Scott Van Pelt was never going to forget his debut as host of Monday Night Countdown, but he certainly won’t forget it now that it’s taking place in a luxury suite instead of on the field.
With a few hours before the New York Jets kick off the Aaron Rodgers era with their season-opener against the Buffalo Bills, a severe weather warning has sent the new Monday Night Countdown crew indoors as stadium officials won’t let anyone on the field at the moment.
That means Van Pelt made his debut as the host of the show from high above the field instead of on it.
https://twitter.com/awfulannouncing/status/1701356683270975654
“From down on the field, up here to the very comfortable suites, but they are very comfortable, I think we welcome you into Monday Night Countdown,” said Van Pelt before introducing Robert Griffin III, the newly re-signed Marcus Spears, and Ryan Clark.
Without the comfortable confines of the usual setup, the quartet was forced to make do with a minimalist set that included some skinny chairs and not much else.
“The feet gonna be asleep, the thighs already burning,” said Spears when asked how he was holding up. “I hope we can make it through this thing.”
The crew is making the most of the setup and doesn’t seem to be too thrown off by the adverse weather conditions.
Come kick it with the Monday Night Countdown Crew 6pm ET on @espn LET’S GO!!! pic.twitter.com/m28mLIzR7q
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) September 11, 2023
Jets vs. Bills is scheduled to kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET, presuming the weather holds.

About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.
Recent Posts
NFL carves out standalone windows for CBS, Fox, NBC as league highlights broadcast exposure amid federal probes
The league is pulling two games that would've been set aside for Sunday regional action and turning them into standalone windows.
USA Network debuts new free-throw graphic for WNBA broadcasts
USA is using the same scorebug as NBC and Peacock, with one distinct twist.
Doc Emrick recalls Barry Melrose as ‘least predictable’ broadcast partner
"You've never worked with anyone like me."
Mike Florio throws cold water on NFL’s ‘87% of games are free’ talking point
"So they're on free TV, yeah, but you ain't getting 87% of them. I'm not getting 87— nobody's getting 87% of the games for free."
Dana White on MMA media: ‘You’re nobody, and you’ve never done anything ever’
"Nobody's ever depended on you for a paycheck. Who are you to criticize anybody?"
Bomani Jones: Criticism of ‘First Take’ often becomes criticism of its audience
"Just because your friends didn't like it, you think that nobody liked it."