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'Monday Night Football' renews stress on games

By George M. Thomas
Beacon Journal sports writer

Published on Friday, Sep 05, 2008

Monday Night Football is set to kick off its regular-season coverage and ESPN is making some aesthetic changes that should improve the broadcast.

Plenty of times I tuned into that weekly sports nugget only to check out early because there was just too much going on, and a lot of it didn't relate to what was happening on the field.

Movie stars? TV stars? If you are watching Monday Night Football, how likely are you going to be interested in hearing what's new on ABC? I say, no thanks. Too much corporate synergy.

''I think guilty as charged,'' said supervising producer Jay Rothman. ''I thought we were trying to overdeliver for all audiences and casual sports fans.''

Apparently Monday Night Football executives have noticed and intend to give the game back to the viewer What does that mean? Fewer on-screen graphics dominating the picture and no celebrity guests in the booth.

Rothman said ESPN will try to build on what makes the program work. Football junkies who get into the X's and O's will hear more of Ron Jaworski as the network turns him loose, a la John Madden. As for Tony Kornheiser, a talented newspaper columnist, the network wants him to do ''live columns'' offering appropriate commentary when needed.

''You can call us the old ABC on steroids, but the truth of the matter is we're a sports network, and people tune into ESPN for a sporting event,'' Rothman said. ''And there are many other entertainment options out there. We are in a fractured [TV] world, and they're coming to us to deliver the game.''

So, B-list movie stars: Go elsewhere to push your flick.

Eyes on Anderson

Jaworski said he will be paying close attention to Cleveland Browns quarterback Derek Anderson as the season progresses for a number of reasons. Anderson came out of nowhere last season to enjoy a Pro Bowl year and Jaworski said the Browns' success could hinge on whether he can duplicate the feat.

''I think there is pressure on him to replicate the season that he had a year ago. Certainly, it was an incredible season after Charlie Frye was released after the first game and Derek stepped in under pressure at that point, but not the pressure that he's facing