Jaworski's football acumen was confirmed by the author and historian David Halberstam in his most recent book, The Education of a Coach, a biography of Bill Belichick. Halberstam writes that Jaworski is more knowledgeable about X's and O's than anyone on TV: "kind of a Belichick of the media, taking the tape of a game afterward and running it relentlessly to study what had happened and perhaps more importantly, why it happened. You had to do that, he told colleagues, because otherwise there was so much small stuff you might miss."

I'd bet that the small stuff is the biggest reason the show's fans find it appealing. Seeing highlights are fun, but it's also neat to find out why things happened.

I used to think it was a crock when, after a game, a player or coach claimed that he needed to review film before answering certain questions. But it's a valid reason. The coach's grades -- based on game film -- don't necessarily mesh with perception. If a cornerback looks like he blew coverage on a deep route, Hoge or Jaworski might explain that the defensive back's responsibility was actually underneath.

Some of the show's heft stems from Jaworski and Hoge having a combined 23 years playing in the NFL. The duo doesn't engage in the contrived screaming matches that fill up much of sports TV. Yet when Hoge and Jaworski draw different conclusions, they display good chemistry with fun, lively debates.

The show was conceived in 1984 by Steve Sabol, the president of NFL Films who hired Cosell -- Howard's nephew -- as executive producer. And Matchup has been in its current format since 1994. Being broadcast at times like 7:30 p.m. Friday and 3 a.m. Sunday isn't optimal for drawing viewers, but with the show entering its 22nd season, I guess there's hope for substance over style.

Nunyo's notes

After safety Donte Whitner was named the NFL's defensive rookie of the month for September, he collected six tackles Sunday to help Buffalo defeat the Vikings 17-12 in October's first game. So Buffalo doesn't look so bad for ostensibly reaching to pluck Whitner eighth overall. I won't pretend that I'd heard of the guy before the draft, but I didn't understand why the Bills got crucified for choosing an obscure player so high. They obviously did their homework. If an NFL team is convinced that a prospect is a future star, it's too risky to get cute and try to draft him at "right spot," as some contended he would be at No. 15. Let's just applaud the Bills and their septuagenarian GM Marv Levy, who's smart enough to be the only talent evaluator in NFL history with a master's degree from Harvard ('51), in English history....

Philadelphia vs. Dallas isn't the only Sunday game featuring an ex-player against a team he departed in bad blood. LaVar Arrington's Giants host the Redskins for the first time since the linebacker paid millions to leave Washington. Thus far, the parting has been a wash: Both sides have been mediocre. Washington's defense is ranked 15th, which is low for a Gregg Williams-coached unit. The main reason from the drop-off seems to be that Williams' esoteric blitzes aren't as effective without cornerback Shawn Springs, who's hurt. Conversely, Arrington isn't having the impact the Giants envisioned. He has zero sacks, forced fumbles and interceptions and seems out of sorts in Tim Lewis' read-and-react defense. But Arrington's performance is little different from the other defensive stars on their 27th-ranked unit. Michael Strahan is sack-less and Osi Umenyiora has mustered only one....

Was I the only NFL observer who wanted just the Cliffs Notes version of the latest T.O. controversy? The thing I find most fascinating is T.O.'s track record with the professionals he hires to assist him. First, agent Drew Rosenhaus infamously called a press conference before making "next question" his mantra. Then there was Kim Etheredge's woeful performance as Owens' publicist. Her poor showing is the one thing about last week's developments that everyone agrees on. Next thing, T.O. will hire Jeffrey Skilling -- the former Enron CEO -- to do his taxes....

Until Vince Young was named Tennessee's starting quarterback, Steve McNair had been as befuddled as anyone about his old team's quarterback developments. If the Titans were going to deal McNair, why sign Kerry Collins and then trade Billy Volek? "I'm very surprised that it happened that way," McNair told me last week. "I'm very shocked of them letting Billy go."...

E-mailer Steven O'Reilly in Naples, Fla. -- feeling that Albert Haynesworth's punishment wasn't harsh enough -- noted that Ron Artest received 55 games for his misdeeds. The NBA has substantially more games, but I see the point....

The most amazing factoid of the week: Jets quarterback Chad Pennington, who entered the league in 2000, threw his first career red-zone interception Sunday....

Is there an SI.com jinx now? Soon after I pump up the Jaguars' defense, it turns into a sieve against Washington. The unit will still finish in the top five....

I wonder if Lions wideout Roy Williams will guarantee that Detroit wins a game this season.