History isn’t in their favor: No one has to remind Sean Payton about the dangers of Thursday night NFL openers. The New Orleans coach is well aware that since defending Super Bowl champs began hosting these prime-time games in 2004 they are undefeated, while visitors are a woeful 0-7, with most losing in blowout fashion. Payton has experienced both sides of Thursday night openers. The Saints lost 41-10 at Indianapolis in 2007 and won 14-9 over visiting Minnesota last season. The Saints will open against the Green Bay Packers in Lambeau Field in a game that kicks off at 7:30 p.m. on NBC. This will be New Orleans’ third Thursday-night opener in the last five years, a sign of just how far they have come. In the past, there were many Sundays the Saints weren’t even on local television because they were so lousy they had trouble selling out.
No timetable set for return: Colts owner Jim Irsay is telling fans Peyton Manning could miss more than just Sunday’s season opener at Houston. This morning, Irsay wrote on Twitter that Manning’s neck injury could keep him out “awhile,” and he did not provide any timetable for Manning’s return. Initially, the Colts thought Manning would return within six to eight weeks after his May 23 surgery. But with Manning unable to work out with team trainers during the 4˝-month NFL lockout, the recovery has gone much slower than anyone anticipated. He opened training camp on the “physically unable to perform” list and wasn’t activated until Aug. 29. Throughout the past several days, speculation has run rampant about the severity of Manning’s injury. One Twitter post, from a local sports radio talk show host, says Manning had an additional surgery last weekend, a claim Irsay shot down today.
Will be on channel through 2021: Monday Night Football will stay on ESPN through the 2021 season under an eight-year contract extension between the network and the NFL. The previous deal went through the 2013 season. After 36 years on ABC, the package moved to ESPN in 2006. The contract announced today includes rights to simulcast the games on tablet devices, expanded international rights and additional NFL programming on ESPN. The new programming starts Thursday, when NFL Live stretches from 30 minutes to an hour; and an extra hour will be added to Sunday NFL Countdown. The agreement includes 17 Monday games a season through 2021 and coverage of the Pro Bowl and NFL draft, and gives the NFL the option to show a wild-card playoff game on ESPN. The New York Times says ESPN paid $15 billion for the deal. This could lead to higher cable and satellite bills, since the sports network will likely seek higher payments for its channels when it renews contracts with the providers.
