NFL's East Coast/Cowboys Bias may be crushed Sunday night, which would be sweet justice for NFL fans! If Redskins beat Cowboys, strong chance no team from 5 of U.S.'s Top 6 TV markets will make NFL playoffs: No NY, no LA (not even Chargers!), no Chicago, no Philly, no Dallas. Plus, we'll finally be free of analysis of Romo & Roethlisberger's angst! Hooray!!!

NFL's East Coast/Cowboys Bias may be crushed Sunday night, which would be sweet justice for NFL fans! If Redskins beat Cowboys, strong chance no team from 5 of U.S.'s Top 6 TV markets will make NFL playoffs: No NY, no LA (not even Chargers!), no Chicago, no Philly, no Dallas. Plus, we'll finally be free of analysis of Romo & Roethlisberger's angst! Hooray!!!

It's all up to the Redskins to make this reality come true Sunday night when they host the Cowboys in a battle for the NFC Eastern Division title that I believe may well be a Redskin rout by the middle of the third quarter, a result that should lead to the Cowboys making major changes that are long overdue, including a change at head coach.

If the Redskins win Sunday night, the only team from a Top 6 U.S. TV market will be the San Francisco 49ers, at number six.
http://www.stationindex.com/tv/tv-markets

That will mean that what seems like the majority of the teams that the NFL and Madison Avenue have foisted upon us this past season via nationally-televised Sunday Night, Monday Night and Thursday Night football ballgames will be completely absent from the playoffs: Cowboys, Giants and Jets. Buh-bye!

For the Cowboys, this absence will mean that the following is now true: the Cowboys have won one playoff game in the past 16 years.

Now say it over to yourself and ask yourself whether this self-evident fact will prevent the NFL and Madison Avenue from force-feeding the Cowboys down America's throat next year on the tube?
No, more likely, they will front-load many of those Cowboys games at the beginning of the season and cross their fingers to get some games at the end of the season on the flex schedule.

As I've written here before, one of the few conspiracy theories in America that is actually TRUE is that the NFL props-up the Cowboys in ways that it doesn't seem to for any other team.

At one point in this past season I had figured out that over half of the Cowboy 16 regular season games had been on national TV broadcasts, and with the flex schedule going into effect for Sunday night's Redskins, I believe that makes either 8 or 9 Cowboys games out of 16 that will have been nationally-televised.
Why so much pushing for such a mediocre team?

A few years ago, ESPN commentator and NFL Hall of Fame QB Steve Young succinctly tore into the Dolphins and the Vikings organizations as THE most over-rated NFL teams of the past 10 -or 15?- years.
To that he could have added the Jerry Jones Cowboys of the 21st Century.

No, contrary to what is said perpetually on ESPN, especially by Jon Gruden, the Cowboys are NOT one of the most-talented teams in the league, they are one of the most under-performing.

As a matter of fact, as far as most NFL fans are concerned, the Cowboys and Giants don't need to always have one of their two games be a nationally-televised game, or even rate a 4:15 p.m. Sunday kickoff.
It's not the 1990's anymore, capisce?

An exciting team on the rise like the Seattle Seahawks needs to be on national TV more and I don't mean 1 p.m. Eastern kickoffs against the Dolphins, either.

But don't kid yourself.
The Cowboys will be on more national TV broadcasts next year than the Seahawks even if Seattle gets to the Super Bowl. Even if they win it.
Rest assured, the powers-that-be at NFL HQ will see to it.

NFL Odds & Ends

When he was still head coach at Texas Tech, I used to wonder what a brilliant mind like offensive-minded coach Mike Leach would do if given the keys to the Cowboys, the Chargers, Jets, Bucs or the Ravens, five perpetually under-performing NFL teams, none of whom have made the Super Bowl despite having had numerous opportunities before collapsing. 

I still wonder about that now that Leach is at Washington State, but only re the Ravens.

