Football --and So Much More

HBO subscribers who happen to be sports fans will have plenty to watch tonight.

The evening kicks off with “Inside the NFL,” which returns for its 25th season at 8 p.m. Hall of Famers Len Dawson and Nick Buoniconti, starting their 23rd year together, head a respected team that includes Cris Collinsworth, Jerry Glanville and Dan Marino.

Each program features NFL Films highlights, on-location interviews, commentary, analysis and predictions. The weekly “Cover Story” profiles, which include human-interest stories and topical issues, are reported by Bryan Burwell, Armen Keteyian and Mary Carillo.

Among the new elements of the show are occasional segments with ever-quotable defensive lineman Tony Siragusa of the Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens. Comedian Wanda Sykes (“The Downer Channel”) will provide periodic reports from the field.

At 9 p.m., “Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel” returns with a new installment in which correspondent Derek McGinty interviews Penn State coach Joe Paterno, who had one of his most trying seasons last year as the Nittany Lions won only five games while dealing with problems on and off the field.

Also: Lesley Visser recounts the career of Bob Hayes, the Olympic gold medalist and pro football great with the Dallas Cowboys, and Bernard Goldberg reports on high schools that release a teacher or coach amid charges of sexual misconduct, then sweep the charges under the rug to avoid lawsuits and negative publicity.