Please know while you’re reading this that if my deadline Wednesday had been 4:30 p.m., the tone of this column would have been entirely, uh, different.

I was going to try to get a few libelous terms past my editors. Most of them would have been directed at the NFL and Roger Goodell in particular. But at around 4:50 p.m. yesterday, Goodell and the NFL powers that be showed they are capable of doing the right thing and agreed to simulcast the Patriots/Giants game on CBS, NBC and the NFL Network.

The decision didn’t end a ridiculous scuffle between billion-dollar corporations, but it kept the little guy from being the victim of such a silly dispute over more money.

Yeah, the little guy won in sports, for once.

But don’t be surprised if we get the shaft the next time.

“We have taken this extraordinary step because it is in the best interest of our fans,” Commissioner Goodell said. “What we have seen for the past year is a very strong consumer demand for NFL Network. We appreciate CBS and NBC delivering the NFL Network telecast on Saturday night to the broad audience that deserves to see this potentially historic game. Our commitment to the NFL Network is stronger than ever.”

Notice Goodell didn’t miss his chance to prop up the NFL Network. Me and the millions of fans that would have had to beg, plead, bargain or pay a cover charge to find some place to watch the game don’t mind.

But, make no mistake, Goodell and the NFL owners, Robert Kraft of our beloved New England Patriots among them, pushed this thing to the midnight hour because they desperately want and need to make the NFL Network a viable channel. Because of the league dispute with several large cable providers, including Time Warner, just 35 million homes have access to the channel right now. This Saturday night’s game, featuring a polarizing Patriots team on a historical quest, was the league’s best bargaining chip yet, perhaps ever, to get the cable companies to back down and place the NFL Network on the basic tier that the league prefers.

The NFL thought the cable companies would have to bow to a groundswell of demand for the NFL Network. But there was no groundswell. As badly as some people wanted to see the game, they weren’t knocking down the cable systems’ doors demanding a channel that shows only eight live games a season. And instead of lining up to get Direct TV, they were making plans with friends, neighbors or the local sports bar to watch the game.

Pity the poor folks who did subscribe to the NFL Network just for this game, though.

Unfortunately, it’s quite likely this is just delaying the inevitable for a lot of football fans. This isn’t going to be the last must-see game on the NFL Network schedule. The league was over a barrel this time because Saturday night’s game is of historical significance. It made the smart move, in terms of public relations and perhaps even in the best long-term interest of its fledgling network. What better advertising for the NFL Network than to have what will probably be one of the most-watched regular season games in the league’s history on two major networks? But don’t think for a minute the league is going to just let its television arm, which could generate billions in revenue if it ever becomes a player in the cable/satellite business, lose any more of these types of battles.

This game may be available to anyone who wants to see it, but don’t be shocked if more games are taken off of free TV and moved to the NFL Network in the near future.

Is it possible for the NFL to do right by its fans in the short-term but end up hitting those fans in the wallet in the long term? We’ll probably find out before the next team tries to go 16-0.