My January 6, 2009 post on Leach going to the Bucs was titled, 
So THAT'S why newspapers are dying? BORING!; Jon Gruden must go!

http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/so-thats-why-newspapers-are-dying.html

As someone with a few Ravens t-shirts and jackets in my bedroom closet and who's rooted for the Ravens since they moved to Baltimore -and who came this close to becoming a Ravens season ticket holder that first year when I lived in Arlington County, VA- while it might be heresy for some to hear, while I think he's a good coach, I believe John Harbaugh's era at Baltimore could and should come to an end if they lose in the playoffs against either the Colts or the Bengals. 
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/ravens-insider/bal-updated-ravens-nfl-playoff-scenarios-20121224,0,345461.story
At home. 
Mercifully.

They no longer have the number and caliber of defensive playmakers to mask his bad coaching decisions:

Ravens Have Underperformed During John Harbaugh’s Tenure
By Zach Wilt
ttp://baltimoresportsreport.com/ravens-overvalue-john-harbaugh-35505.html


Bloomberg News
Oakland Pays $17 Million for NFL Raiders as Cops Fired

By Darrell Preston & Aaron Kuriloff - Dec 20, 2012 5:58 PM ET

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-12-20/oakland-pays-17-million-for-nfl-raiders-as-cops-get-cut.html

Halfway thru 2011 NFL season, TV's East Coast bias in scheduling Sunday & Monday Night Football games, esp for Cowboys, Jets & Giants, is clear to see

clevelandthundercat video: A Browns Fan's Reaction To Today's Game Against Houston

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRBDMMVctu8&feature=colike

Brilliant!

Within my lengthy post Tuesday about Peter Schweizer's hot new book titled "Throw Them All Out," about insider trading and crony capitalism on Capitol Hill,

http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/insight-into-world-of-insider-trading.html

I included a pithy and accurate secondary comment regarding what I called the "NFL/Madison Avenue nexus."

That is to say, the guiding hand at NFL HQ that causes the schedule-makers to force Cowboy, Jet and Giant football games down the country's throat before the holidays, in order to maximize the TV network's ratings, even if those particular games are crummy match-ups by the time they roll around -or worse- are of little general interest outside of certain East Coast area codes in and around the island of Manhattan.

Well, perhaps as a testament to how much some of you recall from what I right -or my ability to mention something here that's of interest to me that you find yourself in agreement with- I've received quite a few short emails from readers and NFL fans around the world who seconded my motion -and then some.

The general consensus for the past forty years among serious NFL fans I know and columnists I trust is that for the TV networks, the best scenario has always seemed to be having the Cowboys as a good team and playing at home or on the road against an East Coast city, regardless of how good the Cowboys actually are that year, since New York, Philadelphia, Washington and Atlanta are large markets.

(Obviously, you already know that they are all NFC and Fox-TV markets.)

In fact, more than any other team, it's been noticeable to even the most novice fan that even when the Cowboys are mediocre to average, as usual, the NFL has scheduled them for late season national games at times on Saturdays or Sundays that more-deserving teams should be paying at, almost as if the NFL marketing folks are closet Cowboy fans with their thumb on the scales.

Most NFL fans I believe could tolerate the schedule-makers giving the benefit of the doubt to the Steelers or the Patriots, as nobody ever thinks both teams will be bad in the very same year, but last I checked, the Cowboys haven't played in the NFC Championship since 1995, 16 years ago, yet they are forever the fair-haired favorites at NFL HQ.

That appearance and the simple facts that one can deduce from simply examining the schedule in even a cursory fashion, hardly seems to matter to the NFL, since the schedule this year once again seems to be set-up with the NFL's firmly hoping for the Cowboys to be good down the stretch.

But when has that hope become a reality the past few years?

For the Cowboys, December has been the month of giving -giving away ballgames they should've won.

The proof of that isn't just what we have already observed this year, but the fact that once again, the Cowboys are scheduled to host one of three late afternoon post-4 p.m. games on Christmas Eve Day, against... yes, an East Coast team, the Eagles.

For the record, the other two games are San Diego at Detroit and San Francisco at Seattle.

Seriously, which game do you think will be on local TV where you live that Saturday afternoon?

Now as we all know, there are supposedly limits on how often NFL teams can appear on Sunday or Monday Night Football, but for most fans, it rarely seems that way in practice, does it?

