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John Madden To Join NBC In 2006 For Sunday-Night NFL Games

J

Joseph_Gallant

Guest
When NBC begins broadcasting Sunday-night NFL games in 2006, the network will have a very familiar personality as an analyst.

Today (June 15th), NBC Sports announced that John Madden, who has been analyst on ABC's soon-to-end (after the upcoming 2005/2006 NFL season) "Monday Night Football", will join NBC when their new Sunday-night NFL series begins in 2006 to serve as game analyst.

This Is A Link To NBC's Press Release On Madden.

Since the early 1980's, Madden has been the premiere NFL analyst on television, first on CBS, then Fox (working alongside Pat Summerall at both networks), and most recently, ABC (where he works alongside Al Michaels).

The major question remaining is: Who will do play-by-play??

I don't know if Micheals' contract with ABC ends with the conclusion of the network's involvement with the NFL (Super Bowl XL next February 5th), but if it does, he'd have to be considered the leading candidate for play-by-play.

Besides the NFL, Micheals could end up becoming lead play-by-play man for NBC's coverage of the NHL (assuming the NHL ever starts-up again, which I think is highly doubtful). Other possibilities for Micheals at NBC might include work at the 2008 Summer Olympics either as play-by-play for track and field (which he did for ABC at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles) or basketball (he currently is the lead play-by-play man for ABC's coverage of the NBA). And if he is able to join NBC right after the Super Bowl and fly straight from Detroit to Turin, Italy, he might get to even work next February's Winter Olympics for NBC (which start five days after the Super Bowl) and serve as play-by-play for hockey.

If NBC doesn't get Micheals, two other possible play-by-play men for "Sunday-Night Football" could be Ton Hammond (who has called Notre Dame games for NBC over the last few years) or Sean McDonough (who has done a lot of college football for ESPN, ABC, and before that, for CBS).

But my money's on Al Micheals getting the NBC Sunday-night NFL play-by-play job. Not only does he work well with Madden, but he is one of the biggest "name" sports broadcasters out there. And I think his first NBC assignment will be hockey play-by-play at the Winter Olympics for NBC/USA, just days after finishing up the ABC portion of his career at the Super Bowl.
 
Early money is on Tom Hammond whos been paying dues at the peacock for eons.
Hes reportedly easy to get along with, extremely knowledgeable about sports, and is well within NBC's sports budget.

Michaels is very high maintenance. Requests his own jet, special hotel accomodations, etc. If memory serves, Michaels did a brief stint with NBC as one of his first network gigs in the 70s.

Fortunately, this scenario would open the door for Mike Patrick, Joe Theismann and Paul Maguire to get the Monday Night gig at ESPN.
 
> Early money is on Tom Hammond whos been paying dues at the
> peacock for eons.
> Hes reportedly easy to get along with, extremely
> knowledgeable about sports, and is well within NBC's sports
> budget.

Hammond's a good, but not particularly exciting, play-by-play man. I don't know about a Hammond-Madden team.

> Michaels is very high maintenance. Requests his own jet,
> special hotel accomodations, etc. If memory serves, Michaels
> did a brief stint with NBC as one of his first network gigs
> in the 70s.

I don't know how much longer Michaels' deal is, but with him doing both the NBA and NFL, I can't see Disney letting him go.

> Fortunately, this scenario would open the door for Mike
> Patrick, Joe Theismann and Paul Maguire to get the Monday
> Night gig at ESPN.

Fortunately? Patrick's good but Maguire & Theeeeesman are expendable. But as long as they keep Suzi Kolber... :D

My bet is that Patrick will be reassigned within ESPN depending on his health, Theisman will stay and Maguire will go. I think Michaels will do the play-by-play with Theisman with no 3rd guy.
 
Al Micheals (Was: Re: John Madden To Join NBC In 2006 For Sunday-Night NFL Games)

Studiotwenty commented:

> If memory serves, (Al) Michaels did a brief stint with
> NBC as one of his first network gigs in the 70s.

