Why ESPN Shocked ‘Monday Night Football’ With Joe Buck and Troy Aikman

After the first year in his new department Joe Buck and Troy AikmanESPN replaced the producer and director of “Monday Night Football.”

News: Producer Phil Dean and director Jimmy Platt are out, and the producer Steve Ackels and director Derek Mobley Platt will be directing the college football championship game, and Dean will be moving to the No. 2 college football team. As discounts go, they’re pretty good landing spots.

We talked about it last week’s podwhich received some attention, and Awful Nouncing’s Sean Keeley published a song including my comments and also quoting unknown production people.

So let’s go with what we do know after speaking to sources who haven’t led to the perpetrator and speaking with Buck on the record.

1. Let’s be fair: It’s not fair to say that Aikman or Buck got Dean and Platt demoted, but sources say ESPN executives knew they weren’t happy with the way the broadcast was being run. Dean was frustrated with the department. Known as a good guy and a strong producer, he was a little too laid back for Buck and Aikman.

2. Aikman and Buck’s feelings were known: Top ESPN executives incl Stephanie Druley, director of event and studio production, was aware of Aikman and Buck’s feelings. Druley is the one who told the chairman Jimmy Pitaro he wanted to make a change.

It was his decision because there were aspects of the broadcast that Druley and Read the adaptationdirector of production, according to sources, did not see the implementation, as well as the fact that the department was not satisfied.

And Buck and Aikman like Ackels, according to sources. Broadcasts happen quickly and you have to be able to trust the producer completely if you are in the booth.

Mobley apparently could have gotten the director’s job when ESPN made the move four years ago, but declined because at the time he wanted to stay in the national championship and ESPN didn’t yet have a Super Bowl.

3. ESPN’s Super Bowl Game Plan: Here’s how ESPN looks at it: First, they got the rights to the Super Bowl. Then they signed Buck and Aikman. Now they think Ackels and Mobley are their best combination as they head toward their Super Bowl in four years.

Ackels and Mobley are a package deal because they have worked together in the past. This affects the entire crew as they may want their own people in the crew. So some people who were in line for the Super Bowl now may not be.

4. Private Jets and Zooms: Buck and Aikman fly privately on game days some Mondays, not all. They started this when they called the No. 1 Sunday afternoon games on Fox. of CBS Tony Romo will arrive for some CBS games late Saturday for Sunday’s games, according to sources. In the Zoom world, it can be argued that traveling on this schedule is more efficient than meeting head coaches and players a couple of days before in person. But you have to maintain the level of broadcast that has been a problem for CBS Jim Nantzn and Romo’s regression. Buck and Aikman sounded very good last season.

5. Schism created: However, performing on game day creates a feeling in the crew that the announcers are the stars and the production people are the help. Buck and Aikman fly in privately, arrive late, and leave right after the game ends. It is not John Madden coming to the cruiser. But if they are ready and sound good, does it matter to the viewer?

6. Here’s the deal: ESPN wanted Buck and Aikman. They paid them a boat load of money. ESPN couldn’t dictate the terms of anything. If the network wanted them, it had to agree to let Buck and Aikman do it their way. A year later, ESPN would re-sign, even if Buck and Aikman were big zoomers and conference call advocates in preparation. They’ve been calling games for over two decades, which means they’ve got a lot of spice — and they can get away with it. They sounded good last season. We would not recommend Tom Brady try this as a beginner.

7. Ornery 8?: Aikman likes things a certain way. If you watched Aikman on the Cowboys sideline, he would be yelling at his offensive line. That may cause some tension, but he won three Super Bowls and has risen through the ranks of analysts to earn a five-year, $90 million contract. There was a break between Aikman and Fox at the end. It’s all part of the package.

8. What Buck Says: I spoke with Buck before the podcast last week and he gave me an off the record quote.

“These decisions are made far above us,” Buck told The Post. “We’re the new guys on the block. They’re judged above where we sit. I’m proud of what we did and where we’re going.”

9. What Aikman says: Aikman declined an interview request. The PR person said they appreciated me reaching out.

Everyone wants to feel valued – from the production people to the millionaires in the department to the executives. That’s the moral of the story.

