In the days leading up to kickoff, quarterbacks in the National Football League engage in an extensive amount of preparation. Scrutinizing over formations, schemes and different plays, the leader of the offense studies opposing defenses and tries to prognosticate what will be thrown in their direction. By the time gameday arrives, it is incumbent on the offensive personnel and coaching staff to adapt and make adjustments should they be warranted. Kurt Warner knows this routine well and was able to effectively master the craft, attaining two most valuable player honors and a Super Bowl championship in his NFL career.
As the stars set in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Vince Lombardi Trophy hangs in the balance. Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs aim to further cement their dynasty with a second consecutive Super Bowl championship. Conversely, the San Francisco 49ers, containing Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey, are focused on trying to win the organization’s first championship in nearly three decades. Warner will be featured on the Westwood One broadcast of the game for the sixth time since being named the full-time analyst for its Monday Night Football coverage in 2018. Throughout the marquee event, he will look to apply his unique knowledge gained through competing and render it comprehensible to the listening audience.
“It’s the pinnacle of what we do,” Warner said. “Just like playing, you want to be in the game; you want to play in that game because it separates you [and] it’s historical. This is going down in history. No matter how it plays out, it’s going down in history.”
Warner’s football acumen and performances cemented him an induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but he is still keenly interested in learning more about the game. Although he played professional football for 12 years, there are still facets of the sport – specifically the broadcasting of that thereof – he is curious to better comprehend. There are numerous occurrences when Warner is approached by fans and complimented on the national radio call, which he then follows up with an earnest plea to discover the reason behind that inclination.
“My job is to bring my expertise and say what was great and what wasn’t great and to share it with the fans and take them into a place that they wouldn’t be able to go if it weren’t for me,” Warner said. “That’s not always an easy thing to do because we do want to be liked and we want people around the league to respect us, and we want them to be willing to talk to us and not look at us as the enemy, but it becomes part of the job.”
As a football analyst, Warner is not trying to be the star of the show and instead looks to project the grandeur and appeal of the game itself. In presenting candor and veracity through his commentary, giving critiques is an aspect of the role that imparts this authenticity. Since he has been coaching in various capacities, Warner has adopted a phrase encapsulating his approach to analysis no matter the setting.
“I’ll always attack a problem, but I’ll never attack a person,” Warner said. “Now sometimes a person is at the root of the problem, but it’s not personal, and that’s kind of the mantra I try to use when I analyze things.”
Throughout his football career, Warner had to pass various tests of adversity in order to actualize a spot in the NFL. After playing for four years at the University of Northern Iowa, he was cut by two teams and was stocking shelves at a local grocery store. He ended up going undrafted and did not make the Green Bay Packers upon a tryout, leading him to return to school as a graduate assistant.
A few years after signing with the St. Louis Rams, Warner had a chance to start upon a season-ending injury to starting quarterback Trent Green, and he did not take it for granted. Warner ultimately ended up retiring as the organization’s all-time leader in passing yards (4,830) and passer rating (97.2).
“You look at it like a franchise quarterback on the football field; you want to become that as an analyst,” Warner said. “You want to be that person that they want to build around that is vital to their success and that they can’t lose, and that became the challenge for me is trying to figure out, ‘What is that for me? How do I shape that?’”
Warner worked on FOX Sports broadcasts of NFL games in 2010 as a color commentator, pairing alongside Chris Myers to call regional matchups. The new vantage point and technological capabilities allowed him to break down plays and communicate his thoughts to the viewers. Additionally, Warner called regional games for NFL Network and began contributing to its studio coverage as well, augmenting his versatility and broadening the scope with which he could disseminate his perspectives.
Although Warner was entering these roles as a veteran quarterback with recent success in the league, he knew that judgment would be predicated on his analysis rather than his past achievements. There are some parallels elicited between comparing his journey and that of Tom Brady, a seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback expected to join FOX Sports’ lead NFL broadcast booth next season. If everything goes according to plan, Brady would be slated to call Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, La.
