There are a lot of settings where NFL games are consumed, and the audio is not the main consideration. Bars with a ton of TV’s and lots of dialogue, watch parties at people’s homes and NFL stadiums are just three locations where fans aren’t usually locked into every single word of the network announcer pairing. The ambience, coupled with the visual of the game are good enough in a lot of cases.
However, for this taking in NFL contests in less chaotic settings, the effectiveness of a broadcast team can really make or break an experience. The play-by-play commentator and color analyst are with you for a minimum of three hours, so their insightfulness, passion, or complete lack thereof is super important.
As we’ve seen a changing of the guard in recent seasons, let’s focus in on three broadcasters who have been a pleasure to listen to this year.
Joe Davis
What a year it has been for Fox play by play man Joe Davis. Just as fans flock to nfl odds to get in on futures action, there are folks in the industry who like to forecast notable shifts in media responsibilities. In 2022, Davis has become a household name nationally.
After the departure of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman from FOX to ESPN, the former network had to do a bit of reshuffling. They seemed to lack a little credibility at the top but were not afraid to entrust younger broadcasters with higher profile games. As a result, Davis was elevated to the network’s lead play by play spot for MLB, and the second slot for FOX’s NFL coverage.
Some have bemoaned Davis’s tendency to go full throat, but there’s an argument to be made that he’s been incredibly effective with volume dialup this year. Certain announcers bring the heat consistently, which can make it difficult to feel like one play truly sticks out from another. Davis brings the excitement only when something difference-making takes place, which is how it should be.
While Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson deserves all of the credit for his fantastic fourth and 18 receptions against the Buffalo Bills in November, Davis’ call perfectly complemented the moment. He was ready at the mic when the broadcast returned from the two-minute warning commercial break, and was as excited seeing what happened as fans were at that moment.
Adam Archuleta
He’s usually only seen or heard by a small percentage of the national audience, but CBS color analyst Adam Archeluta has been a steady performer on the network’s NFL coverage for a while now. It felt like CBS executives were hesitant to throw him into the fire early on, as he was initially assigned to three-man booths when he first started calling games.
Now alongside Greg Gumbel, Archeluta has found his voice and brings enough of a presence to warrant being a legitimate color guy. One of the most enjoyable parts of Archeluta’s calls is that he’s pretty straight forward about what he thinks about the play that just unfolded. He’s not one to hold back from criticism and will speak his mind if he thought the strategy deployed was not the right way to attack a situation.
There doesn’t appear to be much room for Archeluta to elevate in the coming years, as the network is heavily invested in color analysts Tony Romo and Charles Davis. By and large though, fans are in good hands with the former NFL safety, even if he is on the third or fourth team for the network.
Jonathan Vilma
It didn’t seem like a pairing that would find a lot of success, but the duo of Jonathan Vilma and Kenny Albert has been pretty effective. Albert is one of the most versatile plays by play men in sports, with his ability to cover the NBA, MLB, NFL and NHL. Vilma was a relatively unproven quantity a couple years ago, but has worked out nicely on this team.
Albert and Vilma don’t necessarily have the chemistry that the former had with Daryl Johnston, but they each provide what the other lacks. Albert’s delivery and communication of the action on the field is always reliable, hearkening back to the days of his father, Marv. Vilma is able to operate around those edges, with genuine emotional responses to what is taking place on the field.
Perhaps their most memorable moment of the season came in a game featuring the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons, where Panthers quarterback P.J. Walker connected on a Hail Mary pass with wide receiver D.J. Moore. Albert was audibly pumped, and you could hear Vilma’s live reaction on the remarkable play.
It’ll be interesting to see whether FOX decides to keep this pairing together in future seasons.
