ESPN's Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit shine in NFL debut |

ESPN’s Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit shine in NFL debut

1. Ever since 2006, when the NFL determined to provide us two Monday Evening Soccer video games on the opening week of the season, ESPN has had an issue discovering a serviceable broadcast crew for the second sport.

The common Monday Evening Soccer sales space would all the time name one sport, after which it was primarily gimmicks for sport No. 2.

Chris Berman known as a number of of these video games. Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic did the dignity a few instances. Rex Ryan even had one terrible flip within the sales space.

Monday night time, although, the community lastly obtained issues proper by utilizing its lead faculty soccer crew of Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit for the Steelers-Giants sport.

The brand new Monday Evening Soccer crew of Steve Levy, Brian Griese and Louis Riddick known as the Titans-Broncos nightcap. Usually, the primary crew will get the primary sport, however since Fowler was in New York Metropolis to name the U.S. Open this weekend, ESPN put him and Herbstreit on the Giants sport.

It should not be a shock to anybody that Fowler and Herbstreit known as an excellent sport. There is a motive why they work faculty soccer’s nationwide championship sport annually. The pair have labored collectively for ages now, they’ve chemistry and Herbstreit is nearly as good a soccer analyst as there’s on all of TV.

Nevertheless it was nonetheless spectacular to see them swap from faculty to NFL so effortlessly. The tempo could be very totally different. Faculty drags on perpetually with a lot time in between performs because of the clock stopping on first downs. The NFL is way faster and far crisper. Fowler and Herbstreit had no points in any respect dealing with the transition.

If there was any query about Fowler and Herbstreit coming into the sport, it was whether or not two faculty announcers would have sufficient NFL data. That situation was rapidly put to mattress as Fowler and Herbstreit gave the impression of that they had been calling NFL video games all alongside proper from kickoff.

The manufacturing of the sport was additionally a breath of recent air. ESPN’s prime faculty staff that works with Fowler and Herbstreit produced the Steelers-Giants sport. It was merely beautiful to look at a Monday Evening Soccer telecast on ESPN that was really the sport. Usually, the MNF telecast looks as if it is on steroids; simply an all-out assault in your senses as a viewer. For years now, the MNF broadcast has been so overly produced with sales space pictures, graphics and an analyst on a crane. Final night time, we have been simply introduced a soccer sport, and it was great.

Getting again to Fowler and Herbstreit, it must also be famous that it doesn’t matter what broadcast executives do to place collectively a great sales space, you’ll be able to’t create chemistry.

Each viewer who tuned into the Steelers-Giants sport actually should not be shocked that Fowler and Herbstreit did a great job. They’ve pure chemistry, and that carries over into something they broadcast.

Which leads me to the brand new Monday Evening Soccer staff of Levy, Griese and Riddick. It will not be honest to supply a critique of a brand new sales space after one sport, particularly in these weird circumstances we’re in with no followers within the stands and announcers being separated from one another, and so on. You need to give them a number of weeks collectively.

I’ll say two issues, although, that do not actually have something to do with the announcers. You rapidly noticed the distinction within the manufacturing from Recreation 1 to Recreation 2. Like, severely, what’s the level of this?

Two, I’ve stated this earlier than and I will say it once more: I do not perceive why any community ever makes use of a three-person sales space as an alternative of two.

2. Right here we go once more with overly delicate MLB individuals getting all bent out of form for no motive. Padres outfielder Trent Grisham hit a bomb off Clayton Kershaw on Monday night time and did some stylin’ and profilin’.

Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts did not respect Grisham’s actions as a result of he feels Clayton Kershaw deserves extra respect. Zzzzzzzzzzzzz.

3. Talking of stylin’ and profiln’, Steelers wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster made nice use of ESPN’s pylon cam after catching a landing move final night time.

4. Somebody in Pittsburgh must let offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner know that this is not even near the way you’re alleged to put on a masks to not unfold droplets round.

5. The most recent SI Media Podcast options an interview with New York Submit sports activities media columnist Andrew Marchand. We lined a number of NFL and faculty soccer media storylines for the upcoming seasons, together with whether or not Tony Romo has extra stress on him after signing a monster contract, ESPN’s new Monday Evening Soccer sales space, Fox shaking up its NFL crews, Faculty GameDay occurring the street however with out followers and Fox’s faculty soccer downside. We additionally touched on Thom Brennaman, Trey Wingo, Alex Rodriguez and extra.

You may take heed to the podcast beneath or obtain it on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher and Google Play.