IT’S NO BREES
Drew must tackle tough topics in new NBC role
Maybe there wasn’t a specific moment that inspired NBC Sports suits to hire Drew Brees. Outside of expressing himself on Bountygate, criticizing Roger Goodell and commenting on players kneeling for the national anthem, the former Saints quarterback has kept his comments on the safe side during his 20 NFL seasons.
Unless he wants to tank on TV, Brees won’t be able to shift into vanilla. Nor can he take a rigid X’s and O’s approach if he has designs on winning over the unwashed masses.
Nonetheless, Brees a recent gritty superstar quarterback, is a charitable, community-minded gentleman; a family man, winner and an above average communicator. These are admirable qualities.
Unfortunately, they don’t necessarily guarantee stardom as an NFL TV analyst.
NBC doesn’t want average. It wants Brees to be a star. It’s the Tony Romo Boomerang Theory. NBC Sports suits saw CBS hit a grand slam with Romo. Now, they want a piece of that action, coming back at them, with a quarterback of their own.
NBC inked Brees to a contract over a year before he retired leaving the impression 1) That he was such a hot property they had to lock him into a contract and 2) That he was the heir apparent, sooner rather than later, to Cris Collinsworth as the analyst on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football.” On a recent conference call NBC Sports executive producer Sam Flood shot down — sort of — the Collinsworth nonsense saying Sir Long Neck would be kept “in that (SNF) chair for a long time.”
Anyway, Brees’ immediate assignments are still high profile. He will serve as a game analyst on NBC’s Notre Dame package and be one of the featured voices on Sunday night’s “Football Night in America” pregame show. Under “normal” circumstances, these are not walk-inthe-park gigs. But NBC’s Brees build-up has upped the ante, raising expectations to abnormal, and perhaps unfair, heights.
The NFL TV talent road is littered with carcasses of network-hyped “can’t miss” stars who flopped on the biggest stage at NBC. Guys like Tiki Barber and Hall of Famer Joe Montana. And unlike those two guys, Brees is walking into a tough room. And he’s doing it in the age of idiot-fueled social media.
“Football Night in America” analysts Rodney Harrison and Chris Simms are two of the most outspoken voices currently working behind an NFL microphone. And to a much lesser extent, Tony Dungy will pick his spots. Insider Mike Florio is by no means a shrinking violet. To make an impact inside of this group, in order to be heard, Brees must be amenable to diving into controversy.
“The best piece of advice I’ve gotten so far ... is ‘just be yourself,” Brees said during a conference call. “I’m going to talk like you’re sitting right next to me in my living room.”
That’s a nice, cover-your-tuchis answer. Yet when it’s go-time will Brees be critical of players he has played with or against?
How candid will Brees be when it comes to critiquing the Saints or Sean Payton’s play calling in certain situations?
Will he open up talking about NFL issues, on and off the field?
Issues bound to come up during the season?
While working for a network that pays billions for NFL TV rights, will he ever again refer to Goodell as “judge, jury and executioner,” when it comes to dealing with discipline?
Yes, Drew Brees has a big TV spotlight to fill. And he might find that task much harder than playing football.
WHO DELIVERS?
With the NFL’s traditional network partners (CBS, NBC, Fox, Disney), along with streamer Amazon, shelling out a combined $113 billion over an 11-season deal beginning in 2023 and running through 2033, how will they be able to afford paying their NFL voices?
With a volatile economy, the situation would be more precarious. Then again, a company like Amazon, with all its revenue streams, may not experience the same financial challenges. When it goes about staffing its new Thursday Night package, Amazon will have plenty of options.
It could raid the other networks for football talent and pay them above market value to jump. This might add credibility to its Thursday night product. This was the path Fox took when it launched its new NFL package in 1994 with late Pat Summerall and the never-duplicated John Madden as its No. 1 team.
Or Amazon could differentiate by giving the package its own look, hiring a fresh team that could bring a different sound to a Thursday package that was putting viewers to sleep, but is still worth Amazon paying a staggering $1 billion per year.
NEWS YOU CAN USE
Terrific example by the SNY crew Tuesday (Astros-Mets) of using all the resources at its disposal to put viewers in the middle of breaking news.
During the seventh inning, SNY alerted viewers where Francisco Lindor’s Zoom call with Mets beat writers could be immediately accessed. Viewers who went to Twitter saw an introspective Lindor saying his contract negotiations were underway but going nowhere.
“Like I said earlier, I will not be negotiating during the season,” Lindor said.
And up in the Mets TV booth, with the game in progress, Keith Hernandez and Wayne Randazzo were still able to listen to Lindor and react to his comments. Fine TV. Outstanding multi-media sequence.
OH, TANNENBAUM
Former Bill Parcells bobo, and current ESPN in-house GM, Mike Tannenbaum is not a regular guest on 98.7s “The Michael Kay Show.”
Was that why K-Crew member Don La Greca recently tore up Mr. T?
DLG, in a semi-rant, accused Tannenbaum of engaging in “gobbledygook” while the former GM was making the case for Zach Wilson over San Darnold. If he hasn’t already, DLG should invite Mr. T on the show to debate this issue.
Meanwhile, even if Tannenbaum is booked that doesn’t mean he will show up. He is a regular on Dave Rothenberg, Chris Canty, Richard W. DiPietro’s Sunrise Sermonette soiree but recently was a no show, opting out to tape a segment for ESPN’s “Get Up.” Tannenbaum better-dealed the Three Roosters. Instead of taking this as an insult, the Gasbags made nicey-nice, breathlessly waiting for Tannenbaum’s next appearance. Very weak.