The Atlanta Falcons have dealt with scandal, scrutiny and a mounting pile of losses. Today, they’re dealing with something entirely unfamiliar:
A TV blackout.
Their game against San Francisco will not be televised in the Atlanta market on Sunday because too many tickets went unsold.
That’s a first since Arthur Blank bought the team and Michael Vick became the starting quarterback five years ago. Vick is suspended and waiting to be sentenced on charges related to dogfighting.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the club had a season-ticket waiting list of more than 90,000 fans before the season, but team officials say they have gone through them and aren’t sure how many are still seeking tickets.
FreezeCam: For today’s battle of the unbeatens between the Colts and Patriots, CBS will debut FreezeCam, which allows CBS to freeze the action while zooming in out or around the frame to give a clear picture of whether, say, a player’s feet are inbounds when he makes a catch.
Teasing: Detroit receiver Roy Williams, who’s sounding more like Chad Johnson by the minute, had some good-natured fun this week at the expense of Denver cornerback Dre Bly, a former Lions teammate whom he’ll face today: “Dre is a not a hitter, period,” Williams said, smiling. “Dre is a no-hitter. Isn’t that a term in baseball, a no-hitter? He’s a no-hitter.”
Shut out: Brett Favre has accomplished a lot in his 17 NFL seasons, but one thing he hasn’t done is beat Kansas City. Favre is 0-3 against the Chiefs going into today’s game at Kansas City. Overall, Green Bay has lost five in a row to the Chiefs dating to 1987, but the Packers have their own streak of five which they will being trying to extend: They’ve won five consecutive road games, outscoring opponents, 133-68.
Jaguars arrested: Jacksonville Jaguars rookie linebacker Justin Durant and second-year offensive tackle Richard Collier were arrested in separate incidents early Saturday, and neither made the trip to New Orleans. Jacksonville police arrested Collier for driving under the influence, and Durant was charged with resisting arrest without violence.
The Jaguars placed Collier on the reserve/suspended list Saturday.
Niners waive Navies: The San Francisco 49ers waived linebacker Hannibal Navies and signed fullback Zak Keasey from the practice squad for the third straight Saturday.
The 49ers have waived Navies before each of their last three games. He started two games earlier in the season, but has been limited in recent weeks by a knee injury.
Keasey has spent most of the last two seasons on the practice squad, but the 49ers have signed him to the active roster for three straight weeks to help out on special teams while safety Keith Lewis is sidelined by a hamstring injury.
Bashing Alexander: Halfway through the NFL season Newsday’s Bob Glauber hands out his midseason awards, known as “The Golden Glaubs.”
One Seahawk made the list.
“Falling star: Shaun Alexander, RB, Seahawks: Not running with the kind of authority and passion he had when leading the Seahawks to the Super Bowl two years ago.”
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