Peacock Kicks Off

A singer singing about "doing it"–I think he was saying "do it"–and women writhing, bumping, grinding and grabbing their crotches. It must be a football game.

NBC's return to NFL football began with a pregame song by Diddy and dancers that looked like a Super Bowl half-time show, though without any obvious malfunctions.

NBC began the broadcast with a blimp shot of Pittsburgh at night, which really is a pretty city, the football and baseball stadiums like jewels set on a string of river, then moved pretty quickly to the concert.

ABC had the Stones last year for its season-opening Thursday game, so it wins in the that department. NBC followed up Diddy with Rascal Flats and a pitchy country singer Martina McBride on the fist-pumping anthem, but the three together still don't make one Mick in my book. ABC had some Mick crotch-grabbing on its opening last year, as I recall, so nothing new there.

I loved the Sprint Mobile ad with the guy getting slapped repeatedly by the gunfighter, and the Coors ads cleeverly cutting in post-game footage of coaches Dick Vermeil and Bill Walsh as though they were responding to beer-related questions.

Who is the guy in the pinstripe suite doing the announcing? –oh, lead NFL Network lead anchor Rich Eisen–I thought it was a parody he is so button-down?

By John Eggerton