View Full Version : Espn’s Primetime Returns, Sort Of
bronco militia
08-20-2008, 12:25 PM
ESPN’S PRIMETIME RETURNS, SORT OF
Posted by Mike Florio on August 20, 2008, 10:41 a.m.
Two years ago, when NBC assumed the Sunday night football package and ESPN upgraded (or, as the case may be, downgraded) to Monday nights, NBC also finagled the ability to have the only extensive early evening highlights show.The effort, awkwardly dubbed “Football Night In America” and staffed with (at last count) 63 talking heads, has fallen short thus far of ESPN’s old “Primetime” show, which featured three things: highlights and Chris Berman and Tom Jackson.
We’re told that, during a Tuesday ESPN media breakfast that we were invited to attend but couldn’t (A.J. Daulerio of Deadspin has a great recap of the event), it was announced that Berman and Jackson, as of the start of the NFL season, will take over the Sunday evening SportsCenter, beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET.
The show will include NFL game highlights, but not the extensive packages available to NBC. However, it will be Berman and Jackson (and also Merril Hoge, Mike Ditka and probably Trent Dilfer) offering up their analysis of the games.
Though we wonder whether the apparent intent to conjure a Primetime Light might get the folks at NBC a bit nervous about whether their turf is being invaded, we love this move. For two reasons.
First, we missed Primetime. We suspect many others did, too.
Second, the presence of Primetime Light will likely force NBC to roll up its sleeves and try to make its own show better.
In the end, the viewers win.
Hogan11
08-20-2008, 11:54 PM
The return of NFL Primetime would give me a reason to watch ESPN again. Football Night In America is okay for the most part, but in the end, it just didn't compare.
Atwater His Ass
08-21-2008, 12:19 AM
I won't watch anything with Berman on it. His schtick is tired and worn out.
BroncoMan4ever
08-21-2008, 12:22 AM
I really hate Sunday Night Football on NBC. That channel just put a bunch of random crap that has nothing to do with football to start the show and then the commentators are all stupid, it needs to go back to ESPN(and that shows NBC is terrible because i hate ESPN)
TDmvp
08-21-2008, 12:34 AM
I won't watch anything with Berman on it. His schtick is tired and worn out.
they should put Berman on Hbo so he can go ape $@#^
I can hear him now going crazy about the Bills circling the Mother trucking wagons ...
"+18 please" Berman Rant ...
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Hogan11
08-21-2008, 12:44 AM
Almost anything is better than Costas and Collingsworth. Surprisingly they weren't as irritating as they were on Inside The NFL, must've been some kind of network constraints or something......cause it sure wasn't Bettis making the difference.
BroncoMan4ever
08-21-2008, 02:47 AM
they should put Berman on Hbo so he can go ape $@#^
I can hear him now going crazy about the Bills circling the Mother trucking wagons ...
"+18 please" Berman Rant ...
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that would be awesome to see unedited Football coverage.
example.....Holy ****! THe Giants beat the mother****ing Patriots in the super bowl. Did anyone else lose a ****load of money betting on those pieces of **** Brady and Belicheat? Holy ****! **** the Patriots.
example 2......What the **** is wrong with the senile mother****er Al Davis? How can he possibly dump that much money on that giant p***Y Javon Walker?
I have more but i am going to stop before i get banned, but u all know a lot of broadcasters bet that the Pats would go 19-0, and they all wondered what the hell was wrong in Oakland after the spending spree of the offseason.
watermock
08-21-2008, 04:08 AM
Berman's earned it.
Atwater His Ass
08-21-2008, 04:30 AM
Berman's earned it.
the hair?
Dendave
08-21-2008, 07:35 AM
I just like the fact that ESPN repeated it over and over and you could get highlights all day Monday, with NBC you only see what's live and than that's it
theAPAOps5
08-21-2008, 08:58 AM
I like Chris Berman and yeah the shtick can get tiring but I still appreciate him. Someone who did shows with him mentioned that when they were about to go live everyone would be all stressed out because Berman wasn't there yet. He would always come flying down the stairs and running into the studio all disheveled only to pull off a perfect bit. I don't know why but that always made me laugh picturing him flying in shirt untucked hair flying wildly and then in true Ron Burgendy fashion he transforms.
dbfan21
08-21-2008, 09:06 AM
I like Chris Berman and yeah the shtick can get tiring but I still appreciate him. Someone who did shows with him mentioned that when they were about to go live everyone would be all stressed out because Berman wasn't there yet. He would always come flying down the stairs and running into the studio all disheveled only to pull off a perfect bit. I don't know why but that always made me laugh picturing him flying in shirt untucked hair flying wildly and then in true Ron Burgendy fashion he transforms.
I feel the same way about Berman. At least he makes it interesting and entertaining. NFL Primetime was a great show...glad it's coming back in some way, shape or form.
