The NFL on Fox has made a couple of very noteworthy changes to their broadcast lineup for the 2015 season, one being editorial, and the other being enforced by off-screen behavior.
As we first told you back in June, Fox was strongly considering breaking up one of the longest tenured announce teams calling NFL games today in Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, and Tony Siragusa. The trio had fallen down the pecking order slightly at Fox from their #2 position (calling one playoff game every year) being surpassed by the team of Kevin Burkhardt and John Lynch. Now it’s official – Kenny, Moose, and Goose will be no more. Siragusa moves to a new team of Thom Brennaman and Charles Davis, who has moved over to the NFL from his college football duties with Gus Johnson. Coincidentally, it was Brennaman and Davis who called Fox’s first go-round with college football in the mid-2000s with the BCS.
The second noteworthy change involves suspended analyst Donovan McNabb. This summer, it was projected that McNabb would be making a move up the broadcasting ranks. That was at least until his second DUI arrest. With McNabb on the sidelines, Fox will employ a who’s who of analysts including returnees Kirk Morrison and Brady Quinn and newbies Chris Cooley and… *rubs eyes*… Matt Millen!
It’s been a long time since Millen’s glory days as a Fox analyst almost 15 years ago, but he returns to the Fox family with his new role at Fox and BTN. Will Millen be able to win fans back over where he found his greatest television success? A less-than-stellar run at NFL Network and ESPN combined with his infamous tenure at Lions GM will make it an uphill challenge. It should be noted that Millen was excellent in the BCS Film Room coverage over the last couple seasons, though. Incredibly, Millen last called a game for the NFL on Fox in January 2001.
Among the sideline reporters, Holly Sonders and Danielle Trotta will debut alongside the returning Peter Schrager in another rotation on Sam Rosen’s team.
Oh, and in case you were wondering, sadly there’s no sign of Mike Goldberg this year.
Here’s the full roster of NFL on Fox broadcast teams for 2015…
1) Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Erin Andrews
2) Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch and Pam Oliver
3) Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Laura Okmin
4) Thom Brennaman, Charles Davis and Tony Siragusa
5) Chris Myers, Ronde Barber and Jennifer Hale
6) Dick Stockton, David Diehl and Kristina Pink
7) Sam Rosen, (rotating analysts) Chris Cooley/Matt Millen/Kirk Morrison/Brady Quinn, (rotating reporters) Peter Schrager/Holly Sonders/Danielle Trotta
What are your thoughts about Fox’s NFL broadcasting lineup this year?
