The Sportz Guru Report

The NFL announced earlier this year the Monday Night Football was moving from ABC to ESPN, with the Sunday Night game moving from ESPN to NBC starting next season.  Ratings for Monday Night Football have been dwindling for years now and ABC has tried everything to try to improve these numbers(Dennis Miller, anyone?!?).  Most people think a reason for this is the number of choices now available for people to watch.  Back when ABC forst started MNF, there were only 3 or 4 channels to choose from, so even fair weathered fans would watch.  Now, they say, that just isn't the case.  That may be correct to a point, but my reasons are much simpler.  Horrible games!

I am going to focus on one team...The Green Bay Packers.  They have been on Prime Time, or on National TV 5 times this season.  Seeing that there are approximately 35 games on National Television alone(Sunday Night. Monday Night, and games on Christmas, etc) they have been featured in games over 10% of the time.  Has anyone noticed how bad the Packers are?  If not before, definitely after last night.  A 48-3 embarrassment at the hands of a bad 5-9 Baltimore Ravens team.  No wonder noone watches.  Who wants to stay up unitl 1AM to watch two horrible football teams play horrible football.

There has been alot of talk that the NFL wants the flexibilty to move games to Prime Time late in the season so the matchups are better.  Though a nice thought, the logisitic are a nightmare and nearly impossible.  My thought would be for the NFL to simply look closer at the schedule and pick games based on more than marquee names on the teams.  Sure, Brett Favre was a nice draw in the past, but he is AWFUL now, the proff again being last night's game.

The side note to this problem has been the public downfall of one of the NFL's supposed elite.  Not only have we been forcefed bad football, but we get to watch an over-the-hill athlete embarrass himself on a weekly basis.  Similar to Ali-Holmes and the final game of Ripken's streak, Favre has the look of a player that has held on too long.  Sure, the Packers are decimated by injuries, but there are alot of teams without alot of talent.  David Carr, who is on his way to breaking his own sack reacord, doesn't LOSE the game the way Favre does. Noone does.  Favre now leads the league with 24 picks, several being returned for TD's in close games.

I am not a Packer fan, nor a Favre fan, but as a sports fan, these types of things are painful to watch.  Favre has said many times that he will hang it up when the game isn't fun anymore.  Hey, Brett, if you are half as miserable playing these games as we are watching them, then you know what you should do.... 

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