Click here for a full list of stories on AQB's visit to The NFL Today A Day At NFL Today AQB Spends A Sunday At CBS And Comes Away Very Impressed By George Stahl NEW YORK (AQB)--At times, its sounds no different than your average sports bar on a Sundry. "You think it's too much to ask [a certain AFC receiver] to catch one pass today," says a frustrated owner of a fantasy football team, Jim Nantz. "The underneath slants are just killing Kansas City," Craig James remarks to no one in particular. "Oh, throw the flag," Nantz implores the referees in another game. However, this is much different than any sports bar or ESPN Zone restaurant. This is the set of The NFL Today, where Nantz, James, Randy Cross, Jerry Glanville and others spend their Sunday afternoons watching every NFL game. Last Sunday, on week five of the football season, I was fortunate enough to spend a whole day at CBS' studios to see how they do it. I learned that the whole operation takes many monitors, many people and many rooms, consider: The studio, where Nantz spends most of his day with technicians, cameramen and a group of denim-shirt-wearing researchers, a handful of whom are full-time CBS workers and some who are only $100 a day temps. This is where Nantz, along with hosting The NFL Today's studio shows, also does his game updates. The control room, where CBS coordinates coverage from the game sites with production from the studio. Production room, where CBS' entire NFL coverage is supervised by CBS Sports Executive Producer Terry Ewert and others. Viewing room, where the analysts can watch all the games and where, most importantly, the food is. And that doesn't even include the VIP room, where visitors and honored guests hang out and watch every game, and where more food is. I spent parts of my day in each of the four rooms, although the studio was by far the most exciting and entertaining. Nantz, James, Cross and Glanville spent a lot of their time there, watching the games, discussing football and kidding around with each other. At one point, after Cross proclaimed he was 3-0 so far with his picks on the pregame show, Nantz asked James how he was doing with his. The former college football player said, "He had taken one for the team," which is his and Glanville's way of saying they lost in order to make Cross look better. Nantz followed with, "Well, does that mean your 2-1 or 1-2?" "1-2," James answered quietly to shouts of laughter from Cross and the rest of the staff. Also in the studio is Jay Glazer, a New York Post NFL writer who is now the information man for The NFL Today. Glazer, constantly on the phone, keeps the crew informed of the latest gossip and injuries. Usually he's first with any news, but in the one instance that he was late - with a report on Denver tight end Shannon Sharpe's broke collarbone - Nantz was ready to chide. "We already knew that. ... As a matter of fact, I already sent him a get-well card," Nantz joked. To which, Glanville followed, "And he [Sharpe] already sent him a Thank You!" I also discovered that Twizzlers were the snack of choice at the desk. "Sugar for the first game," Cross said, "Caffeine for the second." Hopefully, you won't need any stimulants to get through ArmchairQB.com's package of stories about its day at CBS. They include: ArmchairQB's review of the new NFL Today show. AQB likes some of what it sees so far but offers some improvements. In-game updates. AQB shows how CBS and Jim Nantz interrupt the game you're watching to provide a highlight from another. Halftime shows. AQB describes how a lot of work goes into these short, unscripted and sometimes outrageous shows. Control Room. AQB takes you in the control room as CBS switches its audience from the ending of one NFL game to another. Back to top Speak Out or e-mail George.

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