I'm not 100% certain of this, but I thought that Michaels' early work with the company was mostly with (then) NBC-owned radio station KNBR-680 San Francisco in the 1971/72 hockey season to call California (Oakland) Golden Seals' (remember them??) games. I believe he left KNBR at the end of the 1971/72 hockey season to join WLW radio in Cincinnati as part of it's announcing team for Cincinnati Reds' baseball games.

I believe Michaels' only network television work during his stint with KNBR was as hockey play-by-play man at the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, a job he got because he was supposedely doing local radio broadcasts of an NHL team on an NBC-owned radio station. I heard an urban legend at the time that NBC wanted Marv Albert (then calling New York Rangers' games on WNBC-660) to go to Sapporo, but both the Rangers and WNBC radio nixed the idea (as back then, Olympic hockey was played by "amateur" players and the NHL did not go on a two-week break during the Winter Games, meaning Albert would have missed several Rangers' broadcasts).

With Cincinnati making it to the 1972 World Series, Michaels joined Curt Gowdy to do three innings' worth of play-by-play on NBC television for each of the games played in Cincinnati. It was a reunion of sorts---Gowdy was studio host for NBC's coverage of the Saporro Winter Games eight months earlier.

Back then, it was standard procedure for NBC's telecasts of the Series that a regular-season play-by-play announcer for the home team would do three innings of play-by-play and be an analyst alongside Gowdy for the other six innings.

Back to Al Michaels, I still think he will end up calling Sunday-night NFL games for NBC. While others besides Studiotwenty have pointed out that Michaels seems to have a large ego, Micheals is still the best possible candidate for the job. Expect to see Tom Hammond doing play-by-play only if NBC can't make a deal with Michaels. A more likely role for Hammond might be as cohost (with Bob Costas) of a pregame show.
 
Now that John Madden has made the full circle(CBS,FOX,ABC,and now NBC),I wonder,and I know that it is a long shot here,that they would bring back Pat Summerall to do play by play with John Madden again. They were great together on CBS and FOX and I think that it would go great on NBC as well.
 
> Now that John Madden has made the full
> circle(CBS,FOX,ABC,and now NBC),I wonder,and I know that it
> is a long shot here,that they would bring back Pat Summerall
> to do play by play with John Madden again. They were great
> together on CBS and FOX and I think that it would go great
> on NBC as well.

Gawd, I hope not. Summerall did a surprisingly good job filling in for Mike Patrick last year on ESPN, but his best days were behind him even before he & Madden followed the NFC to Fox.

I don't think it'll be Hammond, Michaels, or Summerall that's paired with Madden. Bob Costas is a possibility, but I think he's already pegged for the pregame show. I also don't think they'll hire one of the 3rd- or 4th-stringers from Fox or CBS either. They'll want a top name.

Too bad Curt Gowdy's too old now. He and Madden would make a good team if they were both 20 years younger.

And I hope against hope that Jim Gray isn't the sideline reporter!
 
I don't think NBC will hire Michaels. Look for Hammond/Madden, with Costas and another analyst or two (Emmitt Smith, maybe? He's made it know he's interested in broadcasting) on the pregame/halftime.
 
Michaels might be available after all

> I don't think NBC will hire Michaels. Look for
> Hammond/Madden, with Costas and another analyst or two
> (Emmitt Smith, maybe? He's made it know he's interested in
> broadcasting) on the pregame/halftime.

According to the linked article from ChicagoSports.com (A Chicago Tribune site - free registration required), Dick Ebersol says he might talk to Michaels after the NBA finals.

From the article: "When he's through with the [NBA] Finals," Ebersol said, "we'll give it our best shot."

He also said that Cris Collinsworth, who's Fox contract is up after this football season, will also be contacted, but it'll be a 2-man booth. If he was rehired by NBC, it would probably be as studio co-host with Bob Costas.

