Sports Media Watch presents Announcing Recommendations. Today, the NFL on NBC, CBS, FOX, ESPN and NFL Network. Among the topics addressed: Is it time to slim down the often-packed studio shows? Should Joe Buck be replaced with his polar opposite? Also, should ESPN make more changes to the Monday Night Football broadcast team?
Sunday Night Football on NBC
Lead Broadcast Team
Current: Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth
Recommendation: No changes necessary
For all the criticism aimed at him on this site for his NBA work, Al Michaels is one of the greatest voices to ever call professional football, and he is arguably the best lead NFL play-by-play voice working today.
After two seasons working together, he has good rapport with Cris Collinsworth, a solid broadcaster in his own right.
Next season’s Michaels-Collinsworth-Michele Tafoya broadcast team has the potential to be one of the best in recent memory.
Lead Studio Team
Current: Bob Costas (on-site), Dan Patrick, Tony Dungy, Rodney Harrison
Recommendation: Bob Costas, Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison
It?s been years since Football Night in America managed to keep it simple and have just one host. While two hosts is certainly better than three (the Costas/Patrick/Olbermann era was just ridiculous in retrospect), perhaps it?s about time NBC simplified things.
NFL on CBS
Lead Broadcast Team
Current: Jim Nantz and Phil Simms
Recommendation: Jim Nantz and Boomer Esiason
Later this summer, Jim Nantz will become the youngest ever recipient of the Pro Football Hall of Fame?s Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award.?Though not beloved by everyone, Nantz carries significant clout, and he’s the undisputed voice of CBS Sports. In other words, even though CBS has other strong play-by-play voices in Marv Albert and Greg Gumbel, Nantz stays.
As far as the lead analyst position, Phil Simms is decent enough. That said, Simms has been CBS’ lead analyst since the network resumed airing games in 1998, holding that position for almost as long as Tim McCarver has been the lead MLB analyst for FOX. Perhaps its time to shake things up. Boomer Esaison, once the lead analyst for Monday Night Football and currently on the #1 broadcast team for Westwood One radio, seems like he would add a bit more color to the CBS game telecasts. More importantly, shifting Esiason from the studio to games would slim down the packed CBS studio show.
Lead Studio Team
Current: James Brown, Shannon Sharpe, Bill Cowher, Dan Marino and Boomer Esiason
Recommendation: James Brown, Dan Marino, and Bill Cowher
Four analysts seems like a bit much for the CBS studio show. Whereas the more is the merrier for the jocular FOX NFL Sunday pregame, CBS’ generally more sedate studio show may benefit from a smaller cast.
NFL on FOX
Lead Broadcast Team
Current: Joe Buck and Troy Aikman
Recommendation: Gus Johnson and Troy Aikman
Frankly, Gus Johnson has yet to show that he is as good or better than Joe Buck. That said, the masses love Johnson and loathe Buck, at least if one uses the blogosphere and message boards to measure fan consensus. Moreso than any other network, Fox Sports has been uniquely focused on adding entertainment value to sporting events — this is, after all, the network of Cleatus the Dancing Robot and Digger and Friends — and Johnson is certainly considered more entertaining than the seemingly subdued Buck.
The wisest move would be to keep Buck in his current role. However, Fox Sports has been taking risks from the very beginning, from having a 27-year-old Buck call the World Series to adding music during live NFL telecasts. A move of this magnitude would be in keeping with that tradition.
Lead Studio Team
Current: Curt Menefee, Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, Michael Strahan and Jimmy Johnson
Recommendation: Joe Buck, Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, and Michael Strahan or Jimmy Johnson
Like their TNT NBA brethren, the FOX NFL studio team has been wildly successful. Successful does not mean perfect, however. Even for FOX, four analysts on a pregame show simply seems like one too many, and the network should decide between keeping either Michael Strahan or Jimmy Johnson instead of both. Perhaps the network can mimic TNT and have Strahan and Johnson alternate appearances, much in the same way Chris Webber and Kevin McHale did last season.
If one were to bump Buck from the lead play-by-play position, he would have to be given another high-profile gig. How about hosting Fox NFL Sunday for the second time? Buck hosted the show in 2006 after the departure of James Brown, but he had to split those duties with his play-by-play obligations. Perhaps moving to the studio would give Buck the opportunity to atone for most recent hosting job — the ill-fated HBO talk show Joe Buck Live.
Monday Night Football on ESPN
Lead Broadcast Team
Current: Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, and Jon Gruden
Recommendation: Brad Nessler, Ron Jaworski, and Jon Gruden
Replacing Tony Kornheiser with Jon Gruden completely changed the culture of the Monday Night Football broadcast team, which languished during the franchise?s first few years on ESPN. While Gruden has earned some criticism, his first two seasons in the booth have been very impressive for a newcomer. Where MNF could use some change is with Mike Tirico and Ron Jaworski, who are solid but not untouchable.
Tirico has been a rising star at ESPN for several years, and with Al Michaels and Dan Patrick long gone, he may be the #1 broadcaster on ESPN/ABC. However, as good as Tirico can be, he has always carried a certain inauthentic quality. He sometimes seems as if he’s trying to be ‘too cute,’ and instead comes off as insincere. The website Awful Announcing summed up the problem recently:
“Tirico’s play by play often sounds incredibly forced, especially for NFL and NBA games. It’s a phenomenon that is hard to put into words, almost as if his [smoothness] feels over the top and phony” (awfulannouncing.com, 7/7)
With Brad Nessler already adding NFL Network play-by-play duties this season, perhaps it would be a good experiment for ESPN to move him to the Monday night slot. While it may seem like an intense workload to call two football games a week, keep in mind Nessler will already do so this season, calling college games for ESPN and NFL action for NFL Network. Tirico is too valuable to let go of completely, but he could easily shift to the on-site studio.
Lead Studio Team
Current: (in studio) Chris Berman, Tom Jackson, Keyshawn Johnson, Cris Carter, Mike Ditka; (on-site) Stuart Scott, Matt Millen, Steve Young
Recommendation: (in studio) Chris Berman and Tom Jackson; (on site) Mike Tirico and Steve Young
ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown could stand to be slimmed down. For all the criticism Chris Berman receives, the NFL is his wheelhouse, and he works best with longtime partner Tom Jackson. A Berman-Jackson duo could evoke good memories of NFL Primetime — certainly moreso than the current, overstuffed studio team that exists today.
Meanwhile, Tirico and Steve Young would make a solid pairing for the on-site studio segments. No need to continue using the divisive Matt Millen.
NFL on NFL Network
Lead Broadcast Team
Current: Brad Nessler, Mike Mayock
Recommendation: Too early to tell.
The Brad Nessler/Mike Mayock team has yet to call a game for NFL Network, so it’s obviously too soon to tell whether any changes should be made.
