Football media musings from the couch:

• Best TV rookies? ESPN's Jon Gruden has commanding TV presence, but this award goes to Rodney Harrison and Tony Dungy for their refreshing candor in NBC's studio.

Harrison called Terrell Owens ``a clown who's more concerned about individual stats than team success.'' He said the Wildcat ``is a joke for Michael Vick. He's lost his quickness.'' On Jason Campbell, Harrison said, ``I don't know what the Redskins see in this guy. He's a backup quarterback elevated to a starter.''

And Harrison even admitted as a player, ``a couple times, I was afraid to hit [Giants running back] Brandon Jacobs.''

Dungy explains replays in clear, concise terms and surprisingly has second-guessed coaches. When the Vikings ran on a third-and-6 late against Baltimore, Dungy said, ``Brad Childress can't make this call. You can't call a draw. You've got to let Brett Favre win the game.''

Dungy said two weeks ago that Titans coach Jeff Fisher should have benched Kerry Collins and started Vince Young; said Buffalo's defensive players ``looked like they didn't want to tackle Miami's backs''; and criticized Cleveland's Eric Mangini (before their quarterback switch): ``How can you say you're not changing anything?'' after such a poor start.

• ESPN's Ron Jaworski has a more critical edge than Gruden, and that sometimes translates into sharper analysis. One example: In the Dolphins-Jets Monday night game, Gruden said, ``Nice job on a Chad Henne check down.'' But Jaworski said, ``No. Henne had a chance for a long downfield throw. He went to the check down too soon.''

• Football season lowlights: Worst abuse of the language -- Fox's Troy Aikman, who likes to say a player ``was shooken up.'' Ugh. . . . Worst brain lock: CBS' Rich Gannon, for telling us Cincinnati would need to kick off to Cleveland if it made a field goal late in overtime. (Um, no, the game would be over, Ian Eagle reminded him.).

Oddest mistake: ABC's Brent Musburger telling us in the UM-Oklahoma game that an overpass was being built on the grounds of the Orange Bowl. (Didn't anyone in ABC's crew know enough to tell him that's where the Marlins stadium is going?). . . . Most delinquent analysis: On the UM-Central Florida game, CBS College's Aaron Taylor felt badly for a UCF defender who was faked out on a play and announced he would not mention his name. Are you kidding, Aaron?

Most fraudulent analysis: Fox's Tony Siragusa saying Giants quarterback Eli Manning ``got hit pretty hard. He really got rolled up,'' before replays showed he hadn't been touched. Siragusa didn't correct himself, but at least Darryl Johnston did. . . . Most tiresome analysis: Announcers telling us repeatedly that teams must avoid third-and-long, as if some teams love to be in that situation. Johnston said that repeatedly in the Vikings-Steelers game, as if he had unearthed a profound nugget.

• Deion Sanders has denied breaking NCAA rules in befriending Oklahoma State receiver Dez Bryant (who's ineligible for the rest of the season for lying about their interaction) and insisted he's not steering players toward agent and friend Eugene Parker. But Sanders must be more cautious and tell viewers when he has a relationship with a player.

``He does have a job with NFL Network, and he has to be careful of any conflicts of interest,'' NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said at the October league meetings. ``That has been made very clear to Deion.''

• Tough weekend for the Grieses. Bob Griese got a one-game suspension after saying Colombian-born NASCAR star Juan Pablo Montoya was out ``eating a taco.'' The suspension was unnecessary, considering Griese apologized twice on the air for the off-handed remark, which was insensitive but not malicious.

Meanwhile, Brian Griese made a regrettable mistake in the UM-Clemson game and owes UM offensive coordinator Mark Whipple an apology for saying Whipple called a timeout late in the first half and suggesting Whipple, after being in the NFL, might have forgotten that the clock stops, temporarily, after first downs in a college game. It was Randy Shannon who called the time out -- Whipple wanted to save it.

Brian Griese, who sounds a lot like his father, showed potential otherwise. ABC assigned him to the UM-Wake Forest game this weekend.

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