The Little Big Show

It was a special night tonight on Football Night in America. The tandem--Keith Olbermann and Dan Patrick--that made SportsCenter the show it is tonight reunited (and it feels so good) and it was just like old times.

And of course, with the three really witty, overly smug guys in Olbermann, Patrick and NBC's head sports dude, Bob Costas, hilarity ensued on the set...well, as much as hilarity can ensue. Costas introduced the duo by also mentioning Olbermann and Patrick's book on how they got to the Big Show.

Even though the segments with Olbermann and Patrick were classic, it seemed a little forced, especially on Patrick's part. He hasn't done this for awhile, and it showed in the beginning. However, by their last segment, Football Night's "Little Big Show" Olbermann and Patrick returned fully to their old glorious roots as the best anchors to ever hold the desk in Bristol.

And that brings me to my biggest critique of Football Night--there are too many personalities. You only get a little taste of Olbermann and Patrick. You only get a taste of the rather awkward relationship between Costas and Cris Collinsworth. And (thank god) you only get a little bit of the rather mudane and pedestrian analysis from Jerome Bettis and Tiki Barber.

My suggestion to make this show as awesome as possible, and to get people to start watching it, get rid of the segment with Bettis and Barber. It does nothing for the show.

Add more face time for Olbermann and Patrick and maybe let them lead the show. Let their quirky antics, which captivated a cable audience in the 1990s, captivate a newer generation of football fans. A generation of fans, by the way, which have watched copy cats on ESPN try to duplicate the chemistry of The Big Show.

And then, for analysis, let Costas have a conversation with Collinsworth and Sports Illustrated's Peter King.

And then, maybe, Football Night can really become a show that everyone will start watching.