Well folks, we survived! We made it through a long, football-less summer. College football gave us everything we wanted in week 1 and now it is time to turn our attention to the NFL.
Arky, Demetri and Garrett are back again to highlight everything and everyone that is great when it comes to the coverage of America’s national obsession. So here is the full schedule for the NFL edition of Countdown to Coverage:
TUESDAY (9/6): Best Local Radio Show
WEDNESDAY (9/7): Best National Radio Show
THURSDAY (9/8): Best Pregame Show
FRIDAY (9/9): Best Insider
MONDAY (9/12): Best TV Broadcast Team
If you need proof that the NFL won, look no further than how the game is covered on TV. The networks that carry the games don’t just show the games. They devote hours to the pregame. When they can, they devote up to an hour to the postgame. We have never had more NFL content on TV and still, we are starving for more of it!
The role of a great pregame show is ever evolving. How much time do you give to gambling? Is there still room for a fantasy expert? Where do you fit in storytelling? Do we need a weather expert?
Pregame shows come in all shapes and sizes. Today, Arky, Demetri and Garrett tell you which ones fit them best.
FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA by Arky Shea
This is a program that gets the benefit of being after the vast majority of the games and they treat it differently. It’s a highlights show with some previews of the evening’s NBC offering but more importantly, it’s our first real chance to digest a lot of the day’s games. Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison are so good at breaking down the fresh “tape” for some fairly instant analysis and it’s always pretty compelling because they give me the 30,000-foot view plus a couple sideline takes and that’s about all I really want in that spot.
This show stands alone as my pick even if it wasn’t featuring and influx of fresh ideas. Matthew Berry is a key one because there is a fascination for me in what he will look like in the autopsy-phase of a fantasy Sunday. He’s not picking sleepers on this show, he’s poking around the slept. Jason Garrett is an emerging, engaging voice who I always enjoyed in Dallas when he wasn’t in “coach” mode. I am even more jacked to see how Maria Taylor blossoms as the lead host of this show. She is dynamic and this is a tremendous spotlight for what a lot of us have seen grow from being sideline reporter for SEC Network games.
SUNDAY NFL COUNTDOWN by Demetri Ravanos
When you think of the title, you probably think about days gone by. Surely Boomer and TJ are right on the tip of your tongue. Hell, maybe the three glorious weeks of the Rush Limbaugh experiment made an impression. Whatever name or moment you think of, the conventional wisdom is that ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown will never be what it used to be and you know what? That’s true, but that doesn’t mean that the show is now bad.
I would put Randy Moss and Rex Ryan up against anyone that has ever been on that show. They are knowledgeable and entertaining. What more do you want from your stars? Moss alone gives this show more credibility than any of its competitors. Other shows have Hall of Famers. Who else has one of the 2 best at their position in the history of the NFL?
FOX NFL SUNDAY by Garrett Searight
FOX NFL Sunday has had a remarkable staying power. In 28 years, Curt Menafee and James Brown have been the only two hosts (excluding the year where Menafee and Joe Buck split the duties in title only). Howie Long and Terry Bradshaw have each been on the show since 1994. Jimmy Johnson has served as an analyst since 2002. Pam Oliver has been a reporter since 1995. Jay Glazer has appeared since 2007. Michael Strahan has now been on the show since 2008.
The familiarity of the crew is what wins the spot for me. You know exactly what you’re going to get each week. Howie Long is going to be reasonable and well thought out. Terry Bradshaw is going to be your wacky uncle who might have hit the sauce a little too hard for it only being 11:00 AM. Jimmy Johnson is going give you a great perspective on topics from a coach’s point of view. Michael Strahan is going to say nothing of value whatsoever. It’s what you’re expecting! And sometimes, that’s the only bar you have to reach for. Familiarity is the name of the game in NFL coverage, and FOX NFL Sunday has it.
