We watched soccer all weekend long. It's a job, but someone has to do it. 😉
Now we'll see all the notes we've seen and heard.
Jack Collinsworth's last name and his NBC pedigree didn't hurt him in getting a play-by-play job at the University of Notre Dame, but he did Saturday. I had a hard time. Marshall
Fighting his Irish upset, let's deal with it all.
1) This is the key role that NBC production manager Sam Floodentrusted to his 27-year-old boy in Collinsworth.
2) Last year NBC acquired Mike Tirico. He then acted as the lead for Notre Dame his play-by-his players, replacing Al Michaels on "Sunday Night Football". , and his one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, Drew Brees, joined as an analyst. Collinsworth's partner is former Cowboys coach Jason Garrettand Tirico is currently teaming with Jack's father Chrison his SNF on NBC.
3) If you're 27, don't do a lot of play-by-play, and have a big last name, you'll be scrutinized and even accused of nepotism. NBC's Notre Dame is not a hands-on exercise. It's the big leagues.
4) Collinsworth didn't sound like a play-by-play on national television. His few reps showed in his lack of command. He had a habit of saying "umm, umm" from time to time, which made him feel slow on his feet on the phone.
Scream and resonate. He didn't sound like he was fully in charge.
5) There are many sons of excellent announcers. From Joe Buck to Kenny Albert, there are great advantages to being the son of someone who made it, not because you have access to the decision makers.
6) Buck and Albert could see how their father worked. they were around it. It gave them a head start and enabled them to succeed at a young age. Given the opportunity, they were ready and commanding the booth. This is also important for younger announcers, but even more so if they are prone to accusations of nepotism.
7) Jack Collinsworth is doing well as a reporter for NBC's "Sunday Night Football." He may not be Bob Costas, but he doesn't feel out of place.
8) On Saturday, Collinsworth was unable to tell the story of an upset Marshall, unable to connect with the right words and tone in the biggest play of the game. He felt the broadcast was spotty.
9) On the positive side, Garrett shows Explain why the unsuccessful play occurred. But social media didn't seem to like him. His personality was a little flat, but his voice cut through the audience. Garrett is probably better at games than studios participating in "Football Night in America."
Quick His Clicks
Meanwhile,Chris Collinsworth's voice sounded as if he was sick at Sunday night's Cowboys-Bucks game. could hear. Collinsworth said he felt fine. His partner Tirico said it was just the fact that he had matches on Thursday and Sunday and his eyes were red. "My man is playing injured," Tirico said.
• After the wild Steelers beat the Bengals in overtime, CBS's Ian Eagle held a sports casting clinic to foreshadow the most important second half of the madness. Did. Back and forth between the two teams: The Bengals had his snapper back up on a field goal. Shortly after the Eagles spotlighted the issue, Steelers' Minka Fitzpatrick blocked a potential extra point at the end of regulation. Then, in overtime, Bengals kicker Evan McPherson Gimme badly hooks his game-winning field goal after Eagle and partner Charles Davis highlight snapper issues. Did. Replays clearly showed that high snap was the problem.
Davis, he To give more of an opinion on what is going on. He also knew his rule of "holy roller" fumbles that prevented the Bengals from making a long field goal attempt after Joe Burrow fumbled with less than two minutes left in overtime. should have been. A Bengals teammate recovered the ball but was unable to advance it with less than two minutes remaining on the clock. Eagle could have said what the rules were, but didn't. Authority analystJean Stella Torredid a great job clearing up the confusion. And when asked to offer his thoughts on whether Flagg was right late in regulation on the Steelers' controversial penalty on his line, Davis fell silent.
• When the Chiefs defeated the Cardinals, Harrison Butker returned as the Chiefs' kickerTony Romo replaced Daniel LaRusso. I used it as a reference. Score a long field goal with a bad foot. Meanwhile, Jim Nantz struggled in the first half, especially with Chiefs safety Justin Reed calling Eric multiple times. Reid was kicking for the Chiefs after Butker was injured.
• Eli Manning surprised when he showed up on the set of ESPN's "Sunday NFL Countdown." Manning's segment ended with him pitching a million dollar contest for a roll company. Super he bowl radio he felt like a spot on raw. Countdown is not a sacred place, but the promotion felt a little down.
