The broadcasters
ESPN’s team of Levy and McElroy brought a great tone to the game. They called the game nicely and made it entertaining. There were the obligatory “first” lines since it was the inaugural games, but they were not over the top. The duo kept the game moving smoothly and delivered a strong mix of facts and fun. Levy would be a fine choice to be the play-by-play guy for “Monday Night Football.” Curt Menefee did a strong and solid job on PBP for FOX. He was calm and straightforward, showing he is far more than just a studio host. This was no more evident when he read a promo saying Sunday’s game was on FS1 when it was on FOX. Menefee smoothly corrected himself and continued without missing a beat. Joel Klatt brought his credible college game to pro football, which was not successful. He turned the XFL booth into a lovefest, which was particularly curious. This was the first game of a new league. Everything can’t be lovey-dovey, yet Klatt took that tact throughout. Makes one wonder if he believes the league has an “unprecedented level of talent” as he pitched in a FOX promo commercial. Also, wonder if Klatt would have appreciated opponents having a chance for nine-point scores when he was playing football. The FOX broadcast Saturday was far drier than ESPN’s, which was surprising given how entertaining the network’s productions usually are. FOX’s Sunday team of Kevin Burkhardt. NFL TE Greg Olsen and Jenny Taft was far more entertaining. While Olsen sometimes repeated the same phrases, it is easy to see why networks view him as a top priority once his football career ends. Taft did exceptional sidelines work, although she did almost get in the way of Jamar Summers returning to play after he scored a TD on a fumble recovery.
🤷‍♀️ https://t.co/Gb2WveYTLM
— Jenny Taft (@JennyTaft) February 9, 2020