Sunday NFL Countdown
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| Sunday NFL Countdown | |
|---|---|
 2005 logo |
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| Genre | National Football League |
| Starring | Chris Berman Tom Jackson Mike Ditka Ron Jaworski Emmitt Smith Chris Mortensen |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Production | |
| Running time | 2 hours |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ESPN (1985-) |
| Original run | September 7, 1985 – Present |
| Links | |
| Official website | |
Sunday NFL Countdown is a pregame show of all the NFL action for that week. The official name is Sunday NFL Countdown presented by IBM. The show airs on ESPN, ESPN HD, TSN and TSN HD from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Eastern time every Sunday during the National Football League regular season. It is very similar to The NFL Today on CBS and FOX NFL Sunday, which airs on FOX. The show's former names include NFL GameDay from 1985 to 1995, from 1996 to 1997, NFL Countdown and since 1998, Sunday NFL Countdown. In 2006, the program introduced new graphics and a new logo to resemble the network's Monday Night Football logo.
The show made its first appearance on TV in 1985 and Chris Berman has been the studio host for every one of those years, along with Tom Jackson who joined the program one year after its debut. Steve Young began working only a selected number of weeks in 2000 and started working full time on the show beginning in 2001, but in 2006, he became just a contributor to the show; Ron Jaworski replaced him on the set. Mike Ditka filled in for Irvin during his absence that week is also an analyst for the show since he joined in 2004, and in 2006, joined the show full-time on the set. Chris Mortensen, who joined ESPN in 1991 is the insider for the show and gives up to the minute NFL news and rumors from around the league. In 2006, the show began appearing with four analysts on the set instead of three as they had done in the past.
The show's awards include six Sports Emmy Awards (1988, 1991, 1994, 1995, 2001 and 2003 seasons) and five CableACE Awards (1989, 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1995 seasons).
The show finished up its 22nd season on February 4, 2007 with a three-hour special edition, originating from Super Bowl XLI in Miami, Florida.
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[edit] Controversy
On July 14, 2003, ESPN announced that Rush Limbaugh would be joining the show as a weekly commentator when it premiered on September 7. Limbaugh would provide the "voice of the fan" and was supposed to spark debate on the show. Limbaugh certainly succeeded at the latter. On September 28, Limbaugh commented about Donovan McNabb, the quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles:
- "Sorry to say this, I don't think he's been that good from the get-go. I think what we've had here is a little social concern in the NFL. The media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well. There is a little hope invested in McNabb, and he got a lot of credit for the performance of this team that he didn't deserve. The defense carried this team."
On October 1, 2003, less than one week after that comment Limbaugh resigned from ESPN. The following Sunday on air Tom Jackson said about Limbaugh:
- "Let me just say that it was not our decision to have Rush Limbaugh on this show. I've seen replay after replay of Limbaugh's comments with my face attached as well as that of my colleagues, comments which made us very uncomfortable at the time, although the depth and the insensitive nature of which weren't fully felt until it seemed too late to reply. He was brought here to talk football, and he broke that trust. Rush told us the social commentary for which he is so well known would not cross over to our show, and instead, he would represent the viewpoint of the intelligent, passionate fan. Rush Limbaugh was not a fit for NFL Countdown."
[edit] 2007 plans
In February 2007, ESPN confirmed an earlier report in the Dallas Morning News that Michael Irvin would not be brought back to the show or to the network. In the same week, ESPN announced that Bill Parcells, the former Super Bowl champion head coach, had joined the network, but for Monday Night Countdown. On March 12, ESPN confirmed on its website that Michael Irvin's former teammate, Emmitt Smith would fill Irvin's chair.[1]
[edit] Personalities
[edit] Current
- Chris Berman: (Host, 1985-present)
- Mike Ditka: (Contributor, 2004-2005) (Analyst, 2006-present)
- Josh Elliott: (Correspondent, 2006-present)
- Greg Garber: (Correspondent, 1991-present)
- Tom Jackson: (Analyst, 1986-present)
- Ron Jaworski: (Contributor, 1990-2005) (Analyst, 2006-present)
- Kenny Mayne: (Contributor, 2005-present)
- Chris Mortensen: (Contributor, 1991-present)
- Rachel Nichols: (Correspondent, 2004-present)
- Sal Paolantonio: (Correspondent, 1995-present)
- Emmitt Smith: (Analyst, 2007-present)
- Ed Werder: (Correspondent, 1998-present)
- Steve Young: (Analyst, 2000-2005) (Contributor, 2006-present)
[edit] Former
- Mike Golic (Analyst, 1995-?)
- Andrea Kremer: (Contributor, 1989-2005)
- Michael Irvin: (Analyst, 2003-2006)
- Rush Limbaugh (Analyst, 2003)
- Stuart Scott (Co- Host, 1999-2000)
- Sterling Sharpe (Analyst, 1995-2003)
- Joe Theisman (Analyst, 1988-1997)
- Mike Tirico (Co- Host, 1998)
[edit] Segments
- Around the League: A segment where several live reports from gameday stadiums are received, including last-minute lineup changes and other assorted late-breaking gameday news.
- Fantasy Tips: First introduced in 2006, this segment features Ron Jaworski offering tips to the viewers about their fantasy teams for that week's games.
- The Mayne Event: Kenny Mayne hosts this segment which parodies the standard human interest story with a tie-in to the NFL.
- The Mort Report: NFL "insider" Chris Mortensen breaks down trade rumors, coaching changes, and injuries.
- Special Look: (formerly, Playmaking made Easy) During this segment, the hosts of the show diagram a specific football play on a large green floor resembling a football field, and then act it out in slow-motion. The name apparently evolves with sponsorship (i.e. the "Playmaking made Easy" was used under Staples, "Special Look" is used under IBM.
- Sunday Drive: Ron Jaworski provides a look inside one particular game, breaking down a key scoring drive from start to finish.
- Open Mikes: This is a debate on a controversial subject between analysts Michael Irvin and Mike Ditka and is hosted by Chris Berman.
- Predictions on the day's game outcomes from the show's on-air personalities.
- Tip Drill: This is when Berman gives a different analyst a quick question about each game of the day.
- Gamebreakers: This is at the very end of the show, when each analyst and Berman give two or three players they expect to have a big day.
- Late Hits: This is at the end of the show when Chris Mortensen delivers some final news and notes.
- Young is Restless: This segment only comes on occasionally. This is when Steve Young talks about in-depth stuff which happened that day.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Press Release: ESPN'S 2006 NFL LINEUP SURROUNDS MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL WITH 188 YEARS OF GRIDIRON EXPERIENCE
- ESPN.com Limbaugh resigns from NFL show
[edit] External links
Categories: Articles lacking sources from March 2007 | All articles lacking sources | 1980s American television series | 1990s American television series | 2000s American television series | ESPN network shows | Sunday | Sports-related shows | 1985 television program debuts | National Football League on television