No, it seems that Mark Sanchez, Tony Romo and Eli Manning & Company are shoved down our throats at every single opportunity, and are always featured as pre-game or halftime interviews, despite the fact that we all have seen enough to know that they are not exactly sparkling conversationalists.

And, not surprisingly, given the common sense of most of you readers, some of those emails I received suggested that I print the entire NBC Sunday Night/ESPN Monday Night football lineup, plus the Thursday NFL Network schedule -which starts tonight with a Jets game!- so you can see for yourself whether or not it shows that East Coast bias, coupled with the Cowboy/Jet/Giant bias we've all come to expect from the NFL and the NY-based TV networks; with table scraps thrown to the rest of the country.

This year, for example, is a perfect example of what I was saying about the NFL schedule-makers loading-up for TV ratings sake.

It was a good month -four weeks- before there was a single Sunday night or Monday night football game that DIDN'T include either the Cowboys, Jets or Giants, who as of today, Thursday morning, have a combined record of 16-11.

Thru the first 12 weeks of the NFL season, there is NEVER more than ONE WEEK going by without an appearance on a Sunday, Monday or Thursday night game of the Cowboys, Giants or Jets.

How do you reconcile that?

In fact, if you look at the schedule for the first twelve weeks of NBC's Sunday night game, the farthest west they go is Kansas City, which will be two Sundays from now.

Not exactly a cross-country tour of America's love affair with the NFL.

Below, I'm going to highlight these three teams nationally-televised games on Saturdays, Sunday night, Monday night and Thursday night, and let you see whatever you want to see. Perhaps it'll be a pattern.

That's what I see.

Week 1

Sunday, Sept. 11th Dallas 24 @ NYJ 27

Monday Sept. 12th New England 38 @ Miami 24, Oakland 23 @ Denver 20

Week 2

Sunday Sept. 18th Philadelphia 31 @ Atlanta 35

Monday Sept. 19th, St. Louis 16 @ NY Giants 28

Week 3

Sunday Sept. 25th Pittsburgh 23 @ Indianapolis 20

Monday Sept. 26th Washington 16 @ Dallas 18

Week 4

Sunday Oct. 2nd NY Jets 17 @ Baltimore 34

Monday Oct. 3rd Indianapolis 17 @ Tampa Bay 24

Week 5

Sunday Oct. 9th Green Bay 25 @ Atlanta 14

Monday Oct. 10th Chicago 13 @ Detroit 24

Week 6

Sunday Oct. 16th Minnesota 10 @ Chicago 39

Monday Oct. 17th Miami 6 @ NY Jets 24

Week 7

Sunday Oct. 23rd Indianapolis 7 @ New Orleans 62

Monday Oct. 24th Baltimore 7 @ Jacksonville 12

Week 8

Sunday Oct 30th Dallas 7 @ Philadelphia 34

Monday Oct. 31st San Diego 20 @ Kansas City 23

Week 9

Sunday Nov. 6th Baltimore 23 @ Pittsburgh 20

Monday Nov. 7th Chicago 30 @ Philadelphia 24

Week 10

Sunday Nov. 13th New England 37 @ NY Jets 16

Monday Nov. 14th Minnesota 7 @ Green Bay 45

Week 11

Thursday Nov. 17th NY Jets @ Denver 8:20 PM

Sunday Nov 20th Philadelphia @ NY Giants 8:20 PM

Monday Nov. 21st Kansas City @ New England

Week 12

Thursday Nov. 24th Thanksgiving Day

Green Bay @ Detroit

Miami @ Dallas

San Francisco @ Baltimore, the Harbaugh Bowl

Sunday Nov. 27th Pittsburgh @ Kansas City 8:20 PM

Monday Nov. 28th NY Giants @ New Orleans 8:30 PM

Week 13 is when it gets interesting since though the NFL says that weeks 10-15 and 17 are when the "flexible schedule" kicks in for moving one Sunday afternoon game to Sunday night for NBC's telecast, they weren't/aren't about to abandon the Jets for Week 10 and the Giants for Week 14, were they?

http://www.nfl.com/schedules/tv/flexible

http://www.nfl.com/schedules

Thursday Dec. 1st Philadelphia @ Seattle 8:20 PM

Sunday Dec. 4th

The two games most likely to be moved are Detroit @ New Orleans tentatively listed for a 1p.m. kickoff and Green Bay at, yes, the NY Giants slated for 4:15 p.m.

