Some criticized Witten's repeated eye-contact with Tessitore and several uncomfortable pausesESPN IMAGES
Jason Witten made his preseason debut in the ESPN booth on Thursday night for Jets-Redskins, and it "didn’t take long for the internet to weigh in on Witten the broadcaster," according to Landon Haaf of Dallas-based WFAA-ABC. The "majority opinion is that Witten isn't in midseason form." An early trend that "irked several Twitter users was Witten’s lack of eye contact with the camera" as he "awkwardly locked eyes" with play-by-play announcer Joe Tessitore on several occasions. Witten’s analysis also was "riddled with uncomfortable pauses," though he "improved in the second half" (WFAA.com, 8/16). YAHOO SPORTS' Frank Schwab writes Witten "just kind of blended in" during the game, but it "wasn’t bad" for a debut. There were "silent gaps in the broadcast at times, especially right after plays, though that improved as the game went on." The "biggest positive about Witten’s first game is not a small thing: His analysis was smart, educational and on point" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 8/17). 247SPORTS.com's Sam Quinn noted it is "important to remember in evaluating Witten that Tony Romo was an anomaly." Quinn: "Nobody is that good that quickly. It shouldn't have been expected of Witten so soon after he retired. It is going to take him time to acclimate to his new job, and he may never reach Romo's level regardless of how close they are personally. But he had a solid debut. He is going to improve" (247SPORTS.com, 8/16).
A VIEW FROM ABOVE: Booger McFarland also made his "MNF" debut in what will be his weekly position -- stationed in an elevated seat above the action. NBCSN's Mike Florio said McFarland was "great" and wondered if he would be better suited in the booth with Tessitore and Witten. Florio said, "I don't get the value or the benefit of keeping him out of the booth. From a production standpoint, it's got to make it more difficult to talk to these guys about who's going next and who's interjecting when you're not in the booth. When you're in the booth, you can use different sign language and hand gestures to make sure that everyone knows who's going next." He added, "I don't know what being on field level is going to do to enhance the experience for the audience. I don't know what it does to enhance the production. I don't know what it does to make Booger McFarland's life any easier” (“PFT,” NBCSN, 8/17).
TWITTER REAX: Twitter users chimed in with their thoughts of the first broadcast for the Tessitore-Witten-McFarland trio. CBS Sports Network's Adam Schein wrote, "No surprise, @JasonWitten and @ESPNBooger sound great." San Antonio's KENS-CBS' Jared Silverman: "I thought @tonyromo established himself as a solid #NFL broadcaster last year and tonight @JasonWitten is doing a great job. Ex-cowboys make good tv guys!" The N.Y Post's Andrew Marchand: "First impression of MNF is Booger should be in booth if he is a co-analyst with Witten. From opening it looks and sounds like Booger is chiming in instead of in a conversation. (Very early)." Football analyst Geoff Schwartz: "Is Booger on the field or in the booth? He’s been great tonight with his nuggets." ESPN Radio N.Y.'s Michael Kay: "Is anyone other than me a bit distracted by Booger's mangled fingers on MNF?" The Miami Herald's Armando Salguero: "Stop showing me Booger McFarland’s whacky left hand!" N.Y. Daily News' Bob Raissman: "I have wondered why ESPN was in such a hurry to make Joe Tessitore its MNF play-by-play voice. I’m still wondering." SI.com's Jimmy Traina: "Tessitore was the perfect guy for ESPN to plug into the Monday Night Football play-by-play gig. Big voice. Excitable. Excellent game caller."
TURNING THINGS AROUND? THE RINGER's Bryan Curtis profiled Tessitore, whom ESPN has turned to "in a moment of crisis" regarding its relationship with the NFL. ESPN Exec VP/Programming & Scheduling Burke Magnus has "called for a 'reset' in ESPN-NFL relations," and Tessitore in his debut "MNF" season will be the "reset’s most public expression." Tessitore: “I want to crush this thing and kick ass.” Curtis wrote while the "MNF" schedule in recent years has been seen as "lousy," Tessitore "refuses to see Monday Night as a distressed asset." He said, “When I grew up, Monday Night Football was the biggest shit on TV because it was the end of the NFL weekend. It was stand-alone. I demand that it returns to that prominence” (THERINGER.com, 8/16).
