Mike Tirico of NBC was a guest yesterday afternoon with Waddle & Silvy on ESPN Chicago. Tirico’s football duties have come to an end for the season and he was preparing to head off for a few days of “golf therapy” in Florida.
One of the topics was Bill Belichick having not gotten one of the open NFL head coaching jobs this offseason thus far. Tirico was emphatic when he stated, “If he does decide to do TV…he’ll be really good.”
Tirico was not just simply offering an opinion as he has spent time working with Belichik, as an analyst, in the past.
“Super Bowl XL aired on ABC, I was at ESPN and we did the pregame show for the ABC broadcast,” he said. “Bill was on the set with me for the game…and he was terrific on the air.”
Tirico also pointed out Belichick’s work with the NFL Network on the NFL 100 All-Time Team series and added, “If he ends up not getting a job and does TV for a year or more, he will be awesome. He will be the guy who everyone shuts up and listens to. I promise you.”
Another topic Tom Waddle and Marc “Silvy” Silverman brought up with Tirico, was his opportunity to call two Detroit Lions home playoff games. Tirico has lived in Detroit for two and half decades and his wife is from the area.
“It’s nice to see somebody who has been down for so long have a moment and come along and have a chance, it makes it fun,” Tirico said. “I’ll be brutally honest with you guys, it was really cool because I have lived here for twenty-five years and before I was doing the NFL, when they opened up Ford Field, we bought season tickets. You can feel appreciation for something without..rooting for a team. I have the greatest appreciation…of what this meant to the people. That, to me is the story.”
It was clear on the broadcasts, the energy level the fans had was off the charts. Tirico noted a lot of those were long suffering fans who had waited a long time for this. “For the fans who have filled that place when the teams werent good – I feel great for them.,” he said. “The energy was real, it was legit, it was impactful and they brought it for eight straight quarters. It was a neat experience and one I truly will never forget being a part of.”
