stated that NBC and CBS would not have agreed to present the simulcast without clearing the game nationally, including the aforementioned markets. WWOR came to an agreement with the network and would air the game along with WNBC and WCBS in the New York City market. WCVB also would still televise the game and stated that it was still working toward resolving issues with the NFL Network over additional coverage rights.^[52] The result of these arrangements was that viewers in the New York, Boston and New Hampshire areas could see the game on up to four networks.

RCN Corporation, the twelfth largest U.S. cable company, stated that the league's deal with CBS and NBC "devalues its contract with the league’s in-house service." Greg Aiello, a NFL spokesperson, said he was unaware of dissatisfaction among NFL Network affiliates over the simulcast and if any were seeking a rebate or other form of compensation because the game was being more widely distributed. If that were the case, he said, those discussions would “take place privately with our TV partners.”^[53]

Suddenlink, NFL Network reach carriage agreement[link]

On August 20, 2010, an agreement was reached between NFL Network and the National Cable Television Cooperative, of which Suddenlink is a member. As a result, Suddenlink announced they would offer NFL Network and NFL RedZone and immediately began launching the channels. Suddenlink expected substantially all of the launches to be completed by or before September 12, the first Sunday of the NFL’s 2010 regular season.^[54]

Time Warner Cable[link]

On December 20, 2007 the NFL Network proposed to Time Warner Cable to enter binding arbitration which will have a neutral third party determine the price and tier for NFL Network on the operator’s systems, based on fair market value of the service. The NFL Network noted that the process could take some time and offered the network and the December 29, 2007 game between the then unbeaten New England Patriots and New York Giants immediately available to Time Warner Cable, upon “written agreement to participate in the arbitration process and to be bound by its result.” The network is willing to make the binding arbitration available to cable providers not carrying the NFL Network and for an extension of Comcast's current contract.^[55]

Time Warner Cable denied the binding arbitration proposal saying "the operator has successfully reached agreements with hundreds of programming networks without the use of arbitration. We continue to believe that the best way to achieve results is to privately seek a resolution and not attempt to negotiate through the press or elected officials.” Time Warner stated that it would be willing to make the network available on their sports tier, as a premium service, or make the game available to its subscribers on a per-game basis, at a retail price set by the NFL, with 100% of attendant revenue going to the league.^[56]

See also[link]

• List of personalities on NFL Network
• List of NFL Draft broadcasters
• NFL Sunday Ticket

Notes and references[link]

External links[link]

• NFL Network
• Details of all current shows
• Countdown to the NFL Network’s Real Kickoff November 20, 2006 (from Howard Bloom's Sports Business News.com)

Tony Romo

Romo before the 2008 Pro Bowl
No. 9     Dallas Cowboys
Quarterback
Personal information
Date of birth: (1980-04-21) April 21, 1980 (age 32)
Place of birth: San Diego, California
Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) Weight: 226 lb (103 kg)
Career information
College: Eastern Illinois
Undrafted in 2003
Debuted in 2004 for the Dallas Cowboys
Career history
Dallas Cowboys (2003–present)
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
3× Pro Bowl selection (2006, 2007, 2009) College awards and honors Ed Block Courage Award (2011)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2011
Pass attempts 2,592 Pass completions 1,672 Percentage 64.5 TD-INT 149-72 Passing yards 20,834 QB Rating 96.9 Stats at NFL.com
Stats at pro-football-reference.com

Antonio Ramiro "Tony" Romo (born April 21, 1980) is a professional American football quarterback in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys. Romo's career passer rating - at 96.9 - ranks second-best all time. Tony Romo didn't play in the regular season in 2003, 2004, or 2005. He replaced the Cowboys' previous starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe during a game against the New York Giants in the 2006 season.

Early years[link]

Romo was born in San Diego, California, while his father was serving in the United States Navy. His family returned to its home in Burlington, Wisconsin.^[1] Romo's athletic ability was evident even at an early age when he was selected for the Little League All-Star team.^[2]

Romo started as quarterback for the Burlington Demons beginning as a junior (1996 season). During his junior season, he led the Demons to a SLC Conference record of 7–2 and the WIAA^[3] playoffs. In the 1996 playoffs, Romo and the Demons defeated Greenfield^[4] 17-6 before trouncing Badger^[5] 41–16. Romo came within one game of the state championship game but fell short in a last-minute 16-15 loss to Cudahy.^[6] After the 1996 season, he received Honorable Mention in the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association All-State Team.

