Eisen's Soapbox

I really like the NFL Network's Rich Eisen. He brings a nice combination of silly and serious. Best of his talent is his remarkable rapport with the players, past and present. In his time with the Network, he has often latched onto some aspect of football and started politicking for a change. First it was the infamous "tuck rule". That's a good one. I actually think that the intention of the "tuck rule" is fine. It's the enforcement of it that's pathetic. The Flea Flicker will attack the "tuck rule" at another time. I'll probably combine it with the Calvin Johnson TD catch rule, another poorly enforced rule. For now, I'll deal with Rich Eisen's new favorite topic. For the past several years both the NFL Network's and ESPN's draft coverage have shown the team phone calls to the drafted players, both at the event and in some of the homes. Eisen hates this. He doesn't want the teams calling the players. He wants each selection to be a surprise for the audience and the players when Roger Goodell announces it. My first thought was that Eisen's crew is doing the televising. They are ruining the surprise to at least the audience. I'm all for surprises, but I have always liked that the teams are the ones to inform the players of their selection. I'd actually prefer that both networks kept their cameras away from the players special moment. Keep the cameras out of the Green Room and the homes. I'm fine with Goodell's announcement being a surprise to me and the rest of the audience. I don't need to see the players initial surprise. Seeing their resulting joy is enough.

I've always enjoyed Rich Eisen's fan's view of the NFL. This new platform of his just seems a bit much. You can surprise the audience but let the players be.