“If you’re not good at this, they’re not going to continue to say, ‘But he went to 10 Super Bowls.’ Well, nobody cares at this point,” Warner articulated. “I want you to be good at what you’re doing. Be a good analyst; bring something to the table that’s different that separates you, and that’s going to be the challenge.”
While in the studio, Warner appeared on the Thursday Night Football pregame show and NFL Total Access among other programs. Executing such an adjustment required him to ponder over how he talks about the sport to others, along with an understanding of his specialties.
Soon thereafter, Warner became a regular member of NFL GameDay Morning, a Sunday morning show on which he is situated alongside host Rich Eisen and analysts Steve Mariucci and Michael Irvin. In balancing live game broadcast assignments with studio obligations, Warner rapidly refined his craft and became a well-rounded media professional.
“If you’re replaceable, then you never know what your future’s going to be or where you’re going to be or what you’re going to do,” Warner said, “so you want to try to create a brand that is different and is unique and that is something that you do as well or better than anyone else, so you hold on to that value for the long term.”
Prior to NFL GameDay Morning, Warner participates in extensive film study effectuated through watching all of the NFL games from the previous week. Akin to when he was playing quarterback, he studies the opposing defenses and remains aware of fluctuations so he can adjust in real time.
For example, if a topic being discussed by the panel is taken in a different direction, Warner aims to ensure he can partake in the conversation. Attaining a comprehensive understanding of the sport that can be conveyed to the audience keeps his analysis genuine and, in turn, further bolsters his credibility. Moreover, he wants to emit analysis replete with knowledge towards the subject matter rather than being nonplussed.
“I feel like I always go in prepared, and so being prepared, nothing really throws me for a loop,” Warner said. “There’s not anything that I can’t talk about in terms of the landscape of the NFL or what’s going on specifically around where my strengths are; around the quarterback position or the passing game or offensive football – and that to me is always the key.”
One of the reasons Warner does not participate in any studio shows on Monday – aside from his Westwood One obligations – relates to aiming to watch all of the games before discussion. Warner surmises that most of the individuals on Monday studio shows cannot be fully informed due to the extent of viewing and comprehending the most recent action. As a result, he has his schedule organized where Wednesday commences his media obligations for the new football week.
“I can actually watch the film and be prepared,” Warner said, “and then that leads me into Sunday and allows me to feel like I’m educated on all the stuff that I’m talking about and I can bring a unique, individual take to it that maybe other people won’t.”
Warner greatly values the NFL having its own media network since it presents football-related content 24 hours a day, seven days a week. From having worked there for over a decade, he has never been restricted in what he could say on the air.
Recent reports that the NFL is taking part in discussions with The Walt Disney Company about purchasing a minority stake of ESPN indicated that the league’s media entities, collectively known as NFL Media, would be included in a potential transaction. The league has reportedly been trying to unload these assets for several years, and would do so if the deal is agreed to and subsequently approved.
“I definitely think there are some concerns with what we’ve created at NFL Network and what our niche is,” Warner said. “What does that look like if an ESPN or another entity buys in or gets involved in some way? How does that change what we are and what we do? Those are definitely questions that I have having been a part of this for over a decade.”
Warner ultimately added Westwood One to his responsibilities in 2014 where he began splitting Monday Night Football assignments with Boomer Esiason as he reduced his schedule. Esiason continued to host the morning show on WFAN while also appearing on CBS Sports’ studio program, The NFL Today, throughout the day before. Warner has occupied the role on a regular basis since the 2018 season, but he needed time to become accustomed to the nuances of calling games on the medium.
“In radio, I get to talk about whatever I want,” Warner said. “I don’t have to follow the replays. I can share my own story and I have a blank canvas, and so each one is different; each one is unique, but each one challenges you in different ways.”
Each role has its challenges related to the allotted time one has to speak, along with how detailed the analysis can be in its very essence. Calling games with Westwood One in particular grants Warner a chance to provide his analysis, the lack of visual aid coercing him to paint a picture to the listeners. Even so, he is cognizant of how things are incumbent on the descriptions from the play-by-play announcer.
