Good news from Mount Laurel, New Jersey: It seems that the reports of the demise of NFL Films may have been greatly exaggerated. The Houston Chronicle reports that Steve Sabol, the company’s Big Kahuna, is preparing all sorts of content: new programs like Starting 11 and Missing Rings (which sounds especially intriguing; an America’s Game-type show for great teams that couldn’t win the Super Bowl). There's also more Sounds of the Game, NFL Replay and Hard Knocks coming down the pike.
Since the news hit [1]that the current heads of the NFL Network didn’t see the value of Films’ esoteric, narrative-based game highlights and groundbreaking film work (‘cause, hey – we’d all rather watch a bunch of ex-players yell at each other, according to the demos), Sabol has fielded calls from concerned viewers, hoping that the company is okay. This is, in my opinion, a completely appropriate and understandable response. The only thing that has promoted professional football better than NFL Films is the game itself.
Links:
[1] http://www.philly.com/dailynews/sports/20080327_NFL_Films_is_taking_shots.html