Before his senior year of high school, BHS was realigned into the new SEC Conference along with the larger Racine and Kenosha metro schools. In the 1997 season, Romo and the Demons finished with a 3–6 record, though he earned several honors, including the All-Racine County football team, Wisconsin Football Coaches Association All-State first team honors, as well as honors by the Racine Journal Times^[7] 1997 Player of the Year.

Romo was a multi-sport athlete during high school, and in addition to being a member of the football team, he also was a starter on the BHS varsity basketball team; he also played golf and tennis.

College career[link]

Romo played college football at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois. As a sophomore in 2000, Romo ranked second in Division I-AA in passing efficiency, completing 164 of 278 (59%) passes for 2,583 yards and 27 touchdowns. After the season, he was honored as an All-America honorable mention, an All-Ohio Valley Conference member, and the OVC Player of the Year. As a junior, he led Division I-AA in passing efficiency, completing 138-of-207 passes for 2,068 yards and 21 touchdowns. He was selected to the AP All-America third team, All-Ohio Valley Conference first team and the OVC Player of the Year.

On December 19, 2002, Romo was the first player in Eastern Illinois and Ohio Valley Conference history to win the Walter Payton Award, given annually to the Nation's top player at the NCAA Division I-AA level. He finished his career holding school and conference records with 85 touchdown passes. His last college game was a playoff loss to Western Illinois University. He was second in school and third in conference history with 8,212 passing yards. He was also second in school history with 584 completions and 941 attempts. As a senior, he set school and conference records for completions with 258 in 407 attempts for 3,418 yards, ranked him second in conference and third in school history for a season. He threw for 34 touchdowns and scored one rushing touchdown. Romo's 3,149 yards in total offense as a senior ranked third in school and conference history. Along with the Walter Payton Award, Romo earned consensus All-America honors. He was also selected All-Ohio Valley Conference and was named OVC Player of the Year for the third straight year.

During homecoming weekend on October 17, 2009, Eastern Illinois University retired Romo's No. 17 jersey and inducted him in to EIU’s Hall of Fame. Romo is the first Eastern Illinois player to have his number retired. He said of the event, "It was such an honor to be inducted into the Hall of Fame here, and with the jersey ceremony, it holds a special place in your heart."^[8][9]

Awards and honors[link]

• 3× All-OVC (2000–2002)
• 3× OVC Player of the Year (2000–2002)
• 3× All-American (2000–2002)
• Walter Payton Award (2002)

NFL career[link]

Dallas Cowboys[link]

Romo attended the 2003 NFL Combine, but, despite intriguing some scouts, went undrafted by any NFL team during the 2003 NFL Draft. Throughout the draft, Romo was assured by Sean Payton of the Cowboys' interest (Romo was also intensely pursued by former Denver Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan),^[10] and shortly afterwards was signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Cowboys. Romo entered the 2003 training camp third on the Cowboys' depth chart behind Quincy Carter and Chad Hutchinson. In 2004, the Cowboys released quarterback Chad Hutchinson and signed veteran quarterback Vinny Testaverde and traded a third round draft pick to the Houston Texans for quarterback Drew Henson. Romo faced being cut from the roster until Quincy Carter was released following allegations of substance abuse. After Vinny Testaverde's tenure in Dallas ended in 2005, the Cowboys signed veteran quarterback Drew Bledsoe, the eighth starting quarterback for the Cowboys since 2000.

One of Romo's early career highlights was in 2004, when (as the third string QB) he rushed for the winning touchdown with six seconds left in a preseason game against the Oakland Raiders. Elevated to the Cowboys' #2 quarterback in 2005, Romo had strong showings in the 2005 and 2006 pre-seasons. In the 2006 off-season, Sean Payton (now head coach of the New Orleans Saints), offered a third round draft pick for Romo, but Jerry Jones refused, asking for no less than a second round draft pick. Romo eventually took over the starting quarterback role from Drew Bledsoe during half time against the New York Giants on October 23, 2006.

