PRO FOOTBALL DAILY REPORT

Dick Ebersol, the president of NBC Sports, had a wild idea Friday. What if NBC were to use the Fox pregame show cast via satellite from Dallas during halftime of the AFC championship game in Pittsburgh?

Ebersol called David Hill, the president of Fox Sports, who initially laughed wildly. But then he thought about it and said, “Why not?”

So that’s how Fox’s James Brown, Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long and Jimmy Johnson ended up being part of NBC’s halftime Sunday--a television first.

NBC spokesman Ed Markey said Ebersol also checked with NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, who liked the idea.

Only Tagliabue, Hill, the producers of the two pregame shows and a few technical people knew of Ebersol’s plan until NBC finished with its pregame show Sunday.

It turned out to be a nice show of peaceful co-existence.

“The next thing will be the Hatfields having dinner with the McCoys,” NBC’s Greg Gumbel said.

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In a well-played championship game, there was only one bonehead mistake, and that wasn’t until after the game.

It was committed by Pittsburgh linebacker Greg Lloyd.

While being interviewed by NBC’s Jim Gray, Lloyd asked for quiet, held up the AFC championship trophy and said, “Let’s see if we can bring this damn thing back here next year, along with the . . . Super Bowl.”

Said Gray of Lloyd’s profane comment: “This is a family program--at least it was until then.”