Bill Belichick Off to Strong Start in New ‘Monday Night Football’ Gig: NFL Media Notes
Some broadcast notes from NFL Week 1:
1. So who has Bill Belichick had more broadcasting jobs than Ryan Seacrest? But Belichick was there Monday night on ESPN2, playing the role of Charles Grodin opposite David Letterman of Peyton and Eli Manning. His first half during the game between the New York Jets and the San Francisco 49ers was his debut as a regular on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli” — and it was excellent. The former Patriots head coach has also made appearances on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show,” the CW’s “Inside the NFL,” a 30-minute show with Peyton Manning on ESPN+, SiriusXM’s “Let’s Go!” show and a starring role on “Coach with Bill Belichick,” a weekly football analysis show for Underdog Fantasy.
What became clear on Monday, and what has become clear since Mr. “We’re On to Cincinnati” entered the sports media world, is that Belichick is very good at this. (That should come as no surprise to readers of this column.) Case in point: Peyton Manning asked Belichick a question about Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, about defending a quarterback who was comfortable and effective using audibles.
“It’s very similar to playing you, someone who changes plays a lot at the line of scrimmage,” Belichick said. “Or coach Joe Gibbs, who had multiple formations, multiple movements. So the movements, the shifts, all that stuff forces the defense to adjust and communicate. I would say the quarterbacks who are audible a lot, they put more emphasis on disguise, so you want to make sure you’re not giving the quarterback a clear picture of the perimeter pressure or the man or the zone. It’s just a different mentality for the defense. You have to understand who you’re playing with. But those teams that have multiple formations like (49ers head coach) Kyle Shanahan, it’s a lot of stress on your defensive adjustments.”
Belichick also outgained Jets wideout Garrett Wilson, who made four catches for 46 yards in the first quarter.
“I would double him,” Belichick said. “In third-down critical situations, I would absolutely double this guy. If he gets singled, Rodgers is absolutely going to go to him.”
The only downside was the slight delay (at least it was there for me when I watched on a laptop) between the Mannings and Belichick. That’s an issue that will hopefully be resolved next week. (Belichick would say, “Clean that up, boys.”)
I’ve heard that Belichick doesn’t have a hard time when it comes to his Manningcast segments. You might see him go deep into the second quarter — he left with four seconds left in the first half on Monday — but sometimes the schedule can dictate that his segment ends early. It’s a great addition to the “Manningcast.”
“I’m not sure I like this trend here. Eli and Belichick digging up plays from the late ’90s.”
—Peyton Manning 🤣 photo.twitter.com/Tn3sHYfIgC
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) September 10, 2024
2. ESPN’s Troy Aikman said one of the advantages Tom Brady will have as a rookie announcer is working with longtime producer Richie Zyontz, who has produced seven Super Bowls and has been in the business for 40 years. Zyontz was Aikman’s producer when he worked with Dick Stockton and Daryl Johnston in 2001, and both went on to Fox’s No. 1 NFL team, where they spent 20 years together with Joe Buck. Zyontz was Greg Olsen’s producer last year and also produced games announced by John Madden. He understands how to produce analysts who see the game differently, which will help Brady as the season progresses.
“What they were able to do in the truck is adjust their coverage and adjust what they were doing to follow what I wanted to see,” Aikman said. “That was an adjustment for them because most analysts when I started were really focused on the trenches. Madden was always talking about the trenches. Matt Millen was. Then I came in as quarterback. I see the game a lot differently. Think about when I left and (they) had Greg Olsen, so they had to adjust some things for him. I would think Tom sees it more the same way I do, but they adjust to what he sees and how he wants an opportunity. He’s in good hands.”
If you want to hear Aikman longer, he’s this week’s guest on my Sports Media Podcast.
3. Speaking of Brady, here’s my review of his debut broadcast. And here’s a review from Andrew Marchand.
Brady’s opener drew 23.8 million viewers on Fox. The lack of a competitive game in the second half — the Dallas Cowboys beat the Cleveland Browns 33-17 to lead by 23 points early in the fourth quarter — really dragged down viewership, as Fox and the NFL offered little competition in that late-afternoon window.
4. ESPN’s Alex Smith fronted a truly inventive and terrific feature for “Sunday NFL Countdown,” produced by associate producer Vincent Coladonato, called “The Quarterback Room.” Smith took on the role of both QB1 and QB2 with current players who have experienced both (Justin Fields, Kirk Cousins, Russell Wilson, Kurt Warner and Aaron Rodgers), and gave his thoughts. It also produced a very memorable quote from Drew Bledsoe comparing Tom Brady to Tony Romo when he lost his starting positions with New England and Dallas.
