Three-man booth is expected to improve at providing "big game" feel as the season progressesESPN IMAGES
ESPN's "MNF" football crew of Steve Levy, Brian Griese and Louis Riddick "remains a work in progress" after last night's Chiefs-Ravens game, according to Richard Deitsch of THE ATHLETIC. The "best thing about them" is that they are "well-prepared, they don't overhype what we are seeing on the field, and they share the mic very well, which is a challenge with three people." ESPN execs "don't want to publicly evaluate this team." But one senior-level exec this week said, "It's awfully early but I think it's what we expected so far -- solid football broadcast." Deitsch writes where this group "must continue to improve" is the "showmanship of calling a primetime NFL game." Levy is "still finding his way as a big-game voice." Last night, he "undersold" both Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes' rushing touchdown in the first quarter and a missed extra point. The "lack of natural crowd noise played a factor, but he's calling a primetime game and amping up the voice for key moments matters." Levy "got much better as he worked himself into the game." Griese and Riddick's "challenge is to make their smarts engaging." So far, they "readily let each other take the lead on certain plays." As to whether this will be the "MNF" crew in '21, Deitsch calls it "50-50," adding, "They will get better each week and will make it tough for ESPN executives to blow up the booth yet again" (THEATHLETIC.com, 9/29).
SOLID BUILDING BLOCKS: SI.com's Jimmy Traina writes the trio is "solid, not spectacular, and that's OK." The booth is a "big improvement over the MNF booth of the past few years." Traina: "This crew doesn't distract from the game, their act doesn't seem forced and they give you a good broadcast. There's not much more you can ask for as a viewer." Levy is a "good play-by-play caller," while Griese and Riddick "are fine." One criticism is that the analysis and delivery from Griese and Riddick are similar and "in a weird way, they sort of cancel each other out" (SI.com, 9/29). In N.Y., Bob Raissman wrote before last night's game that Griese and Riddick "sounded the same" and wondered if anyone at ESPN "heard the similarities in voice when they were considering teaming them up" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 9/27).
TWITTER REAX: Netflix' Tamer El-Ghobashy: "The Monday Night Football broadcast on ESPN has no luster. Feels like a preseason crew." The Athletic's Ben Baldwin: "Louis Riddick is awesome in the booth. This team is indescribably better than MNF the past few years." Baseball Prospectus Associate Editor Collin Whitchurch: "IDK if it's because of the lack of crowd noise or not, but Steve Levy's voice just doesn't give off a 'big game' vibe to me." Front Office Sports' Michael McCarthy: "I'm liking Steve Levy so far. ... He's loose and refreshingly plain-spoken." SB Nation's Lazarus Jackson: "Love Louis Riddick's level-headed commentary."
MOTHER KNOWS BEST: In K.C., Pete Grathoff notes Riddick "apologized to the mother" of Patrick Mahomes during the telecast after Riddick "kept referring" to the Chiefs QB as "Pat." Randi Mahomes wrote on Twitter, "If this announcer doesn’t stop calling my son Pat.. ugh i may scream." She tagged @ESPNNFL and @espn in the post. ESPN displayed the tweet on the screen during the "MNF" broadcast, to which Riddick replied, "Guilty, guilty, guilty. ... I apologize" (K.C. STAR, 9/29).