2006 season[link]

Romo began the season as a backup to starter Drew Bledsoe. He took his first regular season snap at quarterback in a home game against the Houston Texans on October 15. His first NFL pass was a 33 yard completion to Sam Hurd. His only other pass of the game was a two-yard touchdown pass, his first in the NFL, to Terrell Owens.^[11]

One week later on October 23, 2006, Romo replaced Drew Bledsoe for the start of the second half of a game against the New York Giants. His first pass was tipped and intercepted. His game stats in only his second NFL appearance were: 14 completions on 25 attempts for 227 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions (one of which was returned for a touchdown). Two days later, on October 25, Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells announced that Romo would be the Cowboys starting quarterback for the October 29 game against the Carolina Panthers on NBC Sunday Night Football, in Week 8 of the 2006 season. Romo led the Cowboys to victory in his first game as a starter, 35–14. In that game, Romo was Sunday Night Football's "Rock Star of the Game."

On November 19, 2006, Romo led the Cowboys past the Indianapolis Colts, the NFL's last unbeaten team. Romo completed 19 of 23 passes as the Cowboys topped the Colts 21–14. Four days later, Romo helped the Cowboys win in a Thanksgiving Day NFL game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by the score of 38–10. Romo went 22-29 with 306 yards and five touchdown passes with no interceptions.^[12] For his performance, he was awarded FOX's Galloping Gobbler award as the Thanksgiving Day MVP.

Romo aided the Cowboys in clinching a playoff spot, the second since Bill Parcells became coach in 2003. He concluded the 2006 regular season with 220 completions on 337 pass attempts for 2,903 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions, with a passer rating of 95.1.

On January 6, 2007, the Dallas Cowboys traveled to Qwest Field to play the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC wild card playoff round. With the Cowboys down 21-20 and 1:19 left on the clock, Dallas attempted a 19-yard field goal. Romo botched the hold for the kicker by dropping the snap as he attempted to set it down. Romo then tried to run into the end zone for an impromptu touchdown, but was tackled at the one-yard line by Seattle defensive back Jordan Babineaux. Seattle took over on their own one yard line. It is unusual for a starting quarterback to be the team's holder since the backup quarterback or punter normally performs that task. Romo had the job because he had begun the season as the backup quarterback. Romo finished the 2006 season ranked seventh in the NFC in passing yards (2,903) and touchdown passes (19).

Romo played in the 2007 Pro Bowl after Drew Brees went down with an elbow injury and Marc Bulger was taken out. Romo threw one touchdown and one interception. Romo was the NFC's holder in the game.

2007 season[link]

Romo began the 2007 season with four touchdown passes and an additional touchdown rush, the first of his career, defeating the New York Giants 45–35 in the Cowboys' first game of the regular season, His 345 passing yards in Week 1 led the NFL. In Week 2, Romo threw for 186 yards and two touchdowns beating the Dolphins in Miami, ranking him seventh in passing yards and tied for second with six touchdown passes.^[13] Romo added 329 passing yards and two touchdown passes in the Cowboys' Week 3 34–10 win in Chicago. The following week, he passed for 339 yards and three touchdowns in a 35–7 win over the St. Louis Rams. He also ran for an additional touchdown. This brought his season totals to 1199 passing yards with 11 passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns.

In Week 5 of the season on Monday Night Football against the Buffalo Bills, Romo threw five interceptions (four in the first half, two of which were returned for touchdowns), and lost a fumble. He is the second person in the history of Monday Night Football to throw five interceptions in a winning effort. The first person was his QB coach Wade Wilson. Nonetheless, he threw for 4,211 yards (third in the NFL) and 36 touchdown passes during the regular season (second only to Tom Brady). His 97.4 passer rating was good enough for fifth in the NFL behind Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, David Garrard, and Peyton Manning.

On October 29, Romo reached an agreement to a six-year, $67.5 million contract extension with the Cowboys.^[14]

On November 29 against the Green Bay Packers, in a game between 10–1 teams, Romo threw four touchdown passes (bringing his season total to 33), breaking Danny White's (29) record from 1983. On December 22 against the Carolina Panthers, Romo became the first Cowboys' quarterback to pass for more than 4,000 yards in a season. Finally on December 30 against the Washington Redskins, Romo broke the Cowboys' season completions record with his 335th completion, a short pass to Jason Witten. The Cowboys finished the season with a 13-3 record.