Monday Dec. 5th San Diego @ Jacksonville 8:30 PM

Week 14

Thursday Dec. 8th Cleveland @ Pittsburgh 8:20 PM

Sunday, Dec. 11th

What do you know, NBC has tentatively listed the NY Giants at Dallas for Sunday night, though by then, the Cowboys may already be eliminated from playoff contention.

What are the odds that NBC tosses this game?

We know the answer to that, don't we -ZERO chance!

Mon, Dec. 12th St. Louis @ Seattle

Week 15

Thursday Dec. 15th Jacksonville @ Atlanta

Saturday, Dec. 17th Dallas at Tampa Bay 8:20 PM

Sun, Dec. 18th

Tentatively scheduled for Sunday night is Baltimore @ San Diego, but they could drop that if Chargers are out of playoff contention by then -quite likely- and go with Seattle at Chicago, Detroit at Oakland or NY Jets at Philadelphia. Hmm-m...

Monday Dec. 19th Pittsburgh at San Francisco

Week 16, Dec. 22nd-25th, has a condition that weeks 10-17 didn't have -a guarantee.

The NFL guaranteed Chicago at Green Bay on Christmas night to NBC, and there are no night games on Christmas Eve.

See, the NFL really does care about its fans. LOL!

At first glance, the only surprising thing is that the Giants at Jets game was scheduled for 1 p.m. and not 4:15 pm, but then you noodle it thru and you see what the NFL has done for Fox-TV.

It has given them all three teams we've discussed in this blog post on what will likely be a huge viewing day on a day that American families will be, theoretically, together, with the Philadelphia at Dallas game following the battle of the two New Jersey teams.

No chance they were going to have two west coast teams playing in the second game, right?

It would be a real shame if the Giants eliminated the Jets right before Christmas, wouldn't it?

Thursday Dec. 22nd Houston @ Indianapolis 8:20 PM

Sunday, Dec. 25th Chicago @ Green Bay 8:20 PM

Monday Dec. 26th Atlanta @ New Orleans

Week 17

Sunday Jan. 1st

This week, the last regular season weekend, the two games most likely to be moved are the 1 p.m. Baltimore at Cincinnati and Detroit at Green Bay games.

But playing Devil's Advocate, guess who also plays at 1 p.m.?

Yes, Dallas at the NY Giants.

The TV networks would't bypass two possibly crucial games with playoff positions at risk for another collective FU to the rest of the country would they, just to get more NY eyeballs?

You bet they would!

http://www.nfl.com/schedules

Johnny Depp shows up for ballgame, Dolphins don't!

Cardinals QB Kurt Warner and star WR Anquan Boldin, formerly of Pahokee High School and FSU, walk from the sidelines towards the field after a Dolphins punt leading into commercial break of Dolphins game Sunday afternoon. Boldin caught six passes for 3 TDs in the easy 31-10 Cardinals victory.

The Cardinals are now 2-0 for the first time since 1991, while the Dolphins didn't score in their opening drive for the 20th straight game.

Screenshot by South Beach Hoosier

Screenshot by South Beach Hoosier

Coming out of a commercial break with the Arizona Cardinals leading the Dolphins 14-0 with 28 seconds left in the first quarter, CBS-TV cameras caught former South Florida resident (Miramar) and film star Johnny Depp taking in the game at University of Phoenix Stadium.

Ironically, I was taping the ballgame on a videotape that I'd used earlier this morning when I popped it into the VCR before going to sleep so I could catch some films on the Starz free weekend promotion. The last film on the tape was the last Pirates of the Carribean film starring... exactly.

With this loss the Dolphins have now lost their last 11 road games, going back to the Thanksgiving game at Detroit in 2006.

