Welcome to zombie radio. Waking up at 4am after trying to watch most of the NFL Kickoff game is not a smart idea. And it’s dark and rainy. But none of that matters anymore, because IT’S FOOTBALL SEASON!!!!!!!

!!!!!!!

Nick and I talk about the game last night and how happy we are that football is officially back in our lives (even if Cris Collinsworth took a shot at Kenny Britt in the first half...he made up for it with praise later in the telecast) and how entertaining the game was, even if it was low scoring.

We also talk about the fact that neither of us could watch the overtime because we fell asleep (note: I watched the fourth quarter and overtime this morning). Why not start the game at 8pm? Did we really need that terrible concert with the Black Eyed Peas and Tim McGraw? Is that supposed to get us excited for football? We want FOOTBALL!

(Musical interlude)

Speaking of football, we bring in Scott Hanson who is the host of the NFL Red Zone channel, which might be the best channel ever created for people like me who have ADD and just want to see play after play after play with very little huddling or calling timeout or other stuff that gets in the way of more football.

The NFL Red Zone promises to show every touchdown of the season. People with Verizon Fios, Comcast and Dish Network can get it now, and per Hanson, more providers are adding on as well.

We talk a lot about the logistics of how the network will work, pulling both live video and highlights from the CBS and Fox games into one production. Hanson likens it to what CBS does in the early round NCAA games, but it’s different because all those games are produced and directed by CBS, and there’s a central control room in charge of all the games. With this, they are taking action from two other networks and repurposing them for the NFL Red Zone network. How much control will the control room really have? Hanson explains that they won’t be able to pull highlights or replays that aren’t shown on the air, but while one game is in a replay situation, they’ll be able to pop into multiple games and get back in time for the replay decision. That’s something your local affiliate can’t do. It’s almost like stealing your neighbor’s cable, only with an awesome neighbor who only watches football.

It’s pretty inventive, and obviously shows the kind of hammer the NFL has with the networks. We discuss how leagues have gotten more into the production side of their sports and I ask Hanson if he thinks that within a few years, the NFL or MLB or NHL will just broadcast all the games themselves on their own networks.

We talk about his day, where he’ll be on camera for more than six hours straight. He points out they still haven’t figured out when the bathroom breaks will come (let’s hope the camera doesn’t follow him there) and we discuss how much he’ll be on the air. Will most of the network be cut-ins to specific games using their audio, or will there be a lot more split-screening and ‘here’s what you just missed’ replays?

They have a lot of the same questions, so it will be fun to watch it play out. We do get one thing straight. this is not the old Red Zone idea that when a team crosses the 20-yard line a feed pops up on your screen. Four games in the red zone and you get four feeds, etc. This is just called Red Zone, but you’ll get all sorts of highlights and cut ins to late game situations, long drives, defensive stops, you name it.

This is a fantasy nut’s dream. And at the very least, it’ll be interesting to see if Hanson goes insane with a camera on him and an open mic nearly the entire day.

Speculation Station:

This is a different kind of speculation. We give our picks. We hate picks, but it’s a sports show, so we give them. Note, these were selected before yesterday’s game.

Nick:

AFC

New England Patriots

Pittsburgh Steelers

Indianapolis Colts

San Diego Chargers

WC: Texans and Ravens

 

NFC

Philadelphia Eagles

Green Bay Packers

New Orleans Saints

Seattle Seahawks

WC: Giants and Falcons

Dan:

New England Patriots

Baltimore Ravens

Indianapolis Colts

San Diego Chargers

WC: Steelers and Titans

 

NFC

New York Giants

Chicago Bears

Carolina Panthers

Arizona Cardinals

WC: Vikings and Redskins

SUPER BOWL:

Nick: New England over Green Bay

Dan: San Diego over Chicago

Look, I already hate my picks, so don’t mock them. But we discuss why we picked what we did. Send us yours, so we can mock you later in the year when you mock us.

Nick and I are also doing a fantasy league where we pick draft a team each week. Pick will be on the blog each week.

Housekeeping:

We take a brief moment at the end of the show to acknowledge the anniversary of 9/11. We all have stories about the day, so rather than share them, we just hope you’ll join us in remembering the day, the lost and the people who donated time, money and energy to the cause. If you drive past a fire house today, give a honk. If you see a policeman/woman, give a thumbs up. They deserve it every day, but especially today.

Thanks for listening. Go football!