What's new
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Football Night in America (1 Viewer)

Nemesis

Nemesis

Footballguy
Slow week.....so I'd thought I'd throw this out there for some discussion. We've now seen 16 wks of the show this year (plus any pre-season games) but I still don't know if I'm sold on this show like I used to be with ESPN's Primetime. Here's some bullet point info and questions to get things started:

HOSTS:

Bob Costas

Keith Olbermann (also does TKO report & "Worst Person in the NFL")

Peter King

"PLAYERS ROOM":

Cris Collinsworth (does McDonalds SnakWrap breakdown)

Jerome Bettis

Tiki Barber

At the end of the 2006 season, Sterling Sharpe's contract was apparently terminated, and former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber replaced him in 2007. MSNBC Countdown anchorman Keith Olbermann was named as another co-host.

Running time: 7:00pm - 8:15pm EST

2007 Theme song sung by: Faith Hill (2006 was from Pink)

1-What are your general thoughts? (still miss ESPN Primetime show?...or is NBC's version better?) [NOTE: I know there are a lot of people that dislike C.Berman.....We get it.....It's OK to state that, but let's not go on & on in this direction.]

2-Like the people involved? Too many people? Were Olberman and Tiki good additions?

3-Right mix of game hi-lites / sound bites to studio discussion?

4-What segments do they need to expand, contract, remove, or improve?

5-How important is humor when delivering the hi-lites?

What about the people making fun of each other on the set?

I'll post my thoughts in a subsequent post, but I'm curious what others here think.

NOTE: I decided NOT to include the actual SNF game or their crew (Madden, Micheals) since they aren't part of the game hi-light crew.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I think the concept is good (having a nationally broadcasted primetime football night) but it needs a little tweaking. It's way better than MNF and the NFL Network games.

 
Collinsworthless, Olberman and Bettis out. I'd like to see Jaws, Young, or Aikman on the show breaking down more of the X's and O's.

As for the current structure, I like it's format although it seems too sterile.

 
I think it is great. I can skip 15 minutes and stretch my legs, get a beverage, whatever and not worry that I missed anything.

It's like being at the game.

 
I used to watch ESPN's Primetime and have seen Football Night In America a couple of times. But I generally gave up watching those programs/highlight shows because I found that after watching the 2 games before those shows, and then watching the SNF game, I was getting burned out watching too much tv that day. Instead, once the 2nd game finishes, I take that 1+ hour break to do something else and kind of recharge my batteries for watching the SNF game. For the same reason, I don't watch any of the pre-game shows in the morning.

But for comparative purposes, I preferred the ESPN Primetime with just Berman and Tom Jackson doing the highlights and little commentary rather than NBC's crew. I think ESPN proved that kind of show can be done with just 2 people rather than a gang of former NFLers.

Christopher

 
Some of my thoughts:

:thumbup: One of my favorite parts is the opening segment with numerous sound clips from coaches/players Post Game Press Conferences, especially the funny/unique ones. (ESPN never really showed these much, if at all.)

:thumbup: The fact that the show is 1hr 15 minutes (ESPN used to run from 7:30-8:30 and it always felt like they were scrambling to get everything finished.) But I also must confess that with the earlier 7:00pm start, I'm usually still watching the ending of the 4 o'clock game and usually miss the first couple of minutes (which means I miss the sound bites)

:thumbup: The fact that the SNF game starts at 8:15 which means for us East Coasters that we can usually see the entire game compared to when ESPN SNF games ran past midnight.

:thumbdown: I really miss the game hi-lites done by Berman and Tom Jackson. They would show you more video from the games, but ESPN seemed to also show you a lot of the unique plays or funny plays.....the fumbles, the tipped passes, etc......... NBC spends more time with the talking heads and it seems that they try to create humor in the studio.

:confused: Bettis: I don't really hear a word he says b/c I can't stop staring at his perfectly manicured hair and beard. It's almost like it's been painted on his face and the lines are too perfect.

Tiki: I think he's done alright....at least he speaks well and doesn't have the SHOUTING/peacock syndrome that you see with others.

Olberman: I loved him on the Big Show.......doesn't seem to have the effect this time around. Maybe the magic between him & Dan Patrick is something we'll never see again.

Peter King: If I had a nickel for each time he said, "I just got off the phone with ______"

pizzatyme said:
I'd like to see Jaws, Young, or Aikman on the show breaking down more of the X's and O's.
Click to expand...
You need to be watching ESPN's NFL Matchup (Sun 8:30am) My favorite football show.....That's where I get my football X and O fix........but I wish this show was longer than 30 minutes.
 
