In life it’s always good to have a plan. I get that, I understand that and appreciate it. Maybe one day I’ll have a better plan for my life. In the meantime I’ll be here writing and discussing Notre Dame and college athletics, however.
News leaked on Wednesday that ESPN has a plan in place to have Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit move to the Monday Night Football television booth in the event that college football is either delayed or cancelled for 2020.
Now like I said, having a plan is great, but I have to ask why they’re leaking that news. Do the folks at ESPN know something that athletic directors and college football coaches nationwide have refused to admit?
That seems like something you keep close to your vest unless you have a pretty good idea as to what might be happening since they haven’t officially named a new Monday Night Football broadcast team yet but have made it appear that it’ll be internal candidates.
As for the move, I don’t dislike it. I won’t confuse Fowler to ever be Howard Cosell or Al Michaels but he’s a solid broadcaster, no doubt. He also carries more cache than the other potential play-by-play voices at ESPN. He and Herbstreit make a solid call, something Monday Night Football has lacked in the last few decades.
So if you’re ESPN, why wouldn’t you consider this, pandemic or not? If people didn’t turn off the game because of the brutal call Joe Tessitore and Booger McFarland put on last year, do you think they’ll turn it off because a couple guys who have a college background are on?
I don’t love everything Herbstreit has to say but I do enjoy his dedication to helping grow college football and the same can be said for Fowler. It’d be a wise move by ESPN but I’d certainly miss them on Saturday nights.
But if they do get moved to Monday nights can I make the request to get Jason Benetti on the prime-time ABC game each week because that’s who I’d like to see get it.
Thanks.