by Hearing Greg Olsen make his Super Bowl debut on Sunday as Fox Sports’ lead NFL commentator, it was hard not to imagine how Tom Brady would have handled such a broadcast.
After all, Brady is expected to replace Olsen in time for the 2024 season. Fox awarded the retired quarterback a 10-year, $375 million contract, but there’s no guarantee Brady would deliver what Olsen did during the 38-35 victory. of the Kansas City Chiefs over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 57.
From kickoff to the game’s final play, the broadcast duo of Kevin Burkhardt and Olsen seemed more like Super Bowl veterans – crisp, informative and prepared – than the rookies they were.
And Olsen stood out with his assessment of the game’s most critical play.
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Enjoying the moment
With the Chiefs facing third and 8 on the Eagles 15-yard line with 1:54 to play, a defensive stop likely would have forced the Chiefs to attempt a field goal and given the Eagles enough time to march down the field. in subsequent possession.
But Eagles cornerback James Bradberry, who took on Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, was called in to hold up the defense. The penalty gave the Chiefs a first down, nearly sealing the game’s outcome and setting up Olsen.
“I don’t like that call,” he said.
It sounded stronger in the broadcast.
“I think on this stage, I think you let them play,” he said. “… I think you let them play, finish this thing.”
After the game, Bradberry admitted it was the correct decision.
After a more in-depth analysis
Mike Pereira, a former National Football League vice president of refereeing and a rules analyst for Fox Sports, said he thought holding was the right decision. But Olsen, a former tight end who played 14 years in the NFL but is a rookie TV analyst, stood his ground.
“Let’s go back to that penalty,” he said, as he described Bradberry’s replay trying to save Smith-Schuster. “I hear what you’re saying, Mike. He’s trying to do a little whip route, sell the shallow cross, I know he’s got the right hand (in Smith-Schuster), I understand. I just think at this point, oh man, that’s a game-altering penalty.”
Olsen could have stood a little firmer, but it was refreshing to hear him take a stand — no matter how many Chiefs fans may be begging Fox Sports to urge Brady to get started ASAP. It was Brady who took the next year off.
Fox Sports Broadcast Highs
♦ When the Chiefs deferred after winning the coin toss, Burkhardt and Olsen were ready when they suggested it was a decision worth contemplating. In the first drives of this season, Burkhardt pointed out, the Eagles scored 10 touchdowns. And they promptly did it again.
♦ After Jalen Hurts fumbled the ball and it was returned for a touchdown to tie the score 14-14 in the second quarter, sideline reporter Tom Rinaldi spoke of Hurts’ composure.
He also said that Hurts was taking responsibility for the costly mistake and the video showed Hurts talking to each of his starting forwards. The sideline report was prophetic as Hurts led the Eagles to a touchdown on their next drive and a 24-14 halftime lead.
♦ A missed 42-yard field goal attempt by Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker on first quarterback was more fun than expected.
“It hit the post!” exclaimed Burkhardt. “Nothing good! And so a good trip ends with the doink.
“Why don’t we hear this?”
At the time, Fox Sports producers played the video and audio of the ball hitting the left post. Doinkalicious.
Fox Sports broadcast casualties
Rinaldi handled Fox’s postgame on-field interview with Chiefs head coach Andy Reid.
“What does the moment mean to you, Andy?” he asked.
Reid responded, “It means a lot. I could kiss you right now, but I won’t.”
It was a funny moment, and there were very few of them during the broadcast.
♦ After Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce had three receptions in Kansas City’s first nine plays, Olsen used a telestrade to help explain how the Chiefs were taking advantage of the incompatibilities in Kelce. It was a thorough analysis. But there was no explanation when Kelce couldn’t catch a pass the rest of the half.
At half-time, Fox revealed that Hurts had changed his boots in an apparent attempt to improve his balance on the slippery turf. Fox continued to do a good job of updating viewers on the situation. But given that the network had two sideline reporters, it probably shouldn’t take that long to inform viewers about the Super Bowl, which at times felt like the Slippery Bowl.
