This season, the NFL is requiring head coaches to engage in at least one live interview with a network sideline reporter during a game.
What’s next? In-game live player interviews?
Sounds like the plan, right?
Included in the NFL Sunday Ticket trial transcript, recently revealed by Pro Football Talk, Cathy Yancy, NFL VP of broadcasting rights, policies and compliance testified the live coaches interviews would be part of the 2024 telecasts and are: “good for the broadcast (and) good for the fans.”
Reports of this plan were toasted by professional cynics with a similar whine. They reminded the Free World that network sideline snoops, like Erin Andrews (Fox) and Tracy Wolfson (CBS), already interview head coaches — off camera — at the end of the first half and when they come out of the locker room before the third quarter.
They correctly pointed out those interviews mostly produce predictable responses. The “new” live interviews may also produce an over-abundance of coach-speak responses, which was the case with the traditional off-camera sessions.
So much so that last November one former sideline reporter, Fox/Prime Video’s Charissa Thompson, explained that to provide more substance to her reports she concocted coaches comments. Thompson eventually backtracked saying she never did anything “unethical.”
With the coach now required to do a live shot his words cannot be mischaracterized. As important, the element of unpredictability will be an enticement to watch these brief interviews. Depending on the game’s circumstance will the coach snarl in response to a pointed question? How will the reporter handle the one-on-one?
Will they be legit interviews or glorified Twinkie Munches?
There will also be an opportunity for the coach to fulfill an agenda.
NBC Sports’ Tony Dungy said he was fine with the off-camera chats when he was coaching.
“But if you come to me and say, ‘you have to do an interview in the middle of the third quarter when the game’s going on,’ you know what I’m going to do?” Dungy, on the “Dan Patrick Show,” asked. “I’m going to be the worst interview you could have so you’ll never ask me again.”
Yet, engaging in the stonewalling process, may not exactly enhance a coach’s image.
Nonetheless, once this process shakes out (or bombs out) it’s only a matter of time before the league calls on its players to do in-game interviews (which would have to be blessed by the NFLPA). The NFL is unaccustomed to lagging behind the other sports when it comes to bringing fans inside the game.
But while the NFL has been miking players for in-game sound, MLB has players doing in-game interviews with the broadcast team calling national telecasts. Other sports rights holders are expanding their live in-game access to players and coaches and the NFL apparently wants to keep pace.
The coach interviews are a nice start but not enough. The players must be involved
Or how about coming out of a commercial and sticking a microphone in an owner’s face?
SOME TIME FOR TOM
Since NFL suits are committed to enhancing telecasts “for the benefit of fans,” why don’t they convince Fox Sports to use Tom Brady in a cameo role during the network’s only nationally televised preseason tilt (Saints-49ers) on Sunday, Aug. 18?
It works for everyone. Viewers would get a sneak peak of what Brady will bring to the microphone. And the Hall of Fame bound quarterback could get the feel of working for real during a game that won’t go down on his “permanent record.”
The Fox crew would also get an idea of what mechanics Brady needs to tighten up after seeing his performance in what would amount to a dress rehearsal.
BARKLEY’S FLIP-FLOP
The ever-changing saga of Charles Barkley, and the NBA’s future on TNT Sports, is taking so many twists, Warner Bros. Discovery should build a reality show around it and stream it on Max.
After all, the company already has Sir Charles locked into a 10-year, $210 million contract, which he signed in 2022. And last week, Barkley and TNT Sports played kissy face with the network announcing “Inside the NBA’s” King of Flip-Flop had reaffirmed his commitment to WBD/TNT.
The alleged lovefest was sparked a few weeks after Barkley told multiple outlets he would retire following the 2024-25 season, which now looks like it will be TNT’s last in the NBA business.
WBD is currently suing the NBA because it rejected the company’s “matching” rights offer. The NBA recently awarded its national TV rights to ESPN/ABC, NBC/Peacock and Amazon. The new deals start in the 2025-26 season. Barkley says he has already made contact with each company to discuss possible future employment.
Despite his recent “loyalty oath,” Barkley still has at least a year to produce the kind of intrigue he’s delivered since NBA TV negotiations started.
Having Barkley, Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith involved in a documentary chronicling TNT’s final season would be well worth watching.
If nothing else, it would provide an inside look at Barkley continuing to flip-flop.
SAD SACK
Marty Lyons didn’t exactly sound like a Most Happy Fella while discussing his departure from the Jets radio booth with ESPN-1050 AM’s Michael Kay/Don La Greca.
After 22 seasons working with Bob Wischusen, Lyons said he decided to split to take a gig as a Jets “Ambassador.” He will be replaced by former Jets tight end Anthony Becht.
Coming so close to the beginning of the 2024 season, the timing of the move is strange. Not-so-coincidentally, the Jets are moving to a new radio home, Q104.3 FM. It’s not unusual for booth changes to be made when a new flagship station takes over.
Toward the end of his Thursday interview with Kay/DLG, Lyons got all choked up while thanking his co-workers. It was a sound of sadness. Certainly not up-beat audio. It was not the kind of noise made by a guy who is ecstatic about leaving the microphone behind.
For over two decades, Lyons, a member of Gang Green’s iconic Sack Exchange, was a solid, reliable presence in the Jets radio booth — a real straight shooter.
AROUND THE DIAL
Kudos to Bob Papa, Carl Banks and Phil Simms for their polished performance working the Lions-Giants exhibition tilt on Fox. Their mechanics were smooth as they actually brought insight to the most meaningless of games. Simms, who had not worked a game in seven years (after CBS bumped him for Tony Romo), showed no rust. As usual, he was funny too. … Chris (Mad Dog) Russo was all too giddy during a “First Take” segment as he recounted having an elderly couple ejected from “his” first class plane seats, forcing the man and woman to hobble (he said the lady walked with the aid of a cane) to coach seats prior to takeoff. What a guy! To complete this Profile in Big Footing, Dog alerted viewers that he considered booking a private flight, for him and his wife, for the trip home from Florida. … Filling in on WFAN’s morning show, Joe Benigno was upset over Daniel Murphy working in SNY’s Mets booth with Gary Cohen. Many moons ago, the Mets play-by-play man referred to Murphy as a “net negative.” Benigno: “He [Murphy] is in the booth with him [Cohen] and they’re yucking it up…that bothered me.” Murphy wants to get into broadcasting. What better way than working with Cohen? Why should he dwell on something that happened a decade ago? … With ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” rules analyst John Parry leaving to work for the Bills, the network is bringing in Russell Yurk to replace him. Yurk worked for the NFL as its vice president of Instant Replay and Administration. Good luck to him when called on to explain the unexplainable.
* * *
DUDE OF THE WEEK: RANDY AROZARENA
For his unique goodbye. After being dealt to Seattle, the former Ray went into the left-field seats at the Trop to pay his respects to Tampa Bay fans who called the piece of real estate “Randy Land.”
DWEEB: UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS FOOTBALL
Don’t want to hear Longhorn administrators ever talk about tightening the budget. The school spent $2.3 million on an on-campus party to welcome themselves to the SEC, which included a performance by Pitbull.
DOUBLE TALK
What Pete Alonso said: “I just want to be the best I can and help get this team to the playoffs.”
What Pete Alonso meant to say: “It’s tough, but I’m trying to forget about my contract.”