Quick clicks

One great moment on Friday for CBS/Turner’s Jamie Erdahlwhich first had to be corralled by Fairleigh Dickinson’s head coach Tobin Anderson in the midst of a celebration after his team was upset by the no. 1 seed from Purdue and then asked about his late fatheralso a coach.

It brought a tear from Anderson and gave the instant classic even more meaning.

…CBS had to make a change Greg Gumbel NFL game by game. It is difficult when the whistleblowers are not at the forefront of the action, which is why it is necessary to act. Gumbel, 76, called Super Bowls, becoming the only African-American to do so as a playing player. In the year 2004 Jim Nantz replaced Gumbel. Going back through the archives, I found this interesting quote after CBS traded Nantz as the NFL’s No. 1 player and made Gumbel the host of “NFL Today.” “My first choice would have been to continue,” Gumbel told the Dallas Morning News. Instead, Nantz took Gumbel’s place. Gumbel came back one game at a time – but remained at the bottom of the depth chart. He continues to work as an NCAA Tournament host. As for who will replace Gumbel, Tom McCarthy I think there are more games up for grabs, and Andrew Catalon would be the most likely favorite to move up the depth chart behind Nantz, Ian Eagle and Kevin Harlan.

…MLB Network’s Intentional Talk is getting a new look and sound Ryan Dempster and sierra Santos joins Kevin Millar on the show. The new regulations will begin on March 31st, the day after Inauguration Day.

Pac-12 and Apple

For the Pac-12 to reach the $300 million annual cap, which is basically the same as the deal the Big 12 gets from ESPN and Fox Sports, the most likely platform to pay it at this point would be Apple, as we reported last month.

To be clear, we’re not saying that’s going to happen, but Apple is a company that could potentially hit that number, and adding Pac-12 rights fits what Apple is seemingly trying to do in sports. But that seems to be Apple’s catch-all deal.

However, Apple uses Apple Watch time, which means it doesn’t jump to anyone. They didn’t do it for the NFL in its failed negotiations over the Sunday Ticket. They didn’t do it for MLS. So if the Pac-12 wants answers by April 15th, it might get them from Apple, but it’s not certain. It is one of the most powerful and richest companies and its decision makers know it.

The Pac-12 could pivot back to ESPN/ABC, but the deal that was previously on the table — the same $31 million per year per team that the Big 12 received — is no more. If the Pac-12 returns to ESPN, it likely means it’s willing to take less money in exchange for exposure. At this point, a deal with ESPN is not imminent.

Amazon Prime Video is an option, but they don’t want tons. A Friday night game might make sense with the Monday Night Football promotion, but as we’ve said many times, Amazon will only do it if it makes sense. Amazon isn’t going crazy about the Pac-12.

This brings it back to Apple. The company is trying to figure out what it’s doing with sports on Apple TV+. They have a $2.5 billion all-in MLS deal for a decade. With MLB, they pay $55 million a year in license fees and guarantee $30 million in advertising. While it’s just the beginning, the college football deal fits in a way.

However, Apple is picky and takes forever on contracts. There is no evidence that simply streaming college sports works.

We also don’t know exactly where Apple stands in negotiations with the Pac-12. If not Apple, then who?

There could always be other wild cards, but they are not obvious right now. That’s why when the president of the University of Arizona Robert Robbins says he needs to see the numbers compared to what the Big 12 could offerit is a money loan his interview with CBS Sports and The Athletic.

Schein signs up for new SiriusXM season

Adam Schein has agreed to a new four-year deal with SiriusXM, according to sources.

Schein, 45, is one of the top athletes and has become a mainstay of the network’s mid-morning before Chris Russo comes in the afternoons on Mad Dog Radio. Schein started there in 2004.

He continues his podcast, now called “Rise and Schein.” He has also signed with CBS Sports for the next year.

If Michael Kay had retired from radio, we thought Schein might have been a good fit for ESPN New York in the afternoons. Kay strongly considered leaving radio, but ESPN stepped in, and Kay re-signed a multi-year deal at seven figures a year, sources said.