Holy...
[url=http://www.thestar.com/sports/football/nfl/article/1051120--espn-signs-8-year-15-2-billion-extension-with-nfl-for-monday-night-football]http://www.thestar.com/sports/football/ ... t-football[/url]Since securing these rights, ESPN has continued to stink up the joint in its NFL coverage except for a rare throw-back episode of NFL Primetime with Berman and Jackson, Jon Gruden on MNF, and the emergence of Trent Dilfer.
NBC Sports Network has emerged to step up its NFL act too.
For ESPN now they are riding their substantial fortunes on Monday Night Football, as folks are watching even less of whatever else is on there than ever with the exception of many folks in the South watching college football.
Monday Night Football still has lower ratings than Sunday night's game on NBC, and interestingly it was the very opposite situation when ESPN had the Sunday night game before 2006.
Also since the article, the NFL indeed will offer an additional 8-game package for Thursday night as now airs on the NFL Network. How I would love to see NBC cover those games via the NBC Sports Network or otherwise, but there NBC would have a problem in competing against its own hyped Thursday night shows so I doubt that is going to happen. I hope for sure those games do not end up on ESPN.