ESPN’s “Sunday NFL Countdown” debuted a new look today with a fresh group of analysts -- Trent Dilfer, Randy Moss, Matt Hasselbeck and Charles Woodson -- joining host Chris Berman, who said, “Welcome to our new ball club: the pride of the draft class of ’98, except one older guy (Dilfer).” The show also aired a video saluting long-time analyst Tom Jackson, who retired after 29 years. Berman said, “To be honest with you, sitting here this morning without Tom Jackson is like forgetting to put shoes and socks on and walking all the way to work” (“Sunday NFL Countdown,” ESPN, 9/11). Meanwhile, The Ringer’s Kevin Clark on Twitter wrote, “Randy Moss calling out Charles Woodson for saying 'we' when discussing the Raiders is a good step. Randy Moss: Sunday Countdown ombudsman” (TWITTER.com, 9/11).
When the conversation turned to player protests, Dilfer was criticized on Twitter. CSN Chicago's Vincent Goodwill wrote, “Trent Dilfer, after Woodson and Moss had eloquent and emotional statements, went ‘stick to sports’…” The S.F. Chronicle’s Ann Killion on Twitter wrote, “Trent (Dilfer) is Trent (Baalke's) mouthpiece. And @Kaepernick7 knows that. Happy times!” CSN Bay Area’s Scott Bair wrote, “Trent Dilfer lost some points today” (TWITTER.com, 9/11).
