From @ToddBrock24f7: A lengthy computer-generated tribute had viewers wondering if Jimmy Johnson is stepping away from his ‘NFL on Fox’ studio job.
Jimmy Johnson has seen quite a few of his biggest life moments unfold on live television.
The former coach who took over the doormat Cowboys in 1989 and then turned them into one of the most dominant teams in NFL history with back-to-back Super Bowl wins learned he was going to the Pro Football Hall of Fame while on the air at Fox Sports. Then he found out he was finally being put into the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor in the same way.
On Sunday, a lengthy video tribute to Johnson that recapped his entire football life in emotional detail had viewers of Super Bowl LIX’s pregame show thinking another big reveal was coming from the 81-year-old.
So… did Johnson just retire… or not???
The NFL on Fox crew set up the piece as “a one-of-a-kind look back” at Johnson’s legendary career, using artificial intelligence. Then, using computer-generated effects, a CGI Johnson strode onto the field at a virtual AT&T Stadium.
With Johnson’s digitally-altered voice providing the narration, the next four and a half minutes took viewers back in time to Johnson’s days as an defensive lineman at Arkansas in 1964. A young-looking Johnson avatar told his own story of his college days, including his friendship with teammate Jerry Jones and the national championship their team won.
A tour through his college coaching stops followed, foreshadowing his later pairing with Terry Bradshaw (then a Johnson recruit at Louisiana Tech) and recalling the famous “Hail Flutie” play that shocked the world while Johnson was on staff at Miami.
His AI self sporting a touch of grey in his perfectly-coifed hair (not to mention that sweet Apex jacket, for those that remember), Johnson next walked viewers through the dramatic turnaround he engineered as Cowboys head coach in the early 1990s.
His Dolphins stint earned a mention, but the piece ended with the real Johnson in footage that looked to be shot at the real AT&T Stadium, being welcomed back to the set by his real deskmates. After a quick moment between the modern-day Johnson and his 21-year-old self, it was back to the live Super Bowl set in New Orleans, where an emotional Johnson was in tears.
What followed was strange, to say the least, The coach, in a shaky voice, went on to thank a long list of people for his career in the game, including his family and the players and coaches he’s worked with along the way.
Johnson’s co-hosts were gathered around the set and took turns practically eulogizing the legendary coach and waxing very poetic about his life, his character, and how much they all loved him.
It sounded for all the world like a big farewell was coming. Curt Menefee even asked after all the gushing, “Was that goodbye?”
“One day at a time, Curt. One day at a time,” was Johnson’s reply.
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Social media was divided about what they had just seen.
Johnson has recently hinted at hanging up his microphone. He told Awful Announcing just this week, “I used to say ‘One more year,’ and then it got to be, ‘Well, I don’t know,’ and now it’s ‘One more day at a time.’ I never know. I’ll just see how I feel here going into next year.”
So was it just high-tech filler for the pregame show or was it a retirement announcement?
No one seems to know. Maybe not even Johnson.
Whether you found Johnson’s AI video tribute incredibly moving and heartfelt or incredibly creepy and weird, nearly everybody found the whole thing at least a little confusing.
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FOX) pic.twitter.com/yMO5lvrX8Z
