The NFL-N's Play By Play Answer Is Right In Front Of Them

Everyone is calling for the NFL Network to make a huge splash. Whether it's a smart choice like hiring Marv Albert, or an idiotic one like hiring Pam Ward, the choices are out there. I'm not even going to touch the Pam Ward thing again, but Marv Albert is an interesting choice. There's just one small problem, when the NFL Network gets their schedule underway in Week 10.....Albert is calling Thursday Night NBA games for TNT. Sure Albert does the Monday Night Football game on radio and he would be great, but there's no way TNT is sharing him on Thursdays.

So who does that leave? Well how about the guy that filled in for Gumbel during the Week 14 matchup between the Broncos and Texans?

Tom Hammond worked that game with Cris Collinsworth and I was shocked at how well they did as a team. They poked fun at each other at times and had fun with a game that had the Texans blowing away the Broncos in the 2nd Half. Most would have found a 31-13 game boring, but Hammond kept me watching somehow. He was so good that night that I wrote this following the live-blog....

As far as the booth goes. I don't know what to say. Tom Hammond is everything that Gumbel isn't. He was clear and concise, spoke with conviction, and didn't make mistakes (or cough up phlegm in the booth). Did someone say Wally Pipp? I hope the NFL Network is reading.

I hope they're reading again as I'm begging them to hire Tom Hammond to work with Collinsworth. Marv Albert would be great, but Hammond would be better.