CBS NFL analyst Solomon Wilcots on Sunday tweeted that he is "done calling games" for the net after a 16-year run, according to Dave Clark of the CINCINNATI ENQUIRER. Wilcots noted he will "still call" Browns preseason games (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 5/9). Meanwhile, CBS yesterday announced Nate Burleson is replacing Bart Scott on the net's "The NFL Today" pregame show, and in Detroit, Dave Birkett writes Burleson "always had a knack for television." However, he "didn’t truly consider a career in it until after he signed with the Lions as a free agent" in '10. Burleson during his stint with the team "became a go-to quote in the locker room for his colorful and well-reasoned opinions" and began as a "player-analyst" with WXYZ-ABC. Burleson, who will remain a co-host on NFL Network's "Good Morning Football," has "shined brighter than most in the three years since he retired" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 5/9).
NEW HORIZON: In DC, Mark Maske wrote former NFLer Jay Cutler "right or wrong ... had a reputation as a player for contentiousness with the media and general surliness" during his playing career. That is why "many were curious by his decision to go into broadcasting" with Fox Sports. But Cutler can "make that work in his favor in the booth." He is "not beholden to many within the sport." Maske: "He can be honest. He can have an edge. It just might make for a winning on-air formula" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 5/8). FS1's Colin Cowherd said there is a "little revolution" going on with more active players transitioning to the broadcast booth. He said, "We have 31 sports networks, everybody’s got the NFL. Players are leaving early -- they have been educated on CTE, they get a lot of money now and I think players are ... looking for that exit off the interstate.” More Cowherd: “The new NFL is educated players. You make a little more, there's a lot of broadcasting gigs out there, they leave" ("Speak for Yourself,” FS1, 5/8).
