Week 10 NFL Announcing: Didn't Sunday Used To Be Special?

Am I the only person who hates checking their fantasy stats on Friday to see how my team did the night before? I liked it when the NFL Network added the night game to the Thanksgiving package, especially because many of us have a tendency to miss much of the other games hanging out with our families. Pfft, families.

And yes, I'm sure most people would say that more football is better football, but sometimes I think these games on Thursdays are just too darn much football. We know this has to be some five-year test to see how well Thursday football is received before we start seeing games on Friday nights, then a few more on Saturday ... (checks schedule) ... there ARE games on Friday and Saturday ... this season, including one on Christmas night. How long, then, before we see NFL games on Tuesday and Wednesday night as well?

By the time our kids are in control of the remote – wait, I've watched enough Handy Manny and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse to know I haven't been in control of the remote for quite some time – there will be NFL football on every night of the week, every single week. Sundays used to be special, and Mondays even more special. Now, the NFL is becoming no different than any of the other sports. With games on so often, it's just not that special anymore.

And yes, I know Tunison is just waiting to hit me with a book in the face. I probably deserve it.

FOX
We'll start with the late games for FOX where most of the country will be getting Dallas at Green Bay with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman on the call. With only one game on CBS in the late slot, expect that game to do a number nearly as big as Favre's return to Green Bay did a few weeks ago. The other late games are Philadelphia at San Diego with Thom Brennaman and Brian Billick and Seattle at Arizona with Dick Stockton and Charles Davis.

The early games on FOX seem to feature one contending team against a team at the bottom of the standings. The FOX 'B-team' of Kenny, Moose and Goose will call Atlanta at Carolina while Sam Rosen and Tim Ryan get Detroit at Minnesota, which seems odd considering more than half the country – including nearly every market west of the Mississippi – will be getting the Vikings. Ron Pitts and John Lynch get Tampa Bay at Miami while Chris Rose and Trent Green get New Orleans at St. Louis.

It's amazing how little respect the Saints are still getting with their coverage on FOX. It's like the network doesn't want to promote the best team on its roster, sending their least experienced announcing crew and airing the Vikings game in every major market instead of the Saints. Maybe FOX doesn't want to show a game in St. Louis to the rest of the country because the dome will be empty (or full of paper bag-faced fans) when in Minnesota the place should be raucous? I know Brett Favre drives a number, but at some point Drew Brees should get the opportunity.

CBS
There really are not many good matchups on Sunday with CBS losing the AFC's best game to NBC. But CBS does have Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, which may be the most important game of the week. Jim Nantz and Phil Simms on the call. The rest of the CBS slate is so thin that Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf will call a suddenly sliding Denver team at Washington. Dick Enberg and Dan Fouts get Jacksonville at the Jets and Ian Eagle and Rich Gannon get Buffalo at Tennessee.

There is only one late game on CBS and boy is it a doozy, as Gus Johnson and Steve Tasker get Kansas City at Oakland.

National Games
The game of the week for the second-straight week goes to NBC's Sunday Night Football with Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth, et al calling New England at Indianapolis. The Monday Night game is as bad as Sunday Night is good, with Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski and Jon Gruden getting Baltimore at Cleveland. The over-under on the number of Art Modell references set at five.

Map links and announce crew pairings courtesy of The 506.

And in honor of how many days the NFL likely wants games on ...

This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.