Booger McFarland and Joe Tessitore are expected to make up the two-person booth next seasonespn images
Author Jim Miller said ESPN is going to go with a two-person booth for "MNF" next season, "unless somehow Peyton (Manning) decides to change his mind." In an appearance on the "Sports Illustrated Media Podcast," Miller said he has hear the booth will be Joe Tessitore and Booger McFarland, and the "only third possibility" would be Manning. Miller said the net was caught off guard by Jason Witten's decision to return to the Cowboys, and there were a "lot of people" at ESPN who were "somewhat disappointed by Witten." Miller: "They were taking the high road and staying with him and trying to engineer another season where he'd have some more reps under his belt and maybe take it to another level. ... They were looking forward to the next season and I think some people were really taken aback" ("SI Media Podcast," SI.com, 3/6). THE ATHLETIC's Richard Deitsch notes Witten "would definitely not be blackballed" by ESPN should he express interest in returning after the '19 season, though that likely would not come in the "MNF" booth. Deitsch writes, "A year away from all the bad publicity over his MNF performance and playing in the league in 2019 would make Witten an interesting studio candidate for 2020" (THEATHLETIC.com, 3/8).
END OF AN ERA: SPORTING NEWS' Michael McCarthy cited sources as saying that ESPN's "BoogerMobile" "will not return" next season on "MNF." McCarthy wrote, "Give ESPN credit for trying something new." McFarland's "sideline high chair" was supposed to give him a "closer, more revealing view of the war in the trenches than the faraway broadcast booth." But the it "ended up being more trouble than it was worth" (SPORTINGNEWS.com, 3/7). USA TODAY's Steve Gardner wrote having McFarland in the BoogerMobile "occasionally led to awkward on-air moments" with Witten and Tessitore in the booth. It did not help that "all three were in their first season" on the "MNF" telecast. ESPN "might have hinted at the vehicle's demise late in the season when producers moved McFarland into the booth" for the Dec. 24 “MNF” season finale and Colts-Texans Wild Card game (USATODAY.com, 3/7).
