Giants QB Daniel Jones said he would "rather not" be mic'd up for tonight's "MNF" game against the Cowboys following the controversy around Jets QB Sam Darnold last month, according to Jori Epstein of USA TODAY. Cowboys QB Dak Prescott said that he "doesn't ask in advance nor decide whether he's mic'd up -- a Cowboys staffer simply tells him after he arrives at stadium on gameday." ESPN Senior Dir of Communications Bill Hofheimer said that the net "does not announce ahead of games whether it will mic a player." Cowboys TE Jason Witten, who worked in the "MNF" booth last year, will "continue to eschew the mic even after his year at ESPN lent him insight into its advantages for broadcasts and fan interest." Witten said that he has "tolerated the mic just one full game in 16 seasons and felt it was too big on his shoulder pads" (USA TODAY, 11/4). Meanwhile, this will mark Witten's first "MNF" appearance since returning to the field. ESPN VP/Production & "MNF" Producer Jay Rothman said Witten was "very forthright and honest along the way" during his stint in Bristol. Rothman: "He never mailed it in. He worked his ass off to be a better analyst" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 11/4).
CALL IT LIKE YOU SEE IT: THE ATHLETIC's Richard Deitsch writes there was a "great three-person conversation between CBS rules analyst Gene Steratore and game broadcasters Spero Dedes and Adam Archuleta" during Jets-Dolphins yesterday after a second-quarter pass from Darnold to TE Ryan Griffin was initially "ruled a touchdown and then reversed." The group "discussed the play thoughtfully, Steratore explained concisely what the officials were looking at, and when asked for his ruling, Steratore said he would overturn the call." Dedes also was "critical of the length of time of the review." Deitsch notes Steratore has been a "tremendous hire by CBS" and writes, "I felt smarter as a viewer after hearing him" (THEATHLETIC.com, 11/4).
GEOGRAPHY LESSON: ESPN's Randy Moss was on yesterday's episode of "Sunday NFL Countdown" but not without some unique travel difficulties. ESPN's Sam Ponder opened the show by saying, "I was a little worried today that we were not going to have Randy Moss, our Hall of Famer, with us today. Last night I got word that there was a problem with your plane. You were supposed to come to Bristol, Connecticut -- that's where ESPN is. And where did the plane take you, Randy?" Moss: "I want to give a shoutout to everybody in Bristol, Tennessee! I had to call up here, I had an 8:00 meeting. I stopped off at my son's last football game of his senior year and the pilot tells me, 'We have about an hour and 10-minute flight.' Cool, I laid back, put my hat over my eyes, lay the visor down and once we land I'm looking for the Sheraton, the hotel that connects at Bradley (Int'l Airport). I said, 'Hey, where are we?' He said, 'We're in Bristol.' I said, 'Bristol? Bristol, Tennessee! I'm supposed to be in Bristol, Connecticut.'" He added, "I'm just glad I'm here" ("Sunday NFL Countdown," ESPN, 11/3).
IF YOU'RE NOT FIRST...: In Chicago, Phil Rosenthal writes WFLD-Fox "can't keep running promos boasting the first video" of Bears coach Matt Nagy's news conferences and "then not be first." For a second successive week, NBC Sports Chicago "beat it with the coverage" despite WFLD's "contractual status as the Bears' official station" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 11/4).
