News: ESPN plotting dream 'Monday Night Football' booth: Al Michaels and Peyton Manning

[Walker]

What ESPN needs is better Monday games. The games on them are so boring.

 

[Johnny23]

I mean that varies year-to-year.

The bigger issue is that Thursday night has taken away the appeal of Monday night.

I think it's the if every game is special no game is special. Too many meaningless Monday and Thursday night games.

Jacksonville vs. Tennessee. Who cares.

 

[maryquality]

Maybe NBC should just replace Collinswoth with Manning.

Now that I would get on board with!!

 

[JJHLH1]

ESPN is hemorrhaging millions of subscribers every year due to cord cutting. This feels like a desperate move to stem the tide.

The problem for ESPN is that they have too much quality competition that’s free: two Sunday afternoon games, Sunday Night Football, and Thursday Night Football.

 

[big dog cowboy]

ESPN plotting dream 'Monday Night Football' booth: Al Michaels and Peyton Manning

I have a better idea.

Why not plot for some dream matchups on the field. That would contribute more to the success of MNF than whatever they do in the booth.

 

[Doomsday101]

In my view it is not who is in the booth it is the game being played. MNF at one time got most of the best games of the week. Now we get a lot of games that are just not good matchups. Seems to me Sunday Night Football is getting the better games. I enjoy watching 2 good teams facing off no matter who calls the game

 

[sean10mm]

Peyton Manning comes across as affable in scripted commercials.

It's still an open question if he's any good on the fly calling a game on live TV.

 

[Doomsday101]

I have a better idea.

Why not plot for some dream matchups on the field. That would contribute more to the success of MNF than whatever they do in the booth.

Exactly, I'm not overly interested in Miami vs Tampa Bay. If you put on 2 top teams facing off I will watch it.

 

[CouchCoach]

MNF is dead cause they have crap match-ups - I dont care who they get to announce the games.

Crap games - crap ratings...

That's one of the reasons they're trying for that matchup. Fox agreed to TNF because they were promised a better schedule. ESPN gets a nod if they've for frontline talent and not Heckyl and Jeckyl on MNF. Hell, they got a major matchup last season and acted like a virgin boy on prom night.

I don't get it because I never tune in any game because of the broadcasters. Not even Madden, I was there for the game. In fact, I don't like Nantz and Romo because they talk off mic and down low and I am not going to work to hear them so I listen to music and watch the game.

The bad news is ESPN will stick those two back on the SEC Network, if they can pull that off.

 

[CouchCoach]

In my view it is not who is in the booth it is the game being played. MNF at one time got most of the best games of the week. Now we get a lot of games that are just not good matchups. Seems to me Sunday Night Football is getting the better games. I enjoy watching 2 good teams facing off no matter who calls the game

That is also their best opportunity to catch the largest TV audience. Sunday night has always been a big TV ratings night so they'd be dumb to put a poor matchup which is why they flex games.

 

[Doomsday101]

That is also their best opportunity to catch the largest TV audience. Sunday night has always been a big TV ratings night so they'd be dumb to put a poor matchup which is why they flex games.

True, honestly I have never not tuned into a game based on who the announcers are. Most of the time I'm focused on the game not what they are jabbering about. You could just have camera crew showing the game with no one in the booth and I would watch it if it is a quality football game.

 

[CouchCoach]

True, honestly I have never not tuned into a game based on who the announcers are. Most of the time I'm focused on the game not what they are jabbering about. You could just have camera crew showing the game with no one in the booth and I would watch it if it is a quality football game.

NBC tried that with a Jets game and got a lot of negative feedback.

I am good with the play by play guy, the color guy is useless to me. Just more jabber to help fill when they can't go to commercials again.

 

[Carson]

Come on now! Who doesn’t love

Browns / Jets!
Bears / Commanders!
Browns / 49ers!
Colts / Saints!

 

[SSoup]

Unless the NFL stops treating MNF like the trash heap when they make up their schedules, I don't see what this accomplishes.

Am I going to tune into a bad matchup on Monday Nights just to catch the sparkling wit and personality of these two guys as they call a bad game between bad teams? No. So even if Peyton isn't the dumpster fire Witten was, and even with the golden vocal chords of Al Michaels, who cares?

Monday Night football is a mess because the NFL made the intentionally decision to tank the program in favor of propping up the Sunday Night showcase. It wasn't bad because of Gruden and Jaworski any more than it is possible for it to magically be good because of Al Michaels and whichever safe, popular name they pair him with.

 

[SSoup]

Still can’t believe Witten got a gig, just because he wore the star and was Romo’s bff.

So true, it's hilarious.

It's kind of like how when the Cardinals hired Kingsbury, they initially had a press release or statement on their website that straight up touted the fact that Kingsbury was friends with McVay.

Because they wanted the McVay results and they REALLY wanted praise (and to generate fan excitement) for having hired their own McVay type. But they had a fundamental misunderstanding of what that means.

 

[nightrain]

Not a fan of Manning's aw shucks demeanor. Would rather Collinsworth and Michaels stayed together.

 

[quickccc]

The broadcasting teams have gone to hell over the years. It’s tiring hearing motormouth Booger McFarland referred to as boog.

I dunno who that damn play by play announcer for ESPN Monday Night is ... but he's the one that's been Tuuuuurrible !!!

His voice is slow and dragging, he's boring, uninspiring and he doesn't bring any intrigue to the game, and most annoying is .. he'll go seconds with " dead-air " and not saying anything at all.... at one point I thought I must have accidentally pushed the Mute button on my TV remote as I don't hear anything coming from the play announcer. And that ruins the tempo and tone to me.

 

[quickccc]

I heard ESPN gave Brett Favre an audition awhile back ,,,and it had to be an " Uuuuurgh !! " ..uh, thanks but no thanks " : .. , as they went on to choose Jason Witten instead.

 

[quickccc]

Manning has the intelligence and charisma to succeed. Not a bad backup plan.

Still can’t believe Witten got a gig, just because he wore the star and was Romo’s bff. It’s like ESPN never saw how dry Wit’s player interviews were.

I could see why ESPN could think Witten would be a success.
Witten's interviews were vocall, articulate and detailed. Apparently they thought he had a coach-like presence and thought to see it out
and they thought there would be a continuing trickle down effect that coincidentally were ex- Cowboys players ....from Aikman,.. Moose, and now Romo,... so why not try Witten as well ?

Didn't several people think Aikman was very dry, non-enthusiastic and statue during his interviews so what could he bring to the color analyst ? But he ended up bringing an appealing approach, style, no holds bar straight forward detailed when it comes to game/player/coach that no one thought he had in him.

 

[Verdict]

Maybe NBC should just replace Collinswoth with Manning.

I actually like Collinsworth as an announcer.