CBSSN yesterday announced its on-air talent lineup for "That Other Pregame Show," its new weekly Sunday morning NFL studio show. The show will be hosted by Adam Schein and will feature former NFLer Bart Scott, former Raiders Chief Exec Amy Trask, CBS Sports Radio's Brandon Tierney and CBSSports.com's Nathan Zegura as analysts, with Allie LaForce reporting (CBSSN). In a special to USA TODAY, Ed Sherman notes Trask will be the "first woman to fill an analyst's chair who actually ran an NFL team." But "just as she did with the Raiders, Trask downplayed the notion that she is breaking any barriers." Trask said that the "bigger issue ... will be the mental adjustment that she will have to make." She said that she "always tried to avoid the media during her days with the Raiders," but now she is "part of the media, a prospect she called 'nerve-wracking.'" Trask said that she "wasn't thinking about broadcast possibilities when she left the Raiders." However, some thought she should "give it a try," and CBS agreed, seeking to "get her perspective from the business end of the NFL." Sherman notes Trask "won't be breaking down film and providing scouting reports," but instead her focus will be on "issues that impact important decisions within an organization." Trask's new role "likely will require her to comment on her former team." Trask: "I hope and I believe I would handle that issue in the same manner as I would treat any of the 31 other teams. And that's fairly, directly, and honestly" (USA TODAY, 8/21). NFL.com's Dan Hanzus wrote he is "intrigued by the addition of Trask." It is "believed Trask was pushed out the door in Oakland" by Raiders Owner Mark Davis, so if Trask "airs dirty laundry, the DVR will be set" (NFL.com, 8/20).
THAT OTHER SHOW: CBS Sports Group Chair Sean McManus said it is "reasonable" to ask if "there's room for another pregame show?" But McManus said the new show will have "a different perspective and a different feel." McManus: "Are we going to challenge ESPN or the NFL Network in ratings? That's not the goal. The goal is to put on a product that people start to talk about and want to find." McManus said the show is "part of the strategic evolution of the CBS Sports Network" (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 8/20).