Conversely, the New York Giants have now won their last 11 games on the road, since the Dolphins home game last year against the Giants was in London.

You may recall that we all learned from multiple sources last year that agreeing to move the home game to London and deprive Dolphin fans of a rare Giants home game, was the high price that Dolphin owner Wayne Huizenga happily paid in order to get the NFL to award him another Super Bowl -before he sells the majority share of the team in 2010.

(There are plenty of rumors percolating in South Florida -and around NFL media circles- that the sale will actually happen sooner rather than later, now that Huizenga sees that the team is, yes, years, from being playoff caliber material.)

I've long been of the school of thought that argued that Huizenga should've sold the team years ago, the same way that he should've never listened to Jimmy Johnson and talked him out of resigning, and then agreed to that Faustian bargain of accepting Dave Wannstedt as Dolphins head coach-in-waiting, to help JJ with the coaching load.

You made your deals with the Devil -now he's collecting!

With interest!

Below the first mentions of Johnny Depp and Hallandale in local newspapers:

excerpt

Miami Herald

By Joan McIver, Herald Staff Writer

March 14, 1985

OH HORRORS:

When former Miramar resident Johnny Depp , 21, moved to California, he acted as though his life had turned into a nightmare. Depp, the son of Betty Sue Palmer and Hallandale public utilities director John Depp, became a movie star. He co-stars with Heather Langenkamp in "Nightmare on Elm Street," his first movie. Depp was back in town last week for a short visit with his parents.

"I play the part of Heather's boyfriend," he said." is not a complete work of art, but it's right." Since filming the horror flick, Depp has completed another movie, "Private Resort," also by director Wes Craven. Not bad for someone with no previous acting experience.

Depp moved to California in 1983 with a local band called The Kids, but found the going rough for musicians. "I was hanging out in Melrose, just looking for a job," Depp said. "I had a friend who was an actor. He took me to see his agent, and they signed me up for 'Elm Street.' Acting is real addicting."

----------------------

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

ACTOR JOHNNY DEPP FINDS SUBSTANCE IN FILM 'PLATOON'
By Debbie Blaylock, Staff Writer
February 4, 1987

In the spring of 1985 after filming Nightmare on Elm Street and Private Resort, actor Johnny Depp said he was ''ready for something with more substance than chasing girls and running down hallways.''

Today, the Miramar High School graduate is being watched by millions of movie-goers in the highly acclaimed movie Platoon.

Some critics describe Platoon as the first realistic depiction of the Vietnam War. Director and writer Oliver Stone drops Depp and the rest of the dirty, sweat-soaked platoon into a jungle heavy with the stench of death.

To describe it in one word: intense.

''For the first week or so, he didn't know if he would make it,'' said John Depp of Hallandale , Johnny's father. ''For two weeks before they started filming, they made Johnny and the others live in the jungle.

''It was 115 degrees by eight in the morning. It was just mud and swarms of ants. They slept in two-man foxholes and didn't get much sleep, and they ate out of cans.''

Johnny is currently filming a series for TV in Vancouver, British Columbia, and was unavailable for comment.

In 1983, Depp, the lead guitarist in The Kids rock band, left south Broward for Hollywood, Calif., looking for a record deal.

How Depp broke into acting sounds like a movie script itself. A woman who worked at a recording studio saw The Kids perform at some no-name bar. She convinced Depp to audition for a role in the television series Fame.

Depp was one of the final four auditioners before the producer showed him the door. He decided to pursue music instead of fame on the silver screen.

However, playing at out-of-the-way bars for $25 a night didn't pay the bills, so Depp sold T-shirts and worked at telephone solicitation.

Meanwhile, a friend, actor Nicolas Cage, introduced Depp to his agent and persuaded the musician to give acting another chance.

That's when Depp auditioned and earned a role in writer and director Wes Craven's thriller Nightmare on Elm Street.

Since then, Depp has worked on a now-defunct television series, Lady Blue, and starred in a Showtime-produced show and other programs. He will be seen tonight in Hotel at 10 on ABC.