According to a TV Week article which is linked on top of TVTattle, but sub only, they're heading to ESPN for $1 billion dollars.
Deal starts in 2006, which means New England vs the Jets on 12/26 would be the last game on Monday Night ABC after 35 years. (though maybe they still get the playoffs?)
Originally posted by WhitebaconMadden and Michaels had better live forever, because I don't think I could watch MNF with the Sunday Night crew on it.
BOO! I think the sum of the three ESPN guys is much greater than that of the GREAT Michaels and the absolutely-brings-NOTHING-to-the-table-awful of Madden.
Too bad for the delay anymore, otherwise you could put on the radio and listen to Boomer and Marv Albert, who are excellent. I tried that with an NCAA tournament game, though, and it was tough with the free throws being called "good" on the radio right before they left the shooter's hand.
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According to WFAN in New York, the "flex" schedule will be for the NBC Sunday Night Game. Will ABC stay in the Super Bowl rotation though due to the ESPN package? And, is it beyond a shadow of a doubt that Costas will be doing play-by-play for the NBC package?
NBC gets the Wild Weekend Saturday and a couple of Super Bowls too...and if they're doing a pregame show before the game, it may put NFL Primetime out too...it will be interesting to see..
Another note was ESPN keeping the Draft, I'm kinda surprised NFL didnt wanna put that on NFLnet, hell, that'd be 20 hours of original programming a year easily.
Originally posted by WhitebaconMadden and Michaels had better live forever, because I don't think I could watch MNF with the Sunday Night crew on it.
BOO! I think the sum of the three ESPN guys is much greater than that of the GREAT Michaels and the absolutely-brings-NOTHING-to-the-table-awful of Madden.
Madden and Michaels, are so much better that the ESPN trio. I like Mike Patrick, but Theisman and Macquire just ramble on like the two drunks sitting behind you at the sports bar ... then again I was a fan of Macquire before he teamed with Theisman so maybe that's your (my, his) problem. I could handle the two of them with SUMMERALL, because they just had too much respect for the man to act like jerk-offs for a whole game.
Madden and Michaels still bring the big time feel to the game, and you have to have that on a Monday Night broadcast to cover for your late season mismatches.
Who does NBC land in there booth for Sunday Night games? There are a few guys stuck as second fiddle who really belong on primetime ie: Dick Stockton and Moose Johnstone. Hopefully, not Costas.
This is a huge move for NBC, since they absolutely needed a piece of the NFL package to save their dying sports division. It's quite likely that they could bring in totally new names to broadcast the Sunday night games, particularly in the colour man position. Before you argue that they would be more apt to go with an established name, remember that the original Monday Night Football crew were hardly established sports broadcasters back in 1970.
So there I am, in Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon, at about 3 o'clock in the morning, looking for one thousand brown M&Ms to fill a brandy glass, or Ozzy wouldn't go on stage that night. So, Jeff Beck pops his head 'round the door, and mentions there's a little sweets shop on the edge of town. So - we go. And - it's closed. So there's me, and Keith Moon, and David Crosby, breaking into that little sweets shop, eh. Well, instead of a guard dog, they've got this bloody great big Bengal tiger. I managed to take out the tiger with a can of mace, but the shopkeeper and his son... that's a different story altogether. I had to beat them to death with their own shoes. Nasty business, really, but sure enough I got the M&Ms, and Ozzy went on stage and did a great show.--- Del Preston
I'm surprised ABC is letting go of MNF given it's iconic status, but I may not be the best person to ask since that's the ONLY thing I actually watch on ABC. Since they gave up MNF, I really hope they also gave up Madden and Michaels. Madden may be senile and Michaels lets him get away with too much - the discussion of Warren Sapp's butt sweat complete with telestrater treatment will forever haunt the group with whom I usually watch MNF - but listening to Madden and Michaels decompose would be better than the ESPN crew who I think is the worst crew ever assembled to regularly broadcast a professional football game.
Tim
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Maybe they keep their main AFL team of Tom Hammonds and Pat Hayden for SNF. (I doubt that will happen since they're usually busy trying not to say something that will tick of Notre Dame fans in the fall)
I also wouldn't be surprised to see a 3-man booth of Costas, Parcells and Favre so what do I know?
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What will it mean to the canadian audiences though? We don't have ESPN and I really doubt that TSN will carry those games (because of this little thing called WWE RAW). Makes me wonder...
And for the record, I prefer the ESPN team over Michaels\Madden. Madden seems bored out there and I don't care much for Al. Just my opinion, though.
Originally posted by DrewDewceI also wouldn't be surprised to see a 3-man booth of Costas, Parcells and Favre so what do I know?
Never. When Brett walks away from playing QB, he won't be doing anything involving football, except for possibly coaching at the high school level back home in Kiln, MS.
Look for Costas to host the NBC Pre-Game/Highlights show from 7-8 rather than him doing the play by play. This could be some serious competition for Prime Time.
I hope that there is a brand new crew in for MNF. I hate both Madden/Michaels and the Three Stooges at ESPN. Although I would take either of them over a booth of any of the ESPN Game Day crew (sans Tom Jackson). A booth of Berman, Irvin and Stu Scott would be the worst thing to happen to sports ever.
ESPN should go for some new blood. Throw in someone different. Maybe have a player from a team that played on Sunday come in as a thrid person to offer some observations. This way a new voice will be heard each week. Could be interesting as long as it is not some over the top caricature who cares for himself only (see Terrell Owens).
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