To this point, all the marketing campaigns and lobbying have failed to make the cable industry look like bad guys in the public's eye. Considering cable operators are monopolists, practiced in the art of treating subscribers like dirt, the NFL's lack of success in making them look bad is astounding.

The NFL's failure could be reversed with one simple but bold move: Offer all cable systems a free week-long NFLN preview on a "basic" tier from Monday Dec. 24 through Saturday, Dec. 29.

That's the date the Patriots visit the Giants in NFLN's final telecast of the season. That also could be the night the Pats look to complete an undefeated regular season. Viewers here (on Ch. 9) and in some areas of New England who can't get NFLN will be able to see the game on "free" TV.

Other fans around the country, whose cable systems don't carry NFLN, won't. If the Patriots are shooting for regular season perfection the tilt will have huge national interest. Much more than the Nov. 29 Green Bay-Dallas matchup, which NFLN suits played up while trying to turn up the heat on cable operators who won't carry their network.

If the NFL offers a free NFLN preview and cable operators decline, who is going to look bad?

Commissioner Roger Goodell could say: "Hey, we realize all our fans deserve to see a potentially historic game so we offered it as part of a free NFL Network preview. Not only did we do the right thing, we did the responsible thing."

And if cable operators turn down NFLN's free preview there would be no way to spin the decision in a positive way, no way to cast the NFL as the greedy party. Not only would fans be angry at big cable, politicians, who have not yet stuck their beaks into the situation, suddenly would get very interested and very involved.

There already is precedent here. Last December, NFLN offered a free preview to coincide with the Texas Bowl game between Rutgers and Kansas State. Initially, operators such as Time Warner and Cablevision balked, but wound up accepting the preview. The machinations leading to a resolution gained national attention and brought more awareness to NFLN.

Even if cable operators accepted NFLN's preview offer, in order to air Pats-Giants, the NFL still would come out looking good. The public will know the NFL was responsible for initiating a fan-friendly move.