Report: NFL Network picks Papa

It looks like our man Tom Hammond isn't going to get the NFL Network play-by-play gig after all. A report by Newsday's Neil Best says New York Giants radio voice Bob Papa is the choice to replace Bryant Gumbel on live game telecasts. The network has yet to announce the move.

Papa is a solid pick. In addition to his Giants duties on WFAN, he is the host of NFL programming on Sirius Satellite Radio and calls the blow-by-blow on HBO's "Boxing After Dark." Papa is also an alumnus of the old SportsChannel America.

Best reports Hammond and former NFL Network studio host and current Los Angeles Lakers radio voice Spero Dedes were also candidates for the job.

The network announced in April that Gumbel would not return for the 2008 season.