It seems as if some NFL Network producers are regular listeners to "The Howard Stern Show."

As a long-time devotee of “The Howard Stern Show” for some 17 years and running, Joe is just amazed at how many people in television have been “influenced” by regular sketches from the King of All Media. From primetime TV shows to David Letterman to Jay Leno, Stern’s tentacles seemed to have reached all levels of TV.

Well now, to Joe’s true surprise, a segment on NFL Network’s “Total Access” show Wednesday night sure seemed all too close to Stern’s “The Gossip Game” starring the National Enquirer’s Mike Walker.

In “The Gossip Game,” Walker offers up a handful of wild and barely believable scenarios involving celebrities each week. Stern’s cast then votes for the lone false story, often with friendly wagers on the line.

Well some producers at the NFL Network need to at least pay homage to Stern for the segment “The Real Story.”

In Wednesday’s sketch, co-hosts Rich Eisen, Willie McGinest and Warren Sapp tried to guess which story — told by ProFootballTalk.com’s creator, curator and overall guru Mike Florio — was true.

Of the stories offered up by Florio, one was the article on how Chucky allegedly seriously considered taking a coaching gig at a Division-II school in Ohio. Eisen was the only person to guess correctly.

Reacting to the news, Sapp seemed deeply troubled, shaking his head like a cartoon character with his eyes bulging out. Sapp said, “From one of the world’s 50 most beautiful people to Central State? JON!!!”

Joe understands the term “creative license,” but come on, couldn’t Eisen have at least said, “Thanks Howard?”

Even a casual “Baba Booey” would have sufficed.