NFL Network host Rich Eisen has had the opportunity to be the play-by-play voice of all the NFL international games with the exception of one this season. And getting those reps calling the action on the field is something Eisen hasn’t had a ton of chances to do over the years.
Eisen was on the call for Sunday’s Chiefs/Dolphins game in Frankfurt, Germany, and will be on the call for NFL Network this weekend when the Colts and Patriots square off at Frankfurt Stadium. Doing a Q&A with The Athletic ahead of Sunday, Eisen said more play-by-play opportunities in the future wouldn’t be a bad thing.
“That I’d love to get more. I already see how much better I would be with 200 compared to 10,” Eisen said.
Doing those two games earlier in the season in London definitely helped make Rich more comfortable in the play-by-play role. He added that getting to do games in consecutive weeks was also incredibly meaningful, as it was the first time he’d ever been in that situation.
Rich Eisen continued that he doesn’t take the chance to put on the headset for granted.
“I love doing it. There’s nothing like it,” he said. “My entire career, I’ve either talked about something in advance to preview it – like a pregame show – or talked about something afterwards – like a highlight show like SportsCenter – or what I do on my daily show.”
“It’s a tremendous responsibility,” Eisen added.
When it comes to making a connection with the audience, Eisen understands from his decades in TV and radio just how important establishing and maintaining it is as a play-by-play voice.
“Each time you’re on the air, you’re creating a connection with a viewer or a listener, and you want them to feel comfortable hearing you,” Rich Eisen said. “You want to be a good hang. If you’re a bad hang, that is a bummer for a lot of people. I take that seriously, and I have reached out to a ton of colleagues in our business to pick their brains and get their thoughts on it.”
“I want to make sure that I am not that person where you say, ‘He should just stick to hosting,’ he continued. “I see that in my social timelines sometimes, but I don’t pay any attention to it because I am trying something that is new to me. The way I view it is how lucky I am that 27 years into my national broadcasting career, I’m getting opportunities to try something new. It’s not just a challenge but an enjoyable one.”