In the Cowboys' January 13, 2008 Division playoff game against the New York Giants, Romo was unable to lead his team to a come-from-behind victory. On 4th down with less than half a minute and no timeouts left, Romo threw the ball into the endzone, but it was intercepted by Giants cornerback R. W. McQuarters, ensuring that the Cowboys were eliminated from the playoffs with a 21–17 loss.

2008 season[link]

Tony Romo at the AT&T National

On September 7, 2008, Romo led the Cowboys to a 28–10 win over the Cleveland Browns in their season opener. Romo completed 24 of his 32 passes for a total of 320 yards and one touchdown. After the game, Romo required 13 stitches for a large gash on his chin that occurred during the 3rd quarter when linebacker Willie McGinest hit Romo in the chin with his helmet.^[15]

On September 15, 2008, Romo led the Dallas Cowboys to a 41–37 win against the Philadelphia Eagles in the second game of the 2008 season. Romo completed 21 of his 30 passes for a total of 312 yards and three touchdowns.^[16] The 54 combined points scored by the Cowboys and Eagles in the first half were the second most scored in a half during a Monday Night Football game.^[17]

Romo and the Cowboys would win their third straight before losing to the Washington Redskins, falling to 3–1. Following a win against the Cincinnati Bengals, Romo was injured in a loss to the Arizona Cardinals. The Cowboys, under Brad Johnson, went 1–2 the next three games, falling to the St. Louis Rams, beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and losing to the New York Giants.

In what became a de facto third playoff game for Romo shortly prior to its start, on December 28, 2008, Romo and the Cowboys failed to compete against the Philadelphia Eagles in a 44–6 loss.^[18] Romo committed three turnovers in the game and went 21/39 for 183 yards and no touchdowns.^[19] The loss dropped Romo's combined record in December to 5–8 and again raised questions concerning Romo's performance in games of consequence.^[20]

2009 season[link]

Tony Romo vs. Kansas City Chiefs - 2009

Romo led the Cowboys to a 34–21 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their season opener. Romo completed 16 of his 27 passes for a then-career high 353 yards along with three touchdowns.^[21]

Romo and the Cowboys were defeated in week 2 against the New York Giants in the Cowboys home opener at their new Cowboys stadium. Romo completed 13 of 29 passes for 127 yards and one touchdown. He also threw three interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown for the Giants. The loss led the media as well as other former Cowboys, including Pro Football Hall of Fame member Tony Dorsett, further criticizing Romo and his performances in big games.

Romo was quoted as saying, "We came out stale" against a Denver Bronco team that thoroughly shut down his teams passing and running attacks. But he was successful in completing a 53 yard pass to Sam Hurd at the end of the second half but failed on the following three plays to get the ball in the end zone which would have taken the game into overtime. He was quoted as saying, "we need to get better."

In a December road game against the division rival New York Giants, Romo passed for a career high 392 yards, along with three touchdown passes in a losing effort.

After several kicks were missed by kicker Nick Folk due to bad holds by punter Mat McBriar, Romo resumed holding duties for the first time since the 2006 in their 13th game of the season, versus the San Diego Chargers ^[22]

In week 15, Romo led the Cowboys to a win against an undefeated team late in the season for the second time in his career. In 2006, he won against the 10-0 Colts, and on 19 December 2009, he defeated the 13-0 Saints at New Orleans, throwing for 312 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions.

Romo finished the 2009 season as the first quarterback in team history to take every snap for a full season. He also passed his own mark for single season passing yardage, with 4,483 yards, and became the first Cowboys quarterback to throw 20+ touchdowns and less than ten interceptions in a season. His eight 300 yard games was also a team record, surpassing his own record from 2007. His 1.6% interception percentage tied a team record, and his career interception percentage is now the lowest in franchise history.^[23]

The Dallas Cowboys became the NFC East division champions with their season finale shutout of the Philadelphia Eagles, the second division title in Romo's three full seasons as the starting quarterback.

Romo had a 104.9 passer rating in a 34-14 win of the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of the playoffs, earning the first play-off win in 13 years for the Dallas Cowboys, and his own first career post-season win.

However the following week in the NFC divisional rounds against the number two seed Minnesota Vikings, Romo had three fumbles (losing two), an interception and was sacked six times in the 34-3 loss.

