Friday, June 23, 2000

Monday Night Football's new broadcast team

Finally, on June 22, the network announced who would be calling some of the league’s most high-profile games this season. Joining Al Michaels in the booth in just a few short months will be Hall of Fame QB Dan Fouts and comedian Dennis Miller. On the sidelines will be ESPN reporter Melissa Stark and Hall of Fame RB Eric Dickerson.

ProFootballWeekly.com asked managing editor Keith Schleiden for his thoughts on the announcement.

Q. What do you think of the new Monday Night Football broadcast team?

Schleiden: Dennis Miller? Dennis Miller? You’ve got to be kidding me. In fact, when I first heard that he would be one of the three men calling NFL games on Monday night, I thought it was a joke. Now that I know that ABC honcho Don Ohlmeyer is serious, and that Miller will be in the booth, I still think it’s a joke. Miller is an outstanding comedian. I love his sarcastic wit. But he belongs on Saturday Night Live or on his HBO series, not on Monday Night Football. I don’t claim to be a purist about anything. I can accept change with the best of them. But radically changing the way I watch football on Monday nights isn’t fair. I want informative, football-related commentary. I don’t need schtick. What really hacks me off is the fact that Ohlmeyer made this decision knowing that real football fans, like me, will still tune in. He doesn’t care what I think because he knows I will watch no matter who is broadcasting. The core audience will remain the same, but the network hopes that adding an entertainer such as Miller will bring in a new audience. As for Fouts, I think he will be a fine addition. He is obviously very knowledgable and is an experienced broadcaster.

ProFootballWeekly.com also asked editor-in-chief Ron Pollack for his take on this subject.

Q: What do you think of Dennis Miller being added to the Monday Night Football booth?

Pollack: My response is, why not? Let's face it, Monday Night Football is for more than just the hard-core football fan. Give ABC credit for trying something different, something potentially visionary. If they had just hired two football guys everyone would have yawned. They wanted to shake things up, and let's face it, the hiring of Dennis Miller has everyone talking. If it works, Monday Night Football will have a magical, unique quality for a long, long time. If it fails, football fans will be annoyed for a year, Miller will get a pink slip and something else will be tried. The upside is much greater than the downside if you look at it that way. Do I think it will work? No. Do I think failure is guaranteed? No, I do not. It's a boom-or-bust, swing-for-the-fences move that probably won't work but is worth a shot. I say bravo to a network that has the guts and creativity to give us something new instead of the same old, same old.

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