Madden also says he'd like to do golf, "but I've been told I talk too loud." NBC has the US Open so don't rule it out.

Imagine Madden being paired up with Dick Vitale as golf commentators. "Boom! What a drive!" "Hole in one, baybeeee!!!!" Scary, huh? :D

Link: ChicagoSports.com
<a target="_blank" href=http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/cs-0506160253jun16,1,839357.column?page=1&coll=cs-columnists>http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/cs-0506160253jun16,1,839357.column?page=1&coll=cs-columnists</a>
 
> > Now that John Madden has made the full
> > circle(CBS,FOX,ABC,and now NBC),I wonder,and I know that
> it
> > is a long shot here,that they would bring back Pat
> Summerall
> > to do play by play with John Madden again. They were great
>
> > together on CBS and FOX and I think that it would go great
>
> > on NBC as well.
>
>

Summerall, bless his heart, is retired, save for an occasional CBS appearance. (He'll probably do the voice over for the Masters opening.) Thats a voice youll never forget, though.

Bob Costas is still the big guy at NBC. I dont think theres any room for both he and Michaels paychecks and ego under the same roof.

As for the ESPN job, thats a comedown for Michaels, and he and Thesimann would not make a good mix.

If Patricks has good health, hes earned the Monday night ticket, along with Thesimann and Maguire.
 
> I don't think NBC will hire Michaels. Look for
> Hammond/Madden, with Costas and another analyst or two
> (Emmitt Smith, maybe? He's made it know he's interested in
> broadcasting) on the pregame/halftime.
>

Almost a given that Costas will get the host role on NBC pregame show.
Ebersol has already stated publicly when NBC got the SNF package that
Costas will likely be the host.

Costas' contract with NBC U is up after Winter '06 Olympics, but he has
been Ebersol's guy for the last 20 years so don't expect any changes.
I am sure they'll give him a new sweet extension deal soon that which
will include the NFL Sunday night role, plus the host for
the next ten Olympic Games on NBC.
 
Re: Bob Costas (Was: John Madden To Join NBC In 2006 For Sunday-Night NFL Games)

Mark from Boston Radio Watch notes:

> I am sure they'll give him (Bob Costas) a new sweet extension deal soon
> that which will include the NFL Sunday night role, plus the host for
> the next ten Olympic Games on NBC.

I thought that NBC's long-term deal for the Olympics ends with the 2012 Summer Games (which the network hopes will be awarded to New York). However, don't be surprised if NBC and the International Olympic Committee work on an extension of that deal that would keep NBC as U.S. television rightsholders of the Olympics through either the 2018 Winter Games or the 2020 Summer Games.

By signing such a long-term extension in the near future, NBC could even go as far as sell sponsorships shortly after the rights are obtained, then put the revenue in the bank, where it would build interest over a period of years, thus allowing NBC to afford to pay the rights fees.

I believe Bob Costas is now 52 or 53 years old. Assuming that NBC does keep the Olympics through the 2020 Summer Games, Costas should be prime-time host for at least the next decade-and-a-half.
 
Also, Pat Summerall will be 75 by the time NBC begins broadcasting NFL games in September of 2006. I don't think he'd want to come out of retirement to do play-by-play.

On the other hand, I believe pionering hockey broadcaster Foster Hewitt continued to do play-by-play of Toronto Maple Leafs' games on local radio until the end of the 1970's, which meant he stepped down around the time he was 78 or 79.

I could see NBC using Summerall and Madden together in a taped feature during halftime of each game where they reviewed "Great Moments In NFL History" and providing their own memories and analysis. Between them, they probably know more about the history of pro football and have seen more great moments in the sport's history than almost any other two people.
 
Re: Bob Costas (Was: John Madden To Join NBC In 2006 For Sunday-Night NFL Games)

> I thought that NBC's long-term deal for the Olympics ends
> with the 2012 Summer Games (which the network hopes will be
> awarded to New York).

Yes, it does. I meant that(next 10 Olympics) figuratively.
 
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