2010 season[link]

In Week 5 against the Tennessee Titans, Romo threw for a career-high 406 yards and three touchdowns. However, he threw two costly interceptions in the 4th quarter, resulting in 34-27 loss at Cowboys Stadium. Romo and the Cowboys were desperate for a win with a record of 1-3 and last in the division. They played against the Minnesota Vikings, who also had a 1-3 record and were in need of a win. Romo threw for over 200 yards and 3 TDs but also threw 2 costly interceptions. The Cowboys went on the lose the game by a score of 24-21.

During the October 25, 2010 Monday Night Football game against the New York Giants, Romo suffered a broken left clavicle. The injury occurred during the second quarter, when Romo was driven to the turf by Giants linebacker Michael Boley.^[24] He was placed on Injured Reserve on December 21, 2010 and replaced by veteran John Kitna.

Records and honors[link]

• 2006 Pro Bowl
• 2007 Pro Bowl
• 2009 Pro Bowl

NFL all-time records[link]

Career[link]

• #2 All-Time Career Passer Rating: 96.9
• #4 All-Time Yards Per Attempt: 8.1

Dallas Cowboys team records[link]

Career[link]

• Games with 3+ touchdown passes: 24 (Previously held by Danny White with 20)
• Games with 300+ yards passing: 32 (previously held by Troy Aikman with 13)
• Lowest career interception percentage: 2.78% (minimum 16 starts; previously held by Aikman)

Season[link]

• Games with 300+ yards passing: 8 (2009)
• Passing TDs: 36 (2007); previously held by Danny White with 29
• Passing yards: 4,483 (2009); only Cowboys' quarterback to throw for more than 4,000 yards in a season (2007. 2009)
• Completions: 347 (2009); previously held by Romo with 335
• Consecutive games with a TD pass: 20 (2010–11); previously held by Danny White

Game[link]

• On Nov 23, 2006, Romo threw 5 TD passes in a game, a record he shares with Troy Aikman.
• On Nov 13, 2011, Romo completed a team record 88.5% of his passes in a home game against the Buffalo Bills.

Injuries[link]

During the 2008 season, Romo broke the little finger on his right hand (throwing hand) during overtime in an early season loss to the Arizona Cardinals.^[25] He missed the following three games with the injury.

Shortly after the Cowboys 2008 Season-ending loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Romo collapsed in the visiting team showers from an apparent rib injury.^[26]

During the October 25, 2010 Monday Night Football game against the New York Giants, Romo suffered a broken left clavicle. The injury occurred during the second quarter, when Romo was driven to the turf by Giants linebacker Michael Boley.^[24]

In the first quarter of a game against the San Francisco 49ers, Romo took a hard hit that fractured a rib and punctured his lung.^[27] He was replaced for two possessions by back-up quarterback Jon Kitna, but returned to lead the team to an overtime victory. He played the next six games with a kevlar vest for extra protection on the injury.

Personal life[link]

Romo is an avid amateur golfer, and attempted to qualify for the 2004 EDS Byron Nelson Championship and the 2005 U.S. Open, but failed. During the offseason, when not training, he plays golf around Dallas. He failed to make the cut in qualifying for Byron Nelson in 2008.

Romo is also a frequent guest on national sports radio programs. During the 2006 and 2007 seasons, he was the co-host of "Inside The Huddle", a one-hour player commentary show that aired on local talk radio in Dallas along with linebacker Bradie James. Romo was replaced for the 2008 season by (then) Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens. The show is broadcast on the KLLI radio station in Dallas.

In November 2007, Romo began dating singer and actress Jessica Simpson. On December 16, 2007, Simpson attended a Dallas Cowboys-Philadelphia Eagles game at Texas Stadium, in which Romo had a bad performance in the loss to the Eagles.^[28] Further controversy erupted before the playoff game against the New York Giants when pictures surfaced of Romo (along with teammates Jason Witten and Bobby Carpenter) at a resort in Cabo San Lucas with Simpson.^[29]

On July 13, 2009, People reported that Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson had called it quits. A source close to the pop star told the magazine that Romo broke up with Simpson on July 9, 2009—the night before her 29th birthday.^[30]