• Speaking of ESPN, when was the last time That's for sure and started the season of "Monday Night Football" with the star power it now has. In Seattle-Denver, the team ofJoe Buck and Troy Aikman will debut on Main His channel, while the Manning cast will air on his ESPN2.
• Many issues were reported with the NFL app. Personally, RedZone didn't work until Q2 of the first game. From my Twitter research, I wasn't alone. The NFL also recognized the problem.
• Fox has a new studio that will get used to it over time. What you have to understand is how to stay connected with your audience within a giant studio. This can make people on air look smaller. This is the problem ESPN ran into a few years ago when it debuted its new giant SportsCenter set. Both are beautiful, but we need to come up with a way to keep the hosts and analysts intact.
• From the 'Let's not reinvent things that don't need to be reinvented' category, Fox has panelists Terry Bradshaw, Michael Strahan,. 153} Howie Long,Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Menefee — this is unnecessary perspective I just made the video I wanted smaller. I can't imagine what the logic behind thinking this is somehow better than the usual full screen view where the analyst just describes the action. New studios are nice, but audiences don't care that much.
• I never sawKevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen in Packers vs. Vikings because there was a Giants vs. Titans game in the New York area. . type of judgment. I've seen some on RedZone, but I wouldn't want to attend without seeing it completely.
Memorial Trivia Questions
Eagle and Kevin Harlan each entered their 25th season of the NFL on CBS. What is the name of your partner for the first season (answer at the end of the newsletter)?
Quick Clicks II
• ESPN hired Larry Fitzgerald Jrto make 5-7 appearances before Countdown's "Monday Night Football" game. Fitzgerald Jr. has many of the properties necessary in terms of being good on paper. Especially the fact that he's a future Hall of Famer. However, in reality, he was not so outspoken. Does he say anything that interests him? What is often overlooked by former players and coaches who become quality analysts is the precision with which they are leveraged. Urban Meyeris a good example. Forget the Jacksonville disaster for a moment. Meyer said years ago when he was at ESPN compared to Fox, he was two different analysts. why. Fox mostly let him talk about coaching. If I were his ESPN, I'd like Fitzgerald to not only go over the issues of the day around his desk, but offer a weekly masterclass on reception.
• Fox's "Big Noon Kickoff" It has an impact and is now out every week. Fox Sports played down Meyer's rehiring as little as possible, but he's proven once again that he's very good on set. He did a segment explaining how Texas would essentially have to give up some plays to block good athletes on Alabama's defensive line. Fox then gave examples from his past matches to show that this approach, in Mayer's words, can "neutralize" superior opponents in set pieces. It was smart and in-game stuff that Meyer describes very well. Classy TV.
Pat He McAfee and He ESPN had been talking for months about McAfee joining 'College GameDay' full-time, but the deal was soon signed. gathered together. McAfee has a close relationship with Kirk Herbstrite. To kick off the program on Saturday, ESPN placed his McAfee in the middle of the panel. He brings energy to the show, and often comes up with funny thoughts, like when he described Taylor as Panter Tory of Iowa as alienGameDay heading north to Boone. I have a way of expressing myself. Carolina, home of Appalachia, next Saturday. The festive atmosphere the crew is likely to encounter (after Appalachian State upset his No. 6 Texas A&M on Saturday) should make McAfree shine.
• Opener at "Thursday Night Football" Before the game, NBC went to "Today" show host Hoda Cott for a segment about the death of Queen Elizabethand the football story that followed. The transition before kickoff and the other spot at halftime was really awkward. One moment Kotb mourned the death of the Queen, the next there were fans with pom-poms cheering for her return to the NFL. I understand that you have time constraints, but the best (probably only) practice on TV is to talk about someone's death and fade to black for a break. Basically every other transition feels forced and offensive to the viewer.
• On Thursdays at 7 pm, ESPN will air "The Fate of a Sport." This is a documentary about lacrosse standout Paul Laville. He is currently in charge of his lacrosse league in the Premier League. Among other things, it chronicles Rabir's negotiations with his ESPN and his NBC over the rights to league games. ESPN ended up acquiring the rights to his PLL from NBC.
Trivia Answers
Ian Eagle's first partner was Mark May, while Kevin Harlan's first partner was Sam Wyche.
Upcoming Attractions
This week I have a big history-making feature on Amazon Prime Video this Thursday with a stream of Chiefs and Chargers. John Owland and I podAl Michaels and Kirk Herbstrait. Subscribe Here