“I get to paint the entire picture for the audience,” Warner said. “It’s not like on television where they go, ‘Hey, we’ve got this replay,’ or, ‘I’m going to show you the offensive line,’ or, ‘I’m going to show you the receiver.’ In radio, I get to talk about whatever I want.”
Warner considers himself driven by football fundamentals, which are oftentimes referred to as Xs and Os in the parlance of the game. Once the contest starts, Warner equips the plan to guide his analysis and form the backbone of his opinions backed with calculations and research. From playing in the league and speaking with relevant personnel, he uses these quantifiable data with qualifiable discourse.
“There’s times you’ve got to lift people up and there’s other times we have to attack the problem and we’ve got to talk about it,” Warner said. “Analysts need to do the same thing. They’ve got to call out things when they need to be called out; they need to lift up guys when they need to be lifted up and celebrated, and finding that balance is hard.”
From the time he began working at the entity, Warner has been paired with Kevin Harlan, a proficient and adept play-by-play announcer for Westwood One, CBS Sports and TNT Sports. Part of Harlan’s broadcast repertoire are his impassioned calls of exhilarating moments, something that Warner sees firsthand within the Monday night games.
While on the air, they listen to one another and are able to reference conjecture later in the proceedings. Warner observes Harlan’s energy and genuine thrill with each matchup, and he also permits him to do his job. Neither broadcaster is dominant, but rather they work in tandem, form synergies and compile a stellar account of the game.
“It becomes a part of that broadcast as opposed to just being thrown in front of somebody or forced upon someone,” Warner said. “We still have the ability to entertain and have fun, but I think we do a great job of tying it all together within our broadcast so it feels like you’re listening or watching a TV show and it’s just naturally a part of the fabric of your call.”
As the excitement is taking place, Warner discerns how he should lay out and let Harlan make the accompanying call. Throughout their years together in the broadcast booth, Harlan has punctuated numerous game-winning touchdowns, interceptions and key defensive stops. After the initial fervor settles, Warner adds to the moment by informing people of the reason behind what happened.
“When the best in the business are doing their thing, you get out of the way, and that to me is my role in those situations,” Warner said. “Nobody’s better than Kevin.”
Rather than ignoring constructive criticism, Warner values conveying coachability and is open to feedback and suggestions from his colleagues. While he was playing and accruing numerous accolades, he sought to identify his deficiencies and improve upon them to move in the right direction as a whole. This premise holds true especially when he is on a television live game broadcast since he only commentates those games a few times per year, usually alongside Eisen for NFL Network.
“I think it’s very similar to when I was playing is that I wanted to be the best that I could be, and you realize in life that you seldom learn things on your own,” Warner said. “Everything that I’ve learned about the game of football is really something I’ve been taught, or at least started with being taught something, and then I was able to evolve from that learning.”
Working in a commentary role, Warner does not earn wins or losses as he did while playing on the football field. Instead, he thinks about his personal success as a gauge on how he handled the situation and the work that he put in beforehand. Being open to feedback rather than ignoring it completely, however, has been critical in his mission to become the best broadcaster possible.
As gameday approaches on Westwood One, Warner genuinely looks forward to arriving at the stadium, conversing with Harlan and personnel involved and presenting a broadcast unique to radio. That will be his goal on Sunday as two teams battle it out for a chance to capture the league’s ultimate prize.
“We can fully pull you into this masterpiece that we’re creating, and that’s what I love about it; that’s what’s unique about it,” Warner explained, “and I think there’s people out there that once they jump on the radio, they understand how really special and unique it is and how it brings a different element to our great game.”
Derek Futterman is a contributing editor and sports media reporter for Barrett Media. Additionally, he has worked in a broad array of roles in multimedia production – including on live game broadcasts and audiovisual platforms – and in digital content development and management. He previously interned for Paramount within Showtime Networks, wrote for the Long Island Herald and served as lead sports producer at NY2C. To get in touch, find him on X @derekfutterman.
