A few weeks ago, we shared 15 irritants about football on network television this season. Here are eight developments that have impressed or amused:

• Dramatically improved NFL Network broadcasts. Unlike predecessor BryantGumbel, new play-by-play man Bob Papa (the radio voice of the Giants) consistently and quickly identifies the ball-carrier or receiver and who made the tackle or defended on the play. And there is no better game analyst in sports than CrisCollinsworth. He questioned the Jets for not double-covering the Patriots' RandyMoss, then seconds later watched Moss catch a touchdown pass that sent their Nov. 13 game to overtime.

The lively postgame show has produced newsy moments, including Donovan McNabb saying he wants to return to Philadelphia, but needs to have a conversation with coach Andy Reid.

• The Dan Patrick/ Keith Olbermann reunion on NBC's Football Night in America. The former ''tag-team partners'' haven't fully recaptured the chemistry they shared on ESPN's SportsCenter, but both remain adept at spicing highlights with one-liners and pop-culture references.

Olbermann's most memorable line this season, which didn't sit well with some Sarah Palin supporters: After Bills quarterback Trent Edwards sustained a concussion, Olbermann said Edwards 'was OK otherwise but he said, `I can see Russia from here.' '' Patrick, during NBC's environment-friendly ''green'' week, cracked, ``I've been recycling lines I've used at ESPN.''

• ESPN's gadgets on Monday Night Football. Nothing beats the super-slow-motion replays. And ESPN's device that determines the speed of runners on kickoffs might be the season's best technical innovation -- Buffalo's Leodis McKelvin was timed as high as 22.1 mph on his touchdown return against Cleveland.

• CBS' comprehensive statistics on NFL games. Unlike Fox, CBS gives individual statistics from other games -- as well as each team's record -- as part of its continuous scroll. Fox gives only scores.

• The Collinsworth/ Phil Simms exchanges on Showtime's Inside the NFL. They disagree and tweak each other a lot -- Simms, to his credit, had much more faith in Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel than Collinsworth did -- but their back-and-forth banter makes for terrific television. After Simms this week named the Vikings' Jared Allen as his unsung hero, Collinsworth said, ''You're messing up the whole segment!'' and said Simms might as well name Peyton Manning. And Warren Sapp has improved considerably after a weak start.

• Pam Oliver's interviews on Fox. Oliver consistently asks difficult and substantive questions and never worries about making her interview subjects squirm. She peppered Plaxico Burress earlier this season, asking about his disrespectful behavior toward Giants coach Tom Coughlin.

She asked Tampa Bay coach Jon Gruden last week: ''Perception is you would sell [ Jeff Garcia] down the river for something new or shinier.'' When Gruden denied that, Oliver shot back: Then why did you talk to Brett Favre before the season? And, ``How do you get anything done with that much change at the position?''

• Pregame segments with Fox's Jay Glazer and CBS' Charley Casserly. If you have time to invest only a few minutes on the Fox/CBS Sunday pregame shows, watch Glazer shortly after noon and Casserly a few minutes later. Both have had strong years, with Glazer breaking the story about Favre sharing Packers information with Detroit before the Lions played Green Bay.

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