Mark Lazarus, the chairman of NBC Sports, says NFL football is simply too popular not to have.

WSJ: NFL Reaches TV Deals With Fox, CBS and NBC

"The complementary nature of this partnership is unmatched in digital sports media, " said Mark Lazarus, Chairman, NBC Sports Group.

ENGADGET: NBC Sports and Yahoo Sports cut a deal to fuse internet, TV coverage

The new head of NBC sports, Mark Lazarus, might not be so gung ho to bid up the games to a stratosphere where Comcast is guaranteed to lose money.

FORBES: Let the (Olympic Bidding) Games Begin

"Nothing has the pace or the urgency of playoff hockey, " said Mark Lazarus, chairman of NBC Sports, which will show games on its broadcast network and cable channels NBC Sports Network (formerly Versus) and CNBC.

WSJ: NHL Playoffs: Hockey Night in�� America?

There was speculation that Mark Lazarus, the new head of NBC sports, might be more interested in Comcast turning a profit on the games than in the prestige to the network of winning the bid.

FORBES: NBC Wins Olympic Rights for Next Four Games