Popps
08-21-2008, 10:08 AM
I feel the same way about Berman. At least he makes it interesting and entertaining. NFL Primetime was a great show...glad it's coming back in some way, shape or form.
Totally agree. It got popular, and once that happens... people feel the need to rip on things.
It's a freakin' football highlights show. Berman has a schtick and Jackson knows the game.
I welcome it back. Should be fun.
jonny1
08-21-2008, 10:18 AM
Tom Jackson, best NFL analyst on TV . . .
:bronxrox: ^5
hambone13
08-21-2008, 10:57 AM
Totally agree. It got popular, and once that happens... people feel the need to rip on things.
It's a freakin' football highlights show. Berman has a schtick and Jackson knows the game.
I welcome it back. Should be fun.
I've always loved Berman. What's nice about Jackson is, not only does he know football but he at least brings a little balance and recognition of the Broncos to the NEastern Media Hoard....
Kaylore
08-21-2008, 11:01 AM
Berman's sctick is a little dry, but I'll still take that over the crap they're throwing on the wall on NBC.
Popps
08-21-2008, 12:28 PM
I've always loved Berman. What's nice about Jackson is, not only does he know football but he at least brings a little balance and recognition of the Broncos to the NEastern Media Hoard....
Yep. How can you not love any show with a Broncos homer hosting?
I did like the older, smaller-time Prime Time feel where it felt almost like a local highlights show. But, even later on it was still worth watching.
hambone13
08-21-2008, 12:43 PM
Yep. How can you not love any show with a Broncos homer hosting?
I did like the older, smaller-time Prime Time feel where it felt almost like a local highlights show. But, even later on it was still worth watching.
I liked the older show as well and the more youthful hungry Berman like you said. He's a great football icon. One of my favorite things about Jackson is his highly readable facial expressions. It cracks me up when he's on an analyst panel w/ more than Berman and his eyes start rolling when people try and say highly uneducated things about the Broncos (or anything in general). He definitely has his homer moments but he's still pretty objective. He and Mark Schlereth are two of my favorites in the business.....
DeuceOfClub
08-21-2008, 01:56 PM
NBC can quickly do few things to keep us tuned:
Change the show name to “Professional Football Night In United States of America”
We need few more hosts and analysts. No need to show any highlights just more talking
More Madden, More often.
More smugness
Bronco Yoda
08-21-2008, 04:30 PM
Primetime............primetime...........primetime ............primetime...........
Rock Chalk
08-22-2008, 12:22 AM
I won't watch anything with Berman on it. His schtick is tired and worn out.
I love Berman. His schtick is familiar and comfortable. The comraderie between TJ and Boomer is like few others in sports journalism and they make for a great show.
Go watch that **** that is Football Night Stolen From Canada on NBC. Id rather take a TJ and Boomer back and forth any day of the week and twice on Sundays.
I miss the PrimeTime show. Growing up it was a staple of dicussion on Monday morning in school.
bronco militia
09-02-2008, 10:58 AM
ESPN FORMALLY RESURRECTS NFL PRIMETIME
Posted by Mike Florio on September 2, 2008, 1:09 p.m.
We mentioned a couple of weeks ago that ESPN plans to bring back its former Sunday night staple, NFL Primetime, sort of.
Since NBC now owns the exclusive rights to the extensive highlights packages shown on the show previously shown on ESPN, it won’t be the same thing.
But it should be enough to make things interesting.
ESPN has officially announced that Chris Berman and Tom Jackson will team up with John Saunders on the 7:00 p.m. EDT Sunday evening SportsCenter. Saunders presumably will handle the non-NFL news (as if there’s any that anyone will ever care about).
Since the show likely will be light on highlights, due to the contractual arrangement between the NFL and NBC, ESPN will fill the void with discussion segements, analysis, press conference excerpts, interviews, and post-game reports from ESPN correspondents covering the games.
Also, stats, injury reports, fantasy football data, and other relevant news will be shown graphically, with the main viewing screen compressed (and, for anyone watching in HDTV, that’s a good thing . . . unless you’re interested in trying to count the hairs on the top of Berman’s head).
Analysts like Trent Dilfer, Mike Ditka, Merril Hoge and Chris Mortensen will contribute to the show.
The effort is a direct assault against NBC’s Football Night in America (Even Though It’s Still Afternoon In California). We’ve been critical of the show in the past, for a variety of reasons. We’re somewhat encouraged by the reunion of Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann at the highlight desk, but the size of the cast has made the whole thing feel clunky from Day One.
Hopefully, the competition from ESPN will force NBC to improve its product. If that happens, we all win.
Except for ABC, CBS, and FOX, but they can have one-hour shows as well. Really, does anyone under the age of 70 watch 60 Minutes anymore? (And the only reason they watch it is because the slate of reporters makes them feel young and spry.)
Primetime.....
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