Steve Sabol, president of NFL Films, dies

[The Alex]

Originally Posted by Ness

I've been watching NFL Network since it's inception in 2003...and I've never seen Rich Eisen as emotional as this:

http://www.nfl.com/videos/auto/0ap20...ng-Steve-Sabol

I better see some ****ing patches and pre-game ceremonies on Sunday in his honor.

[Ness]

I'm sure there will at least be a moment of silence. I'd be shocked if there wasn't.

Listening to the Rich Eisen podcast right now. Surreal day indeed.

[Thecollegedropout]

Originally Posted by 21ST

Is he eligible for the HOF?

His dad made it. He should soon follow right after. They should have gone in together .....both Ed and his son had a way with making the NFL seem almost like a game of chess or even sort of war like with the stories that are told. The music felt like marching anthems, the slow motion added to the real life of what was being told and the cold but straight commentary just gave what really is a simple game of football and giving it all kinds of life.

It didn't need CGI or digital stuff like we sometimes see nowadays in sports(Looking at you ESPN). What most appreciated was how stripped naked these films were and that all you got was straight forward commentary without some gimmick(And I loved Berman's Schick as a child and I say that), the setup and aftermatch of a game that gives the viewers a real look inside what goes on minutes before and after a game AND the real depth quality of a game inside and out. You got to see the joy of a player or the tears of one, back in an era that didn't have twitter or youtube or better yet the internet.

The NFL Films really gave one fan unity to really get behind a team and it gave it a true war-like setting where two teams are going out there with nothing to lose and looking to win the game at any cost under any conditions.

RIP Steve Sobol and god bless you.

[Ness]

Apparently he was having speaking problems after a seizure he sustained about a year ago, which had already happened after he he was diagnosed with his brain tumor. Probably why we haven't seen him since the Super Bowl in Dallas.

[tjsunstein]

Originally Posted by Ness

Apparently he was having speaking problems after a seizure he sustained about a year ago, which had already happened after he he was diagnosed with his brain tumor. Probably why we haven't seen him since the Super Bowl in Dallas.

His wish when he was diagnosed was to see his father inducted into the HOF. Of course, we all hope there's a special place in Canton next to Ed for Steve. I can't imagine Ed today, condolences out to the immediate family and his extended family at NFL Films.

[Ness]

Originally Posted by tjsunstein

His wish when he was diagnosed was to see his father inducted into the HOF. Of course, we all hope there's a special place in Canton next to Ed for Steve. I can't imagine Ed today, condolences out to the immediate family and his extended family at NFL Films.

Well good thing he got his wish before it was too late. I remember Steve was shedding tears that his father got in. This is a video from Ed's induction ceremony a couple of years ago I have favorited on my YouTube account. It's apparently Ed's final film. I'm sure Steve helped out though as well.

But it's just another one of the many films that really embody the legacy of the game. In a world where fantasy football, media that instigates ****, prima donnas, and contract disputes reign supreme in the NFL, it's nice to see that NFL Films merely focuses on the passion of the game and nothing else.

[Ness]

Sabol won over 40 Emmys during his time with NFL Films and was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003. Sabol took over NFL Films from his father Ed, who founded the company, and instituted several groundbreaking ideas in the world of sports television. NFL Films was the first company to wire coaches and players for sound as well as the first to use slow motion and montage editing in sports.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Sabol

He was winning Emmys like it was candy. The Sabol family has least 100 or over 100 Emmys alone. Ed has most of them.

[CJSchneider]

If this game we cherish so much could be compared to a large piece of granite, Steve Sabol is no doubt the masterful sculptor that allows to look upon that same rock, but with new appreciation.

Thank you, Mr. Sabol.

[WCH]

Words just fail me. Steve Sabol was the NFL's greatest ambassador, and I learned so much from his work.

[T-RICH49]

for guys who never played, coached or woned and NFL franchise.not many had the impact on the game of football like Ed & Steve Sabol had

R.I.P Steve :(

[TheBoyWonder22]

Damn, Steve Sabol's the only guy who has died that I never knew and I'm legitimately sad about. I used to come home from school when I first got cable as a kid and watch season's in review for hours. It was so inspirational, it made me want to try so much harder as a player, and indirectly developed my love for film. Rest in Peace Steve.

[Raiderz4Life]

Originally Posted by TheBoyWonder22

Damn, Steve Sabol's the only guy who has died that I never knew and I'm legitimately sad about. I used to come home from school when I first got cable as a kid and watch season's in review for hours. It was so inspirational, it made me want to try so much harder as a player, and indirectly developed my love for film. Rest in Peace Steve.

This is me too. When people like Michael and Whitney died and all these people were crying, I was like, How stupid is that? Ridiculous.

While I'm not going to cry and get incredibly emotional, I am genuinely saddened about this.