Beth Mowins earned "positive reviews" on social media last night for her call of the Chargers-Broncos "MNF" game, where she "became the first woman to ever call a game for the famed television franchise," according to David Ubben of SPORTS ON EARTH. Mowins "carried the show in her MNF debut" alongside analyst Rex Ryan and sideline reporter Sergio Dipp, both of whom also were making their first "MNF" appearances (
SPORTSONEARTH.com, 9/12). ESPN The Magazine's
Mina Kimes tweeted, "Been watching the NFL since I was a little girl, and seeing @bethmowins up there makes my heart sing." Yahoo Sports'
Pete Thamel: "Shouldn't be a surprise @bethmowins crushed MNF. She's always been good at her job." The Athletic's
Sam Vecenie: "Shout out Beth Mowins. She did incredible work tonight dragging Rex Ryan over the line. ... Give her a better partner next time." SI's
Robert Klemko: "Hating on the knowledgable and crisp Beth Mowins while giving mumbling Rex Ryan a pass is a great way to tell on yourself." Procter & Gamble's
Secret Deodorant brand posted a video on social media congratulating Mowins, with commentary from Gayle Sierens, the first woman to call NFL play-by-play, as well as Jets Dir of Football Administration Jacqueline Davidson, NBC's Michele Tafoya, Bengals Exec VP Katie Blackburn, Fox' Charissa Thompson, NFL Special Assistant to the Commissioner Kimberly Fields and ESPN's Samantha Ponder.
REX NOT IN EFFECT: In Boston, Chad Finn writes Ryan proved "spectacular debuts for NFL analysts -- such as
Tony Romo's Sunday for CBS -- are approximately as rare as Jets Super Bowl wins." Ryan's voice "lacked clear authority" and he sounded at times "as if his energy meter was running low." He also suffered through some "self-inflicted technical mistakes," including one time in the second half making a "rookie mistake of responding out loud to the voice in his ear from the production truck." Finn: "He belongs in the studio" (
BOSTON GLOBE, 9/12). In N.Y., Mark Sanchez writes Ryan "bombed on his opening night," as he "did not seem confident in his speech and looked like the rookie analyst he is." His "flat jokes and foggy analysis" was even "more jarring after Tony Romo's smash debut" (
NYPOST.com, 9/12). Also in N.Y., Ari Gilberg notes fans "heavily criticized Ryan for his lack of insight and low-energy demeanor." Fans "began bashing" Ryan on Twitter "before the first quarter even ended" (
N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 9/12).
I DIPP, YOU DIPP, WE DIPP: In N.Y., Joseph Staszewski notes Dipp "lit up social media as he nervously stumbled and bumbled his way through his first report late in the first quarter" (N.Y. POST, 9/12). In DC, Des Bieler notes Dipp’s "initial hesitation sparked plenty of 'Boom goes the dynamite!' comments online." Others began "lamenting the fact that Dipp was apparently not allowed back on the air" (WASHINGTON POST, 9/12). In Chicago, Phil Rosenthal writes Dipp "stole the show," as his lone report "had the feel of one of those photos theme parks try to sell when you get off a roller coaster." Dipp was "drafted into double duty on top of his regular work" for ESPN Deportes, but the move "may not have been as efficient as his bosses envisioned" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 9/12). The Richmond Times-Dispatch's Mike Barber tweeted, "Rex Ryan is learning on fly. Sergio Dipp is out his league. That this telecast is watchable tells you how amazing Beth Mowins is at her job." Galvanize VP/Digital Marketing Andy Glockner: "It's not really fair to saddle Beth Mowins with a guy who can barely speak English and Sergio Dipp."
STORM TRACKER: In Ft. Worth, Drew Davison notes Hurricane Irma is "delaying Nielsen’s TV ratings for Sunday’s prime-time lineup." There is "no word yet on how well -- or not well" -- Giants-Cowboys did on NBC's "SNF." The NFL’s ratings are already "off to a slow start for the opening week" after Chiefs-Patriots on Thursday night. Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones "pointed to the recent hurricanes ... as the reasons why viewership may be down for now." Jones said, "I know a lot of other things that normally get ratings are considerably down as people are struggling with these storms. Under the circumstances, I don’t feel comfortable worrying about ratings" (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 9/12). In Chicago, Phil Rosenthal wrote with "more than 1 million people in Florida without power and coverage of the storm making landfall dominating several channels, it’s reasonable to think that it might affect viewing the things they usually watch." However, U.S. Open women’s tennis and college football did "better than they usually do, even with Irma" (CHICAGOTRIBUNE.com, 9/11).
