Amazon is in its fifth season of Thursday Night Football broadcasts on Prime Video, and the broadcast team, with a studio crew of Charissa Thompson, Richard Sherman, Tony Gonzalez, Ryan Fitzpatrick, and Andrew Whitworth, alongside play-by-play announcer Al Michaels and color analyst Kirk Herbstreit, has found its stride.
Sherman, who spent an 11-year career as an NFL defensive back before transitioning to the media side of the league, recently appeared on Kevin Clark’s This is Football podcast, where he was asked about his favorite part of working Thursday nights.
“Being around the crew, you know, being around the team,” the former Super Bowl champion answered. “Charissa, Tony, Fitz, Whit, getting to hear the stories from Al Michaels never gets old. Never. Not once. It’s just an incredible environment to be in every single day.
Al Michaels’ broadcast advice to Richard Sherman: “You guys played, you guys were stars, superstars and that was great. That is no longer the case. It’s not about you. It’s about the product on the field…”
“Your only job is to enhance that product…not be the product.” pic.twitter.com/JcRJM5CGyV
— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) September 17, 2026
“And I think you appreciate that. You appreciate your teammates. You appreciate everything they bring. Kirk Herbstreit, his legendary voice in college football, but he’s an incredible guy. It’s a ton of people that you look forward to coming to work, and being part of something special and making sure everybody feels valued. And then going out there and trying to add context to what you’re watching and what people are watching and entertain people.”
Sherman went on to share some terrific advice Michaels gave the former NFL players on the studio team.
“Al Michaels told us early on, he says, ‘You guys played, you guys were stars, you guys are superstars. And that was great. That’s no longer the case anymore. It’s not about you. It’s about the product on the field. Your only job is to enhance that product and entertain these people, not be the product, not be the show.'”
It’s advice Richard Sherman has taken to heart. Gonazelez has spoken in the past about the focus the TNF team puts into making sure the audience is having a good time.
“That’s kind of bad*ss advice from Al Michaels being like, ‘You’re no longer the focal point of this operation,'” Clark told Sherman.
“It’s great advice,” Sherman affirmed. “Sage.”
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.