ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown remains a vital part of the NFL pregame television world, and two big reasons why are ex-NFL quarterback Alex Smith and Hall of Fame wide receiver Randy Moss. While Smith and Moss never played together in the NFL, they do have a connection on television—namely, they are the absolute stalwarts of this year’s version of Countdown.
Smith has undoubtedly raised his game, moving from merely talking about football to making bold and brash statements about it. He has come out of his shell, if you will—more open, candid, honest, controversial, and willing to interrupt a conversation to interject his opinion.
Coming off a well-documented battle with cancer, Moss’s game on TV is as strong and unique as it was on the football field. There’s something different about Randy Moss this year, and I think that stems from the aforementioned cancer battle. You can sense that he is really happy and grateful to be back on television with his mates talking ball. Smith and Moss join a tremendous Sunday NFL Countdown cast headed by host Mike Greenberg, analysts Rex Ryan and Tedy Bruschi, and NFL Insider Adam Schefter.
This year, however, it has been Smith and Moss who have stood out from the pack.
A Dynamic Duo
I caught the October 5 edition of Sunday NFL Countdown, and the pair took their respective games to new levels. What I really like about both Moss and Smith is that they offer comments, hot takes, and singular stances on their own while also blending very well with their cohorts.
On this ESPN program, Moss offered an excellent analysis of the Philadelphia Eagles’ sputtering offense. In discussing seemingly unhappy wide receiver A.J. Brown, Moss said he had no problem with Brown’s attitude, statements, or social media posts.
He said that Brown knows the offense can be better and that he can help. Moss also said that the real problem with Philadelphia’s offense is that it has become very predictable. He wants to see the Eagles move players around in different spots to give defensive coordinators more to think about.
Smith had a unique follow-up, saying that one of the problems with the Eagles’ offense is that QB Jalen Hurts is trying to force the ball too much to Brown. While Smith spoke, video backed up his point, showing several plays where Hurts threw the ball to Brown while other players were far more open. This is analysis at the highest level.
Moss was extremely adept at getting into the mind of a top-flight wide receiver. Similarly, Smith was absolutely terrific explaining that the quarterback of a team with a standout wide receiver always has it in his head to get the ball to that receiver.
It becomes something that the QB thinks about perhaps too much. Smith stated, “They got to let this come naturally. Run the offense. It will come.” It’s great that Sunday NFL Countdown seats Moss and Smith next to each other, generating some great back-and-forth between the two of them—just some really cool quarterback and receiver talk. This is excellent use of talent.
Unmatched Perspective
In the show’s “Contender or Pretender” segment, Smith said that the Chiefs are undoubtedly contenders. He stated that they are getting healthy and, despite their mediocre record, are still going to be a factor in a very winnable AFC. Moss went with the Jaguars, talking positively about Travis Etienne and Josh Hines-Allen. You can tell that Smith and Moss are both ultra-prepared for every edition of Sunday NFL Countdown. Smith’s diction, intonation, and sheer voice volume have increased this year, bringing power and presence to his performance.
The shared strengths of Moss and Smith come from their careers as players. Moss is one of the all-time greats at his position, and Smith was the number one overall draft pick of the San Francisco 49ers in 2005. Both men had great success during their careers, but both also experienced the lows of the NFL. They have been praised, lauded, and cheered, but also dumped, ignored, and insulted. Both men saw their careers rise, fall, and rise again. This breadth and depth of experience come across in their football parlance.
When Sunday NFL Countdown moves to its Film Wall segment, Smith takes off the sport coat and heads to the big screen to talk about a particular aspect of football. In this particular segment, he talked about the play of Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.
This ESPN segment was a great combination of talent and technology. While Smith made his points, video of last week’s Cowboys-Packers game highlighted different angles, actions, and accomplishments in Prescott’s game. Smith was outstanding in showing how supposedly easy plays are really not so easy.
Again, it’s the enthusiasm of Smith that is really shining this year. He has shown such great emotion and excitement in talking football. I was quite doubtful when Smith was given a starring role on Sunday NFL Countdown, but he is proving me wrong. The guy has grown into the job. He has worked at it, and the producers of the program have done excellent work bringing him along as a talent. Smith does an excellent job of looking at the detailed nuances of football. He dissected the Dallas offense quite expertly.
Entertainment Is Key
Similar to Smith, Moss takes center stage in his incredibly popular “You Got Mossed!” segment. For this particular segment, the whole on-air gang joined Moss on stage, highlighting some acrobatic catches and plays in college football, high school football, flag football, and even the NBA preseason. All of the plays were reminiscent of the amazing athletic skill that Moss showed as a player. Moss is squarely at home in this segment and absolutely loves it, bubbling with joy and fun.
There are few more enjoyable moments on football television than when the whole ESPN crew shouts, “You got Mossed!” at the end of a highlight.
On the previous week’s edition of Sunday NFL Countdown, Smith was adamantly against the Giants starting rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart. He said it was a bad move for the young player and engaged in a lively debate with Ryan. As it turned out, Dart played very well as the Giants won that game vs. the Chargers.
This week’s edition of Countdown actually rolled the tape of Smith’s comments before talking about Dart and the Giants. Smith took it in stride and was very diplomatic, saying that it was a great win for Dart. He did lament that Dart carried the ball too much and got hit too many times in the game. Smith’s initial comments proved a bit prophetic this past weekend as Dart threw two interceptions in a loss to the Saints.
Smith and Moss both added some insightful comments in previewing the Cowboys-Jets game from this past weekend. In the show’s wagering segment, Moss was prophetic, taking the 7.5-point underdog Patriots against the Bills. He also mentioned Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs going back home to Buffalo and stretching the field. Diggs did just that and then some versus the Bills, logging 10 catches for 146 yards.
Sunday NFL Countdown might just have the best mix of talent on TV in terms of background and experience. You have the ultimate host in Greenberg, a glib and entertaining ex-head coach in Ryan, and a stalwart, championship defensive player in Bruschi.
Ultimately, though, the show is brought together by Smith, a former QB who understands the game, and Moss, a former wide receiver who changed the game. They are, indeed, the key gears transferring motion and emotion in ESPN’s Sunday morning football machine.
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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.
