After the NFL disrupted its original plan, NBC has found a role for Mike Tirico on its NFL coverage.
NBC Sports announced Monday that it has named Tirico the on-site studio host of Football Night in America this season, replacing Bob Costas. Costas, in turn, has been named the host of NBC’s Thursday Night Football pregame show and will reduce his Football Night schedule to select appearances.
Tirico will also work play-by-play on two of the four NBC-produced Thursday Night Football games on NFL Network this season, working alongside Doug Flutie in weeks when Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth have scheduling conflicts. One of those games will almost certainly be Ravens/Steelers on Christmas Day, as Michaels and Collinsworth have Sunday Night Football duties on the holiday.
The move allows Tirico to maintain some tether to marquee NFL coverage, though his new duties are still a step down from voicing Monday Night Football for ESPN the past ten years.
With Tirico’s role decided, it is now official that Michaels and Collinsworth will work a whopping 26-game schedule this season — seven more than last year. The duo will work twice a week for six straight weeks, a stretch that runs from November 17 through Christmas.
(Mon. news from NBC Sports Group Press Box)
