NFL Notebook: Fans getting turned off by lockout

Sunday, May 8, 2011
Posted: 10 a.m.

By Ray Didinger
CSNPhilly.com

The NFL doesnt like to admit it, but it has a problem. Fans are angry about the lockout and they are showing it. They booed Commissioner Roger Goodell at the draft, which was worrisome enough, but they also tuned out the draft itself.

After predicting the ratings for the draft telecast would be the highest ever, the NFL and ESPN had to be dismayed to see the actual numbers dip significantly from last year when the three-day format was introduced.

People still watchedThursdays first round of the draft outdrew the NBA playoffs head to headbut it was a smaller audience than last year despite the compelling Cam Newton will-he-or-wont-he-go-No. 1? story line.

The Auburn quarterback was the first player in more than 60 years to (a) win the national championship, (b) win the Heisman Trophy and (c) be the first pick in the NFL draft, all in the same year. The last player to pull off that trifecta was Leon Hart of Notre Dame in 1949. So this was historic stuff, yet the audience dwindled.

Fans are upset. Most arent taking sides. They are mad at everyone, owners and players alike. They dont care who wins in court; they arent interested in the legal issues; they just want to know when the lockout will be lifted. Until then, they cant be bothered.

There was little buzz when the regular season schedule was released last month. In a typical year, fans cant wait to see the schedule so they can start making plans for road trips and tailgates. But its hard to get excited about a schedule when you dont know if the games will even be played.

In the weeks leading up to the draft, I saw the same lack of interest. Fewer e-mails about the Eagles needs. Fewer calls to the radio show. And if things had fallen off that much in Philadelphia where football talk dominates, I could only imagine how bad things were in other markets.

If Goodell didnt get the message before, he surely got it at the draft when he was booed every time he walked across the stage. He knew it was coming, but he probably did not expect it to be as angry or sustained as it was. He stood there looking helpless and embarrassed as the crowd chanted: We want football.

I hear you, Goodell said.

Lets hope so.

Of course, the fans werent booing Goodell as much as they were booing the situation. If DeMaurice Smith, the head of the Players Association, walked on the stage, he wouldve been greeted the same way. The fans have reached a point where they are mad as hell and they are not going to take it anymore.

All along, I felt the NFL would not suffer any long-term damage from this labor dispute, foolish as it is. Baseball and hockey lost a lot of fans when they shut down, but I thought pro football was too popular and too entrenched to suffer the same fate. I figured the fans would be waiting to come back once the doors re-opened. Now Im hearing more people say thats not a given.

I still think the fans will return just because they wouldnt know what else to do on an autumn Sunday. They love the games, they love the fantasy leagues and they love the betting. It would take a lot to drive them away, but now it has reached a point where the owners and the players need to step back and see whats happening around them.

I dont think they can continue to act as though the fans dont matterbecause they do.

The next date for court ordered talks between the two sides before a federal magistrate is May 16. It will be interesting to see if all partieswith the chants of the fans ringing in their earsshow up with a greater sense of urgency to get something done.

Farewell, Mad Dog
Jim Mandich, who died last week at age 62, was one of pro footballs great characters. A tight end on Miamis Super Bowl teams in 1972-73, he was known as Mad Dog to fans and teammates alike. He loved to laugh and have a good time.

An All-America selection at Michigan, Mandich played eight seasons in Miami and made his home there after his career ended. He became a popular talk show host and part of the Dolphins radio team. He was a shameless homer who punctuated every Dolphin score by howling, Alllll right, Miami. It became his trademark.

As a producer at NFL Films, I worked on dozens of highlight shows, which meant going through hours of radio play-by-play to find just the right sound bites. I always looked forward to being assigned a Dolphins game because I knew I could count on Mandich to provide two or three classic lines, win or lose.

My favorite: Quarterback Dan Marino brought the Dolphins from behind to win a big game in the closing seconds. A jubilant Mandich said: Its all about whats under the left nipple. The thumper, baby. Thats putting the color in color analysis.

Mandich was a great story-teller, which is why he was so successful in radio. He once told me about his first meeting with coach Don Shula. He pulled up to the Dolphins facility in a Volkswagen covered with peace signs. He was wearing bell-bottoms and had hair down to his shoulders. This was 1970, after all.

Shula came out of his office and said, Who are you? Mandich recalled. I said, Im your first-round draft pick, coach. Shula almost fainted on the spot.

Mandich became one of Shulas favorite players and they were fast friends in later years. Last week, more than 2,500 people came to the Dolphins stadium for a memorial service honoring Mandich. Shula was the keynote speaker.

Jim never did anything halfway. Thats what made him so successful and special, Shula said.

Mandich was diagnosed with bile duct cancer early in 2010 but he continued to work. He did not miss a single Dolphins game even though he was on a feeding tube by the end of the season. He really was one of a kind.

A Loss in the Family
Sadly, another member of the 1960 Eagles championship team, Gene Gossage, passed away last week. He was 76.

Gossage, who played on both the offensive and defensive lines, was selected in the 28th round of the 1958 draft. He was an All-Big Ten selection at Northwestern where he was coached by the legendary Ara Parseghian.

Gossage was a versatile 6-3, 240-pounder who backed up both defensive ends on the 60 championship team. He became a starter at right defensive end the following season, but at the same time he was the backup at both offensive guard spots. Teams could carry only 36 players back then.

Gossage played three seasons with the Eagles (1960-62) then finished his football career with two seasons in the Canadian League playing for the Hamilton Tiger Cats. He had a very successful post-football career as a corporate executive with Stanley Industries.

E-mail Ray Didinger at viewfromthehall@comcast.net

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