As CBS has ended its portion of the Thursday Night Football schedule and hands off to NFL Network, let’s take a look at how it handled its first primetime package.
CBS gave this a playoff feel. It added more cameras as opposed to a regular Sunday afternoon game, additional replay machines, two pregame shows with separate sets, a sideline reporter and a required simulcast with NFL Network. To bolster the schedule, the NFL gave Thursday Night Football seven classic division rivalries including Steelers-Ravens, New York Giants-Washington, Minnesota-Green Bay, Pats-Jets and San Diego-Denver.
While CBS took over the production and promotion of the games, NFL Network still had a presence with its own pregame show. And while this marriage will continue when NFL Network airs the second half of the Thursday Night Football schedule starting next week, we delve into how CBS handled Weeks Two through 8.
ANNOUNCING
Jim Nantz and Phil Simms are familiar to viewers. And yes, Denver fans aren’t enthralled with Simms, but he and Nantz are the top team for CBS. They weren’t going to be displaced from calling their first primetime package. We know what we’re going to get from Nantz. He’s consistent in his play-by-play. He allows his partner to talk and he gives the game a chance to breathe.
Phil Simms can say some strange things at times, but overall, he’s good. Broncos fans notwithstanding, he remains on top of trends and can first guess. No, he’s not biased, but don’t tell that to the Rocky Mountain region.
Tracy Wolfson has been a solid addition to the team as the sideline reporter.
Announcing Grade: A minus
RULES ANALYST
In his first season, it was thought that Mike Carey would add some expertise to the booth during replay reviews and rules explanations, however, that has not happened. Carey has been shaky at best and his reviews have been short of laughable. Several tweets pointed out Carey’s record after another missed review during the San Diego-Denver game.
Mike Carey is not having a very good year.
— Peter King (@peter_king) October 24, 2014
YOU ARE WRONG, MIKE CAREY! YOU LOSE! GOOD DAY SIR! #Browns
— Glenn Moore (@GlennMooreCLE) October 12, 2014
It's uncanny how often Mike Carey gets the NFL replay call wrong on CBS.
— John Ourand (@Ourand_Puck) October 24, 2014
I don't watch every CBS game, and I thought Mike Carey was a great ref, but he's awful trying to guess replay review results.
— Jerry Palm (@jppalmCBS) October 24, 2014
Good job, good effort. Mike Carey.
— Lindsay Patterson (@LndsPatterson) October 24, 2014
Look on the positive side, folks. Mike Carey could be on the field screwing these calls up
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) October 24, 2014
And Mike Carey disagrees. So…correct call! #TNF
— BigHeadBS💨 (@BigHeadBS) October 24, 2014
Maybe Mike will improve in the second half of the season, but if this continues, CBS might have to look to someone else for next season.
When Mike Pereira left the NFL for Fox, his record on reviews during his first season was almost perfect. Carey has gone the other way which is not good.
Rules Analyst Grade: F
PRODUCTION
Producer Lance Barrow and director Mike Arnold have provided viewers with some very clear pictures and replays. Despite Carey not being able to see these replays correctly, viewers have and CBS has proven it can step up in primetime. The graphics are different from Sunday afternoons and with extra cameras, crisper replays and higher production values, the Thursday Night Football production has improved by leaps and bounds over what NFL Network has done in the past.
CBS’ production of TNF is on a par with the best NFL production, NBC’s Sunday Night Football and that is saying something.
Production Grade: A
STUDIO
We’ll go further into depth on the NFL Total Access Kickoff and NFL Thursday Night Kickoff combo in the AA Sunday Studio Spectacular later in the season (yes, we know they don’t air on Sunday, but they are NFL pregame shows). With two hosts (Rich Eisen and James Brown), two sets (inside and outside the stadium) and two different networks (NFL Network and CBS), they set the scene for the game.
Eisen and Brown are competent hosts. The analysts are a mixed bag. Kurt Warner and Bill Cowher are very good. Deion Sanders and Steve Mariucci are good. Marshall Faulk and Michael Irvin are ok, but Irvin needs to tone it done on the set.
The shows give off different vibes. And one request for CBS: allow Rich Eisen to do his popular “Walk and Talk” before the postgame as NFL Network takes over for the second half of the season.
Studio grades: C
The entire season is not complete and CBS will have one more game in this package in Week 16 either San Diego at San Francisco or Philadelphia at Washington. Through the first half of the Thursday Night Football season, CBS has been plagued by blowouts in five of the seven games it has aired, but that can’t be helped. The ratings have not been hurt and TNF’s numbers rank second in primetime to NBC’s Sunday Night Football.
As we go the the second half, the schedule has a decent amount of games including New Orleans at Carolina, Buffalo at Miami and Dallas at Chicago. The ratings won’t be as good as CBS’ portion, but they should draw some decent numbers for NFL Network.
We’ve liked what we’ve seen from CBS thus far. Let’s hope they keep the momentum going.
Overall grade: B minus.
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