The Monday after the final week of the NFL regular season is always interesting with coaching changes, playoff matchups, predictions, and reflections. There is an infinite number of questions and seemingly the same number of football television programs with purported answers. For my Monday viewing, I choose to check out FanDuel’s Up & Adams hosted by Kay Adams. The show features a cold open with Adams seated behind her laptop. She jumped right into the fray joyously holding up a printed sheet of paper with the playoff pairings for the upcoming Wild Card weekend.
Truth be told, I was impressed with Adams before she even spoke. Her background set features, among other things, Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours album and Dolly Parton’s Just Because I’m a Woman album. How can you not like that?
Beyond props however, Adams has a uniquely smooth and understated style cultivated over her years at NBC Sports Boston, as host of NFL Network’s Good Morning Football, and now with her own show on FanDuel. Moreover, she is an excellent reporter and interviewer. Her enthusiastic intro to the show touched on potential coaching changes and looked back at the Minnesota Vikings’ dismal performance in a Week 18 division and number one seed clinching game against the Detroit Lions.
She said that this past weekend might’ve been the best final weekend of the NFL season ever, cracking a sly smile as if she was recognizing her own little bit of hyperbole. A graphic then showed this upcoming weekend’s Wild Card matchups while Adams analyzed some odds for the various games on the slate.
There is a palpable excitement in Adams’ voice as she talks about football. This is where the fan in her emerges vividly. Her voice inflection and tone changes as she moves from game to game. This authenticity is a key part of her ability to draw in viewers and keep them interested. Sports fans can spot a phony from a mile away. Adams is the real deal.
Speaking of fans, viewers can send in questions and comments via YouTube live while watching Up & Adams. In fact, watching the show is kind of like a fun social media scroll. Adams pitched to a Twitter/X clip of Dan Campbell’s locker room speech following the big win over the Vikings. Since the bulk of the show is simply Adams in a one shot, it’s great to have these breakaways to bring variety.
Adams also does a nice job of providing information and opinion over highlights. During video of the Vikings-Lions game she didn’t just narrate the plays, she gave her viewpoints and some solid analysis.
Up & Adams is largely host-driven which can be a challenge, but Adams often looks into the camera and talks directly to viewers almost as if the watcher is a co-host. She is not alone in this endeavor, however. On this edition, Up & Adams went to a two shot and welcomed reporter/producer Matt Hamilton to analyze some NFL games and headlines.
This is FanDuel, so many of the commercials and show graphics center on wagering and betting odds. One such graphic showed the current FanDuel Sportsbook odds for the Super Bowl LIX winner with Detroit topping the list at +300. Adams added to the numbers game stating that number one seeds in the NFL playoffs make it to the Super Bowl 53% of the time while number five seeds make it to the big game just 3.3% of the time. This stat hit home the importance of that Minnesota-Detroit game with the Lions gaining the top seed and Vikings now sitting at five.
One of the best parts of Adams’ TV game is her on-air introspection and angst. She expressed exasperation over those who are writing off the Vikings after a 14 win season, but also said that the pressure of a winner take all game might impact QB Sam Darnold and head coach Kevin O’Connell.
As she looked at the AFC playoff picture, she mentioned that the Cincinnati Bengals were out, and then made a choking sound. Adams is direct yet jovial in her criticisms. It’s like getting hit by a brick with a nice ribbon tied around it. With eyes wide, a smirk, or full on head in hands disgust, Adams’ rifts are like football therapy with all the emotional ups and downs that fans feel in the week to week soap opera that is the NFL.
In talking about the resurgent Denver Broncos, Adams harkened back to when her show was at Broncos’ training camp and a conversation with wide receiver Courtland Sutton. She then ran a clip of Sutton predicting that his team would make the playoffs. This added some thickness and depth to the program.
Adams is an established NFL media star, and her next guest is well on his way to that status. ESPN NFL analyst Ben Solak is direct, passionate, and entertaining. He and Adams talked about the Giants retaining both head coach Brian Daboll and GM Joe Schoen. Solak said he was fine with that as long as you don’t mind setting the team up for failure.
The pair then hit on the Patriots firing Jerod Mayo after just one season as head coach. Adams admitted that she was shocked at the move, while Solak said that Lions’ offensive coordinator Ben Johnson would be the perfect fit as head coach in New England citing the team’s $130 million in cap space and terrific young quarterback Drake Maye. Adams counterpointed saying that the fact that New England canned Mayo after just one season could make them an unattractive landing spot for a prospective new coach.
In addition to Solak, Adams also welcomed Hall of Fame class of 2025 finalist Jared Allen to the program. The former Minnesota Viking star talked about Minnesota’s postseason chances and opined that the team needs to run the ball more in the playoffs.
He and Adams also discussed the Rams’ Wild Card game defensive strategy against Justin Jefferson and the possible retirement of Aaron Rodgers, who was a rival of Allen’s when he played with the Packers. I enjoyed the back-and-forth.
Just as the show had a cold open, it also has sort of a cold close ending right after the Allen interview with no traditional sign off or goodbye, just Adams shutting her laptop.
There is a coolness to Adams on air demeanor reminiscent of the late Barbara Walters. Like Walters in news and entertainment, NFL players, coaches, and media people want to talk with Adams. She makes guests feel comfortable while also asking pertinent questions and gaining insightful answers. In this light, Up & Adams is truly a mirror image of Adams herself – linear, organic, free-flowing, and simultaneously hard-hitting and soft-spoken.
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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.