“The minute (Romo) became the starter, he got pretty big in his own mind, and he wasn’t the curious, inquisitive guy anymore,” Bledsoe said. “That was the difference between him and Tommy. (When) Tommy became the starter, he was still asking all the questions, whereas Romo was suddenly the guy who had all the answers.”
5. Peacock’s presentation of the Philadelphia Eagles’ 34-29 win over the Packers on Friday night — the NFL’s first-ever game in Brazil — averaged 14.2 million viewers between Peacock and NBC affiliates in Philadelphia, Milwaukee and Green Bay. That’s a win for the streaming service (and, of course, the NFL) given Peacock’s previous numbers. The Buffalo Bills-Los Angeles Chargers game on Peacock last December averaged 7.3 million viewers.
This was the second most-watched live event on Peacock, behind last January’s AFC wild-card game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins (23 million). Sports Media Watch said that it ranks fourth all-time among NFL games broadcast exclusively via streaming, behind two of the previous seasons.“Thursday Night Football” games on Amazon Prime (Cowboys-Seattle Seahawks: 15.26 million; Vikings-Philadelphia Eagles: 15.05 million) and that Dolphins-Chiefs game.
The Packers and Eagles have always been solid national draws, and that was clearly a factor in the numbers. But ratings will surely play a part in the NFL’s sale to networks for what will undoubtedly be a future international rights package.
6. Mike Greenberg made his debut as host of ESPN’s “Sunday NFL Countdown” and did what Mike Greenberg does: He delivered competent presentations. More importantly, he involved his analysts more than he did himself, especially when a national news story broke about Dolphins wideout Tyreek Hill, who was cited for a traffic violation before the game and was seen on video being handcuffed facedown on the ground.
I still maintain that Laura Rutledge should have gotten the anchor role, given her day-to-day involvement in sports, but Greenberg was solid Sunday. The big honor goes to reporter Jeff Darlington, who reported from Miami and had a notable interview with Hill’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus. Darlington, you may recall, played a key role in ESPN’s coverage of the arrest and handcuffing of Scottie Scheffler in Louisville during the PGA Championship. Those charges were later dropped.
“I was less interested in Drew’s opinion of what happened and more interested in what Tyreek Hill told him happened,” Darlington said in an email. “The two most important questions for the interview were, ‘What did Tyreek Hill tell you happened?’ and ‘What did the police tell you and/or what happened to Tyreek?’ In the immediate aftermath, I personally believe that every question should be an attempt at fact-finding, even with someone as charismatic or opinionated as Drew.”
It’s no surprise that Darlington thought about his reporting on the Scheffler story while covering Hill.
“I’ve learned in the wake of the Scheffler situation that in 2024, viewers still appreciate down-the-middle news reporting in moments of chaos,” Darlington said. “I know that may seem obvious, but stories can be shaped so quickly if we’re not careful about how we present the news, especially when it comes to police treatment. In Louisville, I witnessed Scheffler’s arrest. In Miami, I did not witness Hill’s arrest. But what I saw with Scheffler on Sunday served as a constant reminder not to assume anything, even in the most surreal of situations.”
7. The NFL has always been a momentum play when it comes to ratings, and the league got off to a very strong opening two-game stretch, including the Chiefs-Baltimore Ravens game that averaged 28.9 million viewers on NBC and Peacock. The game topped last year’s season opener (27.5 million for Chiefs-Detroit Lions) by five percent and was the most-watched NFL Kickoff Game of all time.
NFL regular-season games in 2023 averaged 17.9 million viewers, up 7 percent from 2022. They were helped by 113 games that ended by six or fewer points, the second-most in league history. Importantly this year, the U.S. presidential election is impacting the numbers in the first two months and ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” is not being simulcast on ABC as often as it was last year.
8. Good job by CBS rules analyst Gene Steratore to be honest with viewers when an official misses a call. Here’s an example:
Player safety rules can put defenders in a difficult position, requiring them to adjust in nanoseconds. This game in #ARIvsBUF is a good example of a defender adjusting to avoid hitting a defenseless player who should not have been marked. photo.twitter.com/GJGesLANT3
— Gene Steratore (@GeneSteratore) September 8, 2024
It was also nice to see Mike Pereira back in the Fox booth with Brady and Kevin Burkhardt in Cleveland after missing last season due to a serious back injury.
(Photo of Bill Belichick during his retirement press conference in January: Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images)
