Hall of Fame writer Ray Didinger is one of our favorite guests we’ve ever had the pleasure to speak with on the show. It has been a while since we’ve had him on, and it was long overdue.

The last time he was on, we were previewing the 2008 NFL season and he was working in the offices of NFL Films, finishing up a movie (that was undoubtedly excellent.) Well, a lot has changed since then, as Didinger is no longer working with NFL Films, now writing and commenting on television for CSN Philly.

We first talk about how things have changed for him in the last year or so, and then talk about how if his time away from the NFL’s employ has changed the way he critiques and analyzes the league. Did he ever feel, while still working for the NFL, that he held thoughts back or bit his tongue as to not anger the league? Didinger has always been a level-headed guy, so it’s not like he’d rip the league unfoundedly whether he worked for them or not, but he explains that while people ask him that question all the time, he can honestly say that his analysis never changed. He was, however, asked not to pick games on his radio show or other programs (as an official league employee) , but those who follow Didinger’s work know he’s not exactly the five-diamond lock of the week kind of guy.

We talk a little about his radio show with Glen Macnow and parlay that into a lengthy discussion about their book, The Ultimate Book of Sports Movies. We run through the list of some of the movies that are in the book -- they actually tried to rank the 100 greatest movies which obviously led to a lot of angry movie fans, both for ranking some movies to high and some too low. We talk about the most polarizing film in the book -- Rudy, which Didinger explains they put right around 50, angering basically everyone, including those who love it and those who think it doesn’t belong on the list at all.

We talk a lot about accuracy in sports movies and Didinger brings up the fact that Shoeless Joe Jackson was batting right handed in Field of Dreams, and that being, in part, why the movie was kept out of the top 10 (it is 11th). While I love the movie, I totally agree with that -- it’s an offense that should keep the movie out of the top 10. And of course, we discuss how in the world they were able to rank the likes of Caddyshack with movies like Raging Bull.

We talk more about CSNPhilly and how the addition of some big names has paved the way for the Comcast group to be the leader in Philadelphia sports. It’s a model they are using elsewhere as well, and we discuss if this is a preemptive strike against ESPN. Has the success of the blogs and other forms of hyper-local content given the one-stop-shops like Comcast and ESPN the model for skewing more and more local with their sports coverage?

Before the season, in a column regarding the Eagles treatment of the Stewart Bradley injury, Didinger wrote that Reid’s treatment of the media was, “beyond arrogant. It was unprofessional.” I ask him if his relationship with Reid was strained after that and while he said that the next day Reid “looked right through me” as they walked past each other, he did tell a story about how Reid called him after his mother had died to offer condolences. Listen to the story as it humanizes Andy Reid more than any story I’ve ever heard.

We talk about how coaches are in fact people too and he tells a great story about his relationship with Dick Vermeil in the late 70’s. Amazing stories and why we love having him on the show.

We move to a discussion about the rash of concussions in the league and if enough is being done to both educate and protect the players. At the same time, the players have to know, at this point, what they’re getting into. Don’t they?

Last, we talk about the biggest storyline of the year. Is it two undefeated teams? Is it Brett Favre? Is it Vince Young’s reclamation project? Didinger thinks there are two, Favre and the Saints, and suspects they are on a collision course to the NFC title game.

Thanks to Ray for taking the time. Thanks to you for listening.