By David Scott
Boston Sports Media Watch

Local viewers day of televised football frustrations was summed up just before midnight on Sunday when Boston’s Best (and Worst) Babbler, Bob Lobel, referred to his network’s “coverage” of the Pittsburgh-Atlanta finish as “unbelievable.”

Considering the source – Babbling Bob is the very same man who proclaimed proudly at the outset of CBS4’s “Sports Final” that there was “no way in hell” he would be discussing the Bruins – it was quite a statement.

Here’s what happened at the Can’t Broadcast Straight network late Sunday afternoon: Following the early finish of the Patriots win over Buffalo (at about 3:45 p.m.), CBS switched to coverage of what happened to be one of the day’s most-compelling games (if not THE most) – Atlanta and Pittsburgh (which the Falcons won on a field goal OT). The network noted that NFL rules prohibited them from showing that game beyond 4:15 (to “protect” the Fox broadcast of Indianapolis-Washington) and wond up having to leave the contest late in the 4th quarter with the game tied 38-38.

Okay – so there’s problem No. 1. Who exactly is the NFL protecting with that mandate? If it’s trying to protect the best interest of fans, we make the loud argument that seeing ALL compelling finishes is what serves the largest number of NFL fans. We’re still going to switch over and watch Indy-Washington on Fox, but we’re going to get our fill of real NFL excitement first, instead of some meaningless first quarter play from Indy.

Knowing that we’re not seeing the real “big picture” on that problem, we’re actually willing to concede the point and allow the NFL some leeway. After all, we could just purchase satellite package and ensure all games are in our viewing capability. Fair enough. We’re cheap and we admit it.

But CBS and its new, still-struggling to mesh “NFL Today,” Sunday studio crew will get absolutely none of that same forgiveness.

CBS’s Foolsome Foursome was Problem No. 2, but much more intrusive: From the 15 minutes that remained in CBS’s broadcast window (leading up to the local airing of the Lobel-led “Patriots 5th Quarter”), the studio foursome of James Brown, Dan Marino, Shannon Sharpe and Boomer Esiason watched the live action on off-screen monitors and mostly failed to describe the game action, instead offering “ooohs,” “aaahs” and a mish-mash of strained facial expressions.

No one – including the suddenly shaky ex-Fox stalwart, Brown – was able to keep viewers informed and the immediate tape-delay replays of game action that were shown were only made more confusing by the studio crew’s inability to focus and inform the viewers. It was everything you don’t want to do on live sports TV and everything you’d prefer to never see. It was just that painful to watch.

(It reminded us slightly of some old days when WFAN’s Mike and The Mad Dog would be watching NCAA Tournament games on their in-studio monitors and every once in a while you’d get a “Oooohhhh Mikey” out of the Mad Dog when a crazy play would occur late in a 5-12 or 2-15 game. That was always forgivable – Doggie got caught in the emotion and it was radio he was working in.)

At one point during CBS’s catastrophe, Esiason tried to explain to his cohorts that the viewers at home weren’t seeing the game that his partners were watching and they should, you know, maybe try and remember they were ON TV and not WATCHING TV. Boomer’s plea fell on deaf ears.

Not one of the quartet could find the right camera to talk to; Marino was seen fiddling with his suit coat and Sharpe at one point bet no one in particular a six-pack of Coke, and then collected on his bet by claiming he was owed a case of the product. (Note to Shots-self: Don’t bet with Shannon Sharpe).

If it wasn’t the worst pro football-related live television embarrassment since The Heidi Game, we’re going to have to be shown convincing evidence to dispute that notion.

. . . Want a solution to this for the NFL?: Since such instances happen so infrequently, why not move the post 4:15 action over to NFL Network. They’re already in the midst of post-game pressers at the time, don’t you think the NFLN could handle a 15-minute window of a compelling contest? Won’t Fox still be protected to some extent (only NFL Network-receiving homes would be able to see the action)?

. . . This all goes back the control that the NFL extends over its product – like no other league in America – a developing story that was covered nicely here recently by the Kansas City’s Star’s NFL writer, Randy Covitz.

. . . At the beginning of “Sports Final,” Lobel displayed an odd fascination with the scary ending to Sunday’s Chicago Marathon for Boston Marathon reigning champ, Robert Cheruiyot. It was almost as if Lobel was giggling under his breath at the slip by Cheruiyot, in that sophomoric humor way the Lobel often possesses.

. . . That juvenile behavior was displayed again when he tried to goad guest Mike Felger into a discussion of his “Milton Berle” penis theory, which actually was espoused by Bill Simmons, in his Week 7 picks. We’re assuming Felger gave credit for the theory to Simmons when he discussed it on air. Lobel just stammered over it awkwardly.

. . . Also awkward was the forced segment where Lobel tried to set the AFC playoff picture after seven weeks. Can you imagine any season, ever, in the history of the NFL, where the playoff scenario at Week 7 was a fair indicator of the actual seeding? Never mind the fact that Lobel bungled the scenario by indicating the Pats would visit Cincinnati.

It was the second straight week where “Sports Final” forced a segment upon its unwitting guest duo of Steve DeAwful DeOssie and Felger. Last week, during the Pats’ bye week, the show and fill-in, Stumbling Steve Burton tried something called “Bye or Goodbye” where they wondered if such Pats personnel as Corey Dillon and Stephen Gostkowski should be shown the door. Felger was so frustrated during that bit of putrid TV, it appeared he was ready to walk off the CBS4 set and never return. (NOTE: Shots made a correction here, forgetting originally that last week’s show was hosted by Burton. Thanks to a loyal reader for the correction.)

If only Felger - and Lobel - had the good sense to do that.

“Unbelievable” indeed.

David Scott writes from a seaside shanty on the shores of Hull, Mass. And can be reached at shotsATbostonsportsmedDOTcom