Theismann out, Jaws in on MNF

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by That Guy

dick vermeil would have been a better choice...


and they could also replace tony with schotty (who could make jokes about gleam). oh joyous day :P.

What about the men? What about the gleam?

-I think Bang will sponsor my next sig

[MTK]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

I mean let me just preface by saying I don't necessarily agree with the philosophy as a football fan. But from a business standpoint, I understand what the intent is. Basically, what better stage to promote all your other properties than Monday Night Football? The idea being that if you're watching MNF and Jimmy Kimmel comes on and plugs his show that Wednesday night maybe some more people will watch Kimmel. Then while they're watching Kimmel they'll be some promo spots for Good Morning America the next morning and that will lead into The View and thats being filmed live in Walt Disney World. And then you go WDW and you see a big movie poster for the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie and then you see the movie and you decide you want your own Disney eye patch, so you go to the Disney Store...and so on.

How successful MNF has been in helping the other properties, I really can't say.

I understand the business aspect, but coming from a football fan's perspective it's not what football fans want. They're turning the game into a spectacle and taking the focus away from the game.

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

I understand the business aspect, but coming from a football fan's perspective it's not what football fans want. They're turning the game into a spectacle and taking the focus away from the game.

I understand. The challenge is how do we grow an audience beyond the core football fan without losing the core fan? But enough about my job...

[MTK]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

I understand. The challenge is how do we grow an audience beyond the core football fan without losing the core fan? But enough about my job...

I think they went a little over the top last year, hopefully they can reel it back in a bit this year. Less glitz and shtick, more focus on the game.

[That Guy]

i really don't tune into a skins-roids game to listen to jimmy kimmel attempt to be funny in the 3rd quarter. sorry. focus on the game.

[djnemo65]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

I don't have a problem with Jaws coming aboard, but it should be interesting to see how he makes the switch from breaking down film to breaking down a live game.

I like Joey T. too though, but I'm sure he'll land another gig pretty quick.

I'll you need to look at is last year when Jaws teamed up with Vermiel for a game and they were spectacular.

[irish]

As a fottball fan I dont like all the cross promotion stuff but to me it seems silly to cater just to football fans because ESPN already has them tuning in. They will watch because they are football fans and they can mute the announcers if necessary and still understand the action. ESPN's coverage is about trying to bring in a few new fans not focusing on the fans they already have. BTW, its been quite some time since ESPN has been a real sports network.

TK and Jaws have more of a history together and that history creates a rapport that TK and JT didnt seem to have.

I could see JT moving to NBC to do ND games.

[sportscurmudgeon]

Supposedly, Theismann was almost out at ESPN from their NFL coverage team before last year started but ESPN kept him there because of his contract. Evidently, Joe got a really nice chunk of change in his last ESPN renegotiation. So they kept him and moved him to MNF while "relegating" the other two members of his former Sunday Night crew.

After last year, something had to be done; that trio put the "fun" back in "dysfunctional". And while I don't know the percentages of positive versus negative feedback that Theismann generates, there has to be a lot of negativity based on the time and effort that people go to just to point out his gaffes and inconsistencies. If indeed the viewer feedback runs 80% negative on Theismann, that would lead the suits at ESPN to look for a change in that part of the line-up.

Was Tony K great last year? Absolutely not. Was he bad because he and Theismann never established any rapport? Maybe. We should be able to tell something about that by the second or third game of this season.

Supposedly, Theismann has been offered a college football analyst slot with Brent Mussberger at ESPN/ABC.