I think these type of shows need to stop focusing on getting star-level players and instead focus on getting insightful people with personalities that make people want to watch them.

I'd much rather listen to guys like Tom Jackson, Eric Allen, Jaws, Aikman, or Schlereth, than I would Marino, Irvin, Emmitt, Keyshawn, Tiki, Bettis, Esiason, etc. The former list, it seems to me, contribute in a way worthy of a spot on such a show even if they were some nobody backup that we'd never heard of before. The latter, I don't believe would ever have been picked for such a show were it not for their star power.

I think a guy like Anthony Weaver would do a tremendous job in that kind of a situation, but I won't be surprised if we see a Michael Strahan doing it long before Weaver will get a shot when he retires. Find a well spoken guy who can be interesting, has insight, and has a personality that people will watch because they enjoy watching them. And in the case of ESPN, ditch the Howard Stern line of thinking where you put on someone people don't like in the belief they will watch it just to see what they do next.

I'll at least give NBC credit they haven't seemed to go that route.

 
cdwood said:
I used to watch ESPN's Primetime and have seen Football Night In America a couple of times. But I generally gave up watching those programs/highlight shows because I found that after watching the 2 games before those shows, and then watching the SNF game, I was getting burned out watching too much tv that day. Instead, once the 2nd game finishes, I take that 1+ hour break to do something else and kind of recharge my batteries for watching the SNF game.
Click to expand...
I used to tape Primetime religiously and do something with the family during that time. Later, I'd sit down to watch SNF and during the commercials or timeouts, I'd play the tape to catch up. I don't find myself longing to tape FNiA.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Berman and Tom Jackson were an american iconic duo. You always looked forward to the highlight show. They were great presenters and ambassadors of the game. Sundays aren't as fun without it. Football Night is America is like New Coke.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I never missed Prime Time, it was part of my football Sunday. I only watched parts of Football Night about 4 times this year so I am not sure my analysis is correct but:

Prime Time was all about in depth highlights. They showed game highlights we could not see anywhere else with a play by play and a little analysis after.

Football Night does not have enough highlights and too much analysis. The highlights they show I can see anywhere throughout the week. I don't care what they think, show me the game and I can make my own opinion.

 
I've watched FNIA just a couple of times (so correct me if I'm wrong), but I don't recall them having cool music during the highlights. Best part of Primetime was watching the highlights with that real staccato, exciting music. I'll admit that Berman sometimes was even an asset when narrating those bits (but other times he was just atrocious--on the whole, I don't miss him at all).

So my suggestion--rip off Primetime's old music clips and use those. They rocked.

And I agree with the comments about the highlights/analysis ratio. It's about the games--let us see (more clips of) them.

 
Nemesis said:
Some of my thoughts:

: :shrug: Bettis: I don't really hear a word he says b/c I can't stop staring at his perfectly manicured hair and beard. It's almost like it's been painted on his face and the lines are too perfect.

pizzatyme said:
I'd like to see Jaws, Young, or Aikman on the show breaking down more of the X's and O's.
Click to expand...
You need to be watching ESPN's NFL Matchup (Sun 8:30am) My favorite football show.....That's where I get my football X and O fix........but I wish this show was longer than 30 minutes.
Click to expand...
Bettis does have his hair painted on. I'm not sure what its called but a lot of older black men on TV have it done. It like some kind of black dust that helps sharpen up the lines. After games the stuff would have worn off and you could see that his hair was thinning out some and the makeup helps him look young.As for Football Night, I kind of like the show. Its not as in depth as primetime, but other then Olberman I think they do a good job with it and hit they’re target audience well, which isn’t the hardcore fans.

 
Okay, I will be the minority here ... I love it.

Yes I miss Prime Time, and I was not a fan of this show at first but it has grown on me and I enjoy every minute of it.

Hope they change nothing.

Okay, I said it, fire away.

:goodposting:

 
ptsteelers said:
Okay, I will be the minority here ... I love it.Yes I miss Prime Time, and I was not a fan of this show at first but it has grown on me and I enjoy every minute of it.Hope they change nothing.Okay, I said it, fire away. :mellow:
Click to expand...
It was already stated, "they do a good job with it and hit they’re target audience well"
 
Phurfur said:
ptsteelers said:
Okay, I will be the minority here ... I love it.Yes I miss Prime Time, and I was not a fan of this show at first but it has grown on me and I enjoy every minute of it.Hope they change nothing.Okay, I said it, fire away. :mellow:
Click to expand...
It was already stated, "they do a good job with it and hit they’re target audience well"
Click to expand...
:mellow: Oh, I like the show so I am not a "hard core" fottball fan.Okay. Sure.
 
Can't stand the show. Watched it a few times. I still go back and check in every week to see if it gets better. Nope. Too much commentary about things that don't matter. I get enough of the soap opera during the pregames and reading articles during the week.

All I want Sunday evening is a fast paced NFL Highlights show that shows me what I missed. I usually try to catch Berman and Jackson later on Sportcenter or just download the ITunes highlights later in the week of the more eventful games.

I really miss Primetime on Sunday evenings.

 
As a person who never watches pre-game shows or half-time chatter (the posters on this forum seem to know as much as anyone on TV) I only judge a football presentation based on how often and annoying the comercial breaks are. The Sunday Night show isn't too bad. MNF is really, really horrible.

I also rarely listen to the play-by-play buffoons. I never found Al Michaels particularly enlightening or interesting. He seems more aware of his purported legacy than what's happening in the game. I think the Sunday program does a decent job.

 
I also lked Berman/Jackson on Primetime. Don't like Football Night at all. If I want to catch highlights, I usually flip between ESPN and Fox.

 
I actually really enjoy it as it is now. I like the greater emphasis they put on discussion over highlights, and the more relaxed atmosphere the show has compared to other programs (and formerly NFL Primetime); it seems like it's going at a slower pace, and I like that. The only real problems I have right now are with Peter King, which probably just extends from the fact that I don't like him as a writer and refuse to give him a fair shake on the show, and Jerome Bettis, who seems out of place next to Collinsworth and Barber. I actually think bringing in **** Vermeil to replace Bettis would help the show a lot, because the vibe he has given off when on the air would gel very well with those two, and it would make a nice, round theme for them (former coach among former players). Regardless of that, this is the only football show I watch now and one of three general sports shows I've enjoyed recently (the other two being NBA on TNT, which is always fantastic, and Baseball Tonight before Reynolds was fired).

I don't think there are too many people involved, either, considering how they've formatted the show. I do think Bob Costas is underutilized and that Keith Olbermann could be moved out to fix that, but it's nothing I see as dire.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Pai Mei said:
Berman and Tom Jackson were an american iconic duo. You always looked forward to the highlight show. They were great presenters and ambassadors of the game. Sundays aren't as fun without it. Football Night is America is like New Coke.
Click to expand...
:goodposting: Been saying it all year. It's just depressing that we have to wait til "The Blitz" to get our fix of what a highlights show should be. I loved the fast pace of Primetime. It got me energized after watching two games and pumped for the Sunday night game. Football Night in America is the polar opposite for me. Primetime :ritalin:Football Night in America :ambien:
 
Fantaholic said:
It's just depressing that we have to wait til "The Blitz" to get our fix of what a highlights show should be. I loved the fast pace of Primetime. It got me energized after watching two games and pumped for the Sunday night game. Football Night in America is the polar opposite for me.
Click to expand...
What time does "The Blitz" come on?Is it any different than NFL Primetime was?
 
Pai Mei said:
Berman and Tom Jackson were an american iconic duo. You always looked forward to the highlight show. They were great presenters and ambassadors of the game. Sundays aren't as fun without it. Football Night is America is like New Coke.
Click to expand...
:thumbup: I really miss the good old days of Berman and Jackson. The NBC version is terrible but like Jeff P. said it does give me time to stretch the legs spend a few minutes with the wife....then right back to football.
 
What I don't like about NBC and NFL Networks highlight shows is they tell you the results before the highlights even start. At least Berman would have is 'That's why they play the game', so there was a little intrigue to it. I don't want to be told the final score until I watch how that score came to be.

 
This show, along with HBO's "Inside the NFL," is a don't-miss for me. :goodposting:

I love Olberman's witty insights ('course, I liked Berman, too) and Collingsworth is also a class act. I don't think Tiki fits in somehow. He doesn't seem to say much and when he does, it's more often than not something negative.

 
Berman is awesome. I really hate Bryant Gumbel, he sucks. And I think the show could use a Tracy Morgan type character to spice it up.

 
pizzatyme said:
Collinsworthless, Olberman and Bettis out. I'd like to see Jaws, Young, or Aikman on the show breaking down more of the X's and O's.As for the current structure, I like it's format although it seems too sterile.
Click to expand...
Ugh, I can't stand Aikman
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

ZWK
Fantasy Football Hall of Fame
Replies
8
Views
1K
bigmiiiiike
B
texasbirdfan
There WILL be NFL football in 2011 -
Replies
3
Views
781
FavreCo
FavreCo
Couch Potato
Couch Potato 2012 Dynasty Rankings
4 5 6
Replies
293
Views
38K
Spin
Spin

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)
Back
Top