From the field to the front office to your television, Louis Riddick is all about one thing: Football. Riddick along with his boothmates, Steve Levy and Brian Griese, will be back for a second season of ESPN’s Monday Night Football. Riddick got solid reviews and they were well deserved. He and Griese seamlessly worked together as co-analysts, which is not an easy thing to do.
Riddick is a native of Quakertown, Pennsylvania and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh. He was a four-year letterman and a two-time Academic All-America. Riddick was a ninth-round draft choice of the San Francisco 49ers in 1991, and played seven NFL seasons at safety. His career included stints with the Falcons, Browns and Raiders. When his playing career came to an end, Riddick moved into the front office. His experience spanned more than a decade with the Washington Football Team and Philadelphia Eagles. He started as a pro scout in Washington before being promoted to director of pro personnel, a position he held for three years. Riddick then joined the Eagles in 2008 as a scout. He was named assistant director of pro personnel in 2009, and, a year later, he was promoted to director of pro personnel.
ROAD TO MONDAY NIGHT BOOTH
Riddick started at ESPN in May of 2013 as an NFL Front Office Insider. His role has expanded seemingly every year since. In 2015, he made his debut on the network’s NFL Draft coverage in Chicago. He was supposed to cover the draft for ESPN Radio, but when riots broke out in Baltimore, Ray Lewis went back to the city and the network needed a replacement. Since Riddick was going to be in Chicago anyway, he was going to be the guy. The network informed him the night before the draft was set to begin.
“When we started the draft that night, within the first 20 minutes, I looked down at my phone and I probably had about 75 to 90 text messages from co-workers, friends, family and former coaches”, Riddick recalled to the Philly Voice. “I thought I was either doing really bad, or I was doing really well. It turned out really positive. I remember going back to my hotel room in Chicago that night thinking, ‘Here we go.’ That’s when it took off in my mind that I can do this.”
Riddick has been a fixture of ESPN’s draft coverage on the main set ever since. He opened up a new world for himself in Bristol. Riddick began contributing to many of their signature NFL Shows. Sunday NFL Countdown, Monday Night Countdown, and NFL Live, as well as SportsCenter and ESPN Radio.
Riddick also worked Friday Night College Football game broadcasts, which showcased his ability to analyze a live game. Even before settling into the current MNF booth, Riddick worked with his booth mates, on September 9, 2019, when they helped kick off MNF’s 50th season and called the Denver Broncos-Oakland Raiders game for ESPN.
The following year, after a shakeup, Riddick, Griese and Levy were called to take over the iconic franchise. They will return for a second season this year.
WHY IS HE SO GOOD?
He’s got the credentials and the chops to be very good at what he does. The experiences Riddick has had over the length of his career are irreplaceable when it comes to his analysis of the sport. It’s almost a situation of when Riddick talks, people listen, just like that old investment company’s commercial. It’s not just the information he disseminates, it’s the timing and conviction in which he speaks.
Riddick also plays well off of both Levy and Griese. The latter of course played the game but also has a little more experience in the booth and a different comfort level. That’s probably why you don’t see Riddick breaking down plays with a telestrator, it’s more “I’ve seen this”, “I used to run this”, or “when I was in Philadelphia, we stressed this.” The words stand alone and have power based upon having been there and done that.
The other thing that’s striking about Riddick in this booth, is the way he and Griese converse throughout a game. It’s great football talk at a “human” level. Riddick presents the complex breakdowns of coverages, schemes and plays in a manner that is technical, yet not overly so. That’s not an easy thing to do when you are a former football player first and broadcaster second. Terminology within a locker room or front office is geared to those in the know and pretty much only those folks. A broadcast has to be treated differently and Riddick gets it. He talks to his audience, not above them or below them. He has a way of explaining things so the casual fan can follow along. He can also get it done in a concise manner, since time is critical, especially in a three-man booth. Not a skill everyone can pull off.
There is confidence in his commentary. The delivery is clear and authoritative, commanding respect, but yet it’s not overly cocky or arrogant. He works well with his ‘teammates’ in the booth and you can feel the healthy respect each has for the other.
BACK TO FRONT OFFICE WORK?
Off of those points, there is a question that needs to be asked and answered. Just how long will Riddick remain in the booth? The answer is not entirely clear, but based on how many teams interviewed him for front office positions this offseason, it may not be long. Riddick has made no secret of his desire to return to the NFL, this time he’d like to be a general manager.
The Lions, Texans, Jaguars and Falcons talked to him about vacant GM positions, but nothing materialized. Riddick wouldn’t be the first guy to leave the MNF booth for a spot in the NFL. Jon Gruden returned to the sidelines with the Raiders in part because of his commentary and analysis from that booth. But like Gruden, Riddick has to feel like the opportunity is a good fit and the right situation for him. He has a great gig now, so something would probably have to blow him away to lure him away from MNF.
DID YOU KNOW?
I’ll bet you didn’t know, Riddick won use of Washington Football Team owner Dan Snyder’s Aston Martin. Riddick worked in the scouting and pro personnel departments for the WFT and had the occasion to play Snyder in racquetball. He appeared on “the ESPN Daily podcast’ earlier this year to recall the story.
“I used to whup him pretty good,” Riddick remembered. “And I used to talk to [Snyder], like ‘Are you gonna challenge me today or what? Is this gonna be a game? I’m getting bored with you.’
“He goes, ‘If you can shut me out’ — he had just bought the new V12 Vanquish Aston Martin, brand-new — ‘If you can shut me out, I’ll let you take that home.’ I was like, ‘Deal!’ I went down there to the racquetball courts and was like, “Bam, bam, bam bam!’ 11-nothing. Boom. Just like that. And he was pissed. PISSED.”
Riddick wasn’t sure that Snyder would honor the bet after a few weeks without acknowledgment of the events. But the Football Team owner finally paid up and gave him the keys to the Aston Martin.
“If you scratch it,” said Snyder, “I’ll be commandeering your salary forever.”
Riddick didn’t get to keep the car. He got to use it for three days, enough time to drive it home, impress his neighbors and his wife. Riddick was a sight to behold at the team’s headquarters when he would roll up, driving the owner’s car and parking in his personal space.
CONCLUSION
Riddick is a football guy; he knows what he’s talking about. I really enjoy his commentary from the booth and when he appears on ESPN’s draft coverage. He’s such a credible voice and is in many cases the voice of reality. That’s his schtick, it’s not to be noticed for extremely high energy or random ‘hot takes’, he’s based with his feet firmly planted on the ground. He works in facts and opinions based on factual information. A refreshing breath of fresh air. Give me that any day of the week.
Andy Masur is a columnist for BSM and works for WGN Radio as an anchor and play-by-play announcer. He also teaches broadcasting at the Illinois Media School. During his career he has called games for the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres and Chicago White Sox. He can be found on Twitter @Andy_Masur1 or you can reach him by email at Andy@Andy-Masur.com.