Romo is a second generation Mexican American on his father's side and is of German and Polish descent from his mother's side.^[31] His grandfather, Ramiro Romo Sr., emigrated from Múzquiz, Coahuila, Mexico, to San Antonio, Texas, as an adolescent. The elder Romo cites Tony's success as an example of the possibilities afforded to immigrants in the United States: "I've always said this is a country of opportunities. If you don't get a job or an education, it's because you don't want to."^[32][33]

In September 2007, Romo's father was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Tony Romo has stated that, while upset about the family crisis, he still must continue to focus on his career.^[34]

In September 2008 Romo signed a 5 year long, $10 million endorsement deal with apparel marketer Starter.^[35]

He began dating former Miss Missouri USA (2008) Candice Crawford in the summer of 2009. On December 16, 2010, the KDAF Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas news station where Crawford works, announced she became engaged to Romo while celebrating her 24th birthday with her family at the restaurant Five Sixty.^[36] They were married on May 28, 2011.^[37]

On October 25, 2011, Romo announced that he and Crawford were expecting their first child in 2012.^[38] On April 9, 2012, the couple welcomed a son, Hawkins Crawford Romo.^[39]

See also[link]

• List of NFL quarterbacks who have passed for 400 or more yards in a game

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Tony Romo

• Official website
• Dallas Cowboys bio

Tim Tebow

Tebow warming up before a game in January 2012
No. 15     New York Jets
Quarterback
Personal information
Date of birth: (1987-08-14) August 14, 1987 (age 24)
Place of birth: Makati City, Philippines
Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Weight: 245 lb (111 kg)
Career information
College: Florida
NFL Draft: 2010 / Round: 1 / Pick: 25
Debuted in 2010 for the Denver Broncos
Career history
Denver Broncos (2010–2011) New York Jets (2012–present)
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
2× BCS National Championship (2007, 2009) 2× SEC Championship (2006, 2008) 2× First-team All-American (2007, 2008) Second-team All-American (2009) 3× First-team All-SEC (2007, 2008, 2009) AP Player of the Year (2007) Davey O'Brien Award (2007) 2× Maxwell Award (2007, 2008) Heisman Trophy (2007) Quarterback of the Year (2007) SEC Offensive Player of the Year (2008) Manning Award (2008) William V. Campbell Trophy (2009) Other awards and honors
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2011
TD–INT 17–9 Passing yards 2,383 Passer rating 75.1 Rushing yards 887 Rushing TDs 12 Stats at NFL.com

Timothy Richard Tebow ( /ˈtiːboʊ/; born August 14, 1987) is an American football quarterback for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Florida, winning the Heisman Trophy in 2007 and appearing on BCS National Championship-winning teams in the 2006 and 2008 seasons. After graduating, he was drafted by the Denver Broncos as the 25th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. Tebow is known as a dual threat quarterback, adept at both rushing and passing the football. With his unorthodox NFL quarterback skills, frequent demonstrations of his religious devotion, and his team's success, Tebow has attracted unprecedented praise, criticism, and attention from the sporting media and beyond. Commenting on Tebow's play and the attention he has garnered, many football players and observers have said that they "have never seen anything like it."^[1][2][3][4]

Tebow played quarterback for Nease High School in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida and was ranked among the top quarterback prospects in the nation as a high school senior.^[5] He ultimately chose to attend the University of Florida. As a backup and situational quarterback,^[6] Tebow helped the Gators win the national championship during the 2006 college football season. Tebow was the Gators' starting quarterback during the 2007 season when he became the first college sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy.^[7] In 2008, Tebow led Florida to a 13-1 record and its second national championship in three years, and was named the offensive MVP of the national championship game. The Gators again went 13–1 in 2009, Tebow's senior year. At the conclusion of his college career, he held the Southeastern Conference's all-time records in both career passing efficiency and total rushing touchdowns, appearing second and tenth (respectively) in the NCAA record book in these categories.^[8]

Tebow was selected in the first round of the 2010 NFL draft by the Denver Broncos. He started the last three games of his rookie season and became the Broncos' full-time starting quarterback beginning in the 6th game of 2011. The team was 1–4 before Tebow became the starter, but immediately began winning with him on the field, often by coming from behind late in the 4th quarter, until they won their first AFC West title and first playoff game since 2005.

Tim Tebow is known for sharing his Christian faith with fans and in clinics, hospitals, market places, schools, and orphanages.^[9][10]