If you get the chance, Bob Costas, on his HBO show, ran a story about Earl Campbell. Campbell, former Houston Oilers running back many of you remember, is known for having such degradation with his body that retired running backs Eddie George and Tiki Barber use him as an example to retire early. Campbell also suffers from a spinal cord issue that causes incredible immobility issues. The wearing and tearing on his body has only accelerated the degenerative condition. It really makes you reflect on the toll some football players put on their bodies and why the NFL must advance and progress their retirement plans.
The NFL is as popular as ever.
In all 30 NFL markets, local games dominated the ratings -- tying week 17 in 2003 as tops. The New Orleans market led all NFL markets with a staggering 46.6 rating. Fox's doubleheader had over 22.1 million viewers with NBC's Giants-Cowboys game pulling in 18.2 million viewers. The Opening Kickoff Game on Thursday (Saints-Colts) opened the season with 17.8 million viewers. The Bengals/Ravens game pulled in 11.1 million viewers while the Cardinals and 49ers reached 8.5 million viewers. Following are the NFL markets where football was the top-rated program for the week of September 3-9:
| Week of 9/3 - 9/9 | HH | HH | RTG | ||
| Market | Game | Date | RTG | SHR | Rank |
| New Orleans | Saints @ Colts | 9/6/07 | 46.6 | 63 | 1 |
| Indianapolis | Saints @ Colts | 9/6/07 | 45.0 | 63 | 1 |
| Pittsburgh | Steelers @ Browns | 9/9/07 | 37.6 | 66 | 1 |
| Dallas | Giants @ Cowboys | 9/9/07 | 33.5 | 48 | 1 |
| Buffalo | Broncos @ Bills | 9/9/07 | 33.5 | 64 | 1 |
| Cleveland | Steelers @ Browns | 9/9/07 | 31.5 | 55 | 1 |
| Milwaukee | Eagles @ Packers | 9/9/07 | 30.8 | 60 | 1 |
| Tampa Bay | Bucs @ Seahawks | 9/9/07 | 29.4 | 48 | 1 |
| Kansas City | Chiefs @ Texans | 9/9/07 | 29.3 | 55 | 1 |
| Minneapolis | Falcons @ Vikings | 9/9/07 | 28.0 | 62 | 1 |
| Jacksonville | Titans @ Jaguars | 9/9/07 | 27.1 | 47 | 1 |
| Chicago | Bears @ Chargers | 9/9/07 | 26.9 | 51 | 1 |
| Boston | Patriots @ Jets | 9/9/07 | 26.3 | 51 | 1 |
| Nashville | Titans @ Jaguars | 9/9/07 | 25.5 | 47 | 1 |
| Philadelphia | Eagles @ Packers | 9/9/07 | 24.9 | 52 | 1 |
| San Diego | Bears @ Chargers | 9/9/07 | 24.1 | 49 | 1 |
| Denver | Broncos @ Bills | 9/9/07 | 23.8 | 55 | 1 |
| Washington, DC | Dolphins @ Redskins | 9/9/07 | 23.3 | 54 | 1 |
| Detroit | Lions @ Raiders | 9/9/07 | 23.0 | 42 | 1 |
| Charlotte | Panthers @ Rams | 9/9/07 | 23.0 | 41 | 1 |
| Seattle | Bucs @ Seahawks | 9/9/07 | 22.6 | 50 | 1 |
| Miami | Dolphins @ Redskins | 9/9/07 | 21.2 | 37 | 1 |
| Houston | Chiefs @ Texans + Bonus Coverage | 9/9/07 | 21.9 | 39 | 1 |
| St. Louis | Panthers @ Rams | 9/9/07 | 18.7 | 40 | 1 |
| Phoenix | Bears @ Chargers | 9/9/07 | 16.2 | 31 | 1 |
| Baltimore | Saints @ Colts | 9/6/07 | 15.4 | 24 | 1 |
| New York | Giants @ Cowboys | 9/9/07 | 14.6 | 24 | 1 |
| Atlanta | Falcons @ Vikings | 9/9/07 | 13.8 | 28 | 1 |
| Cincinnati | Saints @ Colts | 9/6/07 | 13.4 | 22 | 1 |
| SF-Oakland | Lions @ Raiders | 9/9/07 | 11.5 | 30 | 1 |