Hearing Rich Eisen’s voice on the broadcast isn’t quite new, but having him offer his pipes to play-by-play has been a treat.
Eisen, who has been with NFL Network from the beginning, said he appreciates the reps he’s getting, and with the overseas game in Germany between the Chiefs and Dolphins, it will be his 100th assignment doing play-by-play.
It was 20 years ago today…
Happy anniversary to all my @nflnetwork colleagues and friends over the years and especially to all the fans who have been along for the ride.
Here’s to more decades of great times!pic.twitter.com/Q5PQ5JuZ87
— Rich Eisen (@richeisen) November 4, 2023
The opportunity doesn’t escape him, either.
“The last two weeks in London, I was definitely better at it and more comfortable doing it,” Eisen told The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch. “It was the first time I’d ever called games in back-to-back weeks. I love doing it. There’s nothing like it. My entire career, I’ve either talked about something in advance to preview it, like a pregame show, or talked about something afterward, like a highlight show, like “SportsCenter,” or what I do on my daily show. Calling a game is essentially telling people what’s going on as it is happening. It’s a tremendous responsibility.”
Eisen, who was once prominently known for his hosting abilities, knows the outside noise could create an impact — a distraction of sorts. Especially being around some of the biggest names in sports commentary history.
“Oh, absolutely. I want to make sure that I am not that person where you say, ‘He should just stick to hosting.’ I see that in my social timelines sometimes, but I don’t pay any attention to it because I am trying something that is new to me,” he said. “The way I view it is how lucky I am that 27 years into my national broadcasting career, I’m getting opportunities to try something new. It’s not just a challenge but an enjoyable one.”
Eisen also called last season’s game in Munich between the Buccaneers and Seahawks. A highlight of his career, he said.
“The crowd, the matchup, the location, the quarterback being (Tom) Brady playing Pete Carroll and all that history. But the answer is the crowd,” Eisen said. “The crowd was significant. Last year on the Saturday before the game, I had some time to kill, and I did something I rarely do, which is go on Instagram Live. I hopped it open and walked to a beer garden in Munich and met a bunch of people. I met people from all over who don’t make it to the UK game because Germany is closer to Asia, closer to Eastern Europe, closer to the African continent, and the Middle East. We met Americans who were living in Qatar and Saudi Arabia. We met Scandinavians. Both Brady and Carroll said it reminded them of a Super Bowl. It was the same thing for me.”
About Jessica Kleinschmidt
Jess is a baseball fan with Reno, Nev. roots residing in the Bay Area. She is the host of "Short and to the Point" and is also a broadcaster with the Oakland A's Radio Network. She previously worked for MLB.com and NBC Sports Bay Area.