Five is not a huge number when it comes to football. There is no five-minute warning or five-point conversion, and let’s be honest, five is an awful number to draw in a football pool. I mean, has anyone ever consumed a five pack of beer while watching a game? Of course not.
In NFL media however, five can be truly interesting and excellent. So, as we embark on another gridiron grind, here is my quintet of new and veteran broadcasters to keep an eye on during the upcoming NFL season.
Coachspeak
Bill Belichick may not be coaching in the NFL in 2024, but that does not mean he doesn’t have a job – make that several jobs. This season, the erstwhile tightlipped and terse Patriots’ head coach will be on TV more than Ryan Seacrest.
Belichick is already making an impact as a guest commentator on ESPN’s Pat McAfee Show, silencing the raucous studio cast with his dissection of X’s and O’s as well as player contract negotiations. Seriously, this normally vociferous crew sits there in fearful awe as if the principal unexpectedly showed up in a high school cafeteria.
Belichick will also appear on ESPN’s Monday Night Football ManningCast alongside brothers Peyton and Eli and this week, he signed on with The 33rd Team, a website that covers the NFL from all angles and aspects.
Inside the NFL on The CW is another landing spot for Belichick this season along with a stint on Underdog Fantasy, a popular sports app. Yes, I just used the words fantasy and app in talking about Bill Belichick, a guy who takes to technology like Donald Trump at a Wu-Tang Clan show.
If you plan on watching Bill Belichick on any of these platforms, get ready to be jolted by his joviality. The guy is nothing short of terrific on the air. As shown when he co-hosted NFL Network’s NFL 100 with Rich Eisen, Belichick is effusive in his personality, analysis, and charm on the air. Belichick’s media stints this season may also serve to get him back on the sidelines next season.
A lot of teams stayed away from hiring him because of his hard edged, old-school manner. Watch what happens after this season. The NFL world is going to see a different side of Bill Belichick, which could help propel him to a coaching gig in 2025.
Game Planning
There has never been a more anticipated NFL analyst debut than Tom Brady on FOX this season. After a stellar career that stamped him as the greatest quarterback in NFL history, Brady is ready to take his talents to the lead FOX broadcast booth alongside Kevin Burkhardt.
It may be a stretch to say that Brady will be an instant success, but if Tony Romo could do it, why can’t Brady? One thing we know is that Brady will be ultra-prepared for the challenge. This dude leaves nothing to chance. As an NFL quarterback, he worked as hard in the film room as he did on the field. He planned for all circumstances and situations.
Troy Aikman ‘s work ethic in learning the broadcast business after retiring from football is the stuff of legend. His longtime broadcast partner Joe Buck talked about this on NFL Network’s A Football Life. I can only imagine that Brady will take that work ethic to a new level.
I covered Brady’s entire career in New England, and mark my words, he will no doubt hit the broadcasting ground running and never look back. As conscious as Brady is about his image and legacy, there is no way that he would take on this job without knowing that he can do it at the highest level.
As a viewer and football fan, I can’t wait to see Brady not only analyze quarterbacking and offense, but all aspects of the game. Nobody read defenses, did check downs, and saw the whole field like Brady. All of these skills will transfer nicely to the booth.
Numbers Game
A huge college football upset victory over Florida State is not the only good thing to come out of Boston College this week. Cynthia Frelund, a BC graduate and resident statistic and analytics guru for NFL Network, returns as one of the most compelling personalities on the football media landscape today.
Frelund has ridden the wave of statistical analysis in the NFL to the utmost degree. She has carved a niche for herself as the best in the business in analyzing trends and using numbers and tendencies to present facts and insight to viewers.
Her TV game is not just about arithmetic, however. Frelund brings a little majesty to the math. She has style, on-camera presence, appeal, and enthusiasm. Her uncanny knowledge, statistical breakdowns, and heretofore unseen factoids are a huge hit on NFL Fantasy Live and NFL GameDay Morning. If Belichick is the principal showing up during a food fight, then Frelund is the calculus teacher hushing the class with a pop quiz.
I can only imagine the facts and figures floating around in her mind, but Frelund’s real expertise is in presenting these facts to viewers in an understandable way. In football, timing is everything, and Frelund arrived on the scene just as analytics, fantasy football, and betting trends were blossoming into the mainstream. In this light, she is the perfect broadcaster for her time.
Good Hands
Throughout his illustrious career, Randy Moss established himself as wide receiver royalty culminating with his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction in 2018. In addition to his gifted mitts, Moss also had the gift of gab. Never at a loss for a fiery quote, Moss was a reporter’s dream. He was always ready to stir the pot and grab headlines, whether it was explaining how he pays his fines (“Straight cash, homey.”) or mock-mooning Packers’ fans at Lambeau Field.
Moss’s moves on the football field were at different times rugged, graceful, eye-popping, and shocking, but he was always a double-edged sword of sorts, wearing out his welcome in Minnesota, Oakland, and even New England after some record-breaking performances.
Fast forward to today where Randy Moss has used television to completely transform this aspect of his image. Gone are the wild hairstyles and often self-destructive demeanors but remaining are the utter fearlessness, deep knowledge, and cutting opinions on football.
I enjoy watching Randy Moss in his role as an analyst on ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown. He looks at the game, not only from a strategic standpoint, but from a gritty, locker room angle, telling us what players are feeling, not just thinking. Moss the broadcaster is all about the feel and emotion of the game.
At Tom Brady ‘s elaborate Patriots’ Hall of Fame ceremony at Gillette Stadium this past June, Moss was one of the former Patriot receivers on stage for roundtable discussion. When he began speaking, the full house crowd erupted in applause, giving Moss a rousing and lengthy standing ovation that moved him to tears. I don’t think he realized what an impact he had on the fickle New England faithful.
Similarly, I am not sure the business recognizes how great Moss is on TV. This is today’s Randy Moss – a deep-thinking analyst who brings multiple levels of insight to all of his commentary.
Top Billing
In the world of sports media, we are all now living on Tirico time. The versatile NBC talent has become the flagship personality for the network doing lead play-by-play on Sunday Night Football and anchoring coverage of Triple Crown horse racing, the Indianapolis 500, and golf’s U.S. Open and Open Championship.
Tirico has risen to an exalted level at NBC and deservedly so. There is a quiet, calm, and smooth texture to his broadcasting. You don’t just hear him; you sense his mastery of the situation.
I watched NBC’s preseason game between the Patriots and Commanders. The date was August 25, but the broadcast made it seem like October 25. Tirico was truly in midseason form, adeptly setting up analyst Cris Collinsworth, and adroitly tossing to sideline reporter Melissa Stark.
The broadcast was as seamless, flowing, and entertaining as ever. NBC might just have hit the television trifecta with this crew. You can make the strong argument that Tirico, Collinsworth, and Stark are the very best in football broadcasting at their respective jobs.
Still, it is Tirico who sets the tone. He truly has grown into his role as NBC’s MVP. If I am an NBC programmer or producer, I am putting Mike Tirico in the studio, in the field, or in the booth. Then, I’m putting my feet on the desk, lighting a good cigar, pouring a bourbon, and enjoying the show.
I would not put Mike Tirico on the Mount Rushmore of all time football broadcasters yet, but he’s got the ropes, pulleys, and carabiners working and is scaling that mountain briskly.
John Molori is a weekly columnist for Barrett Sports Media. He has previously contributed to ESPNW, Patriots Football Weekly, Golf Content Network, Methuen Life Magazine, and wrote a syndicated Media Blitz column in the New England region, which was published by numerous outlets including The Boston Metro, Providence Journal, Lowell Sun, and the Eagle-Tribune. His career also includes fourteen years in television as a News and Sports Reporter, Host, Producer working for Continental Cablevision, MediaOne, and AT&T. He can be reached on Twitter @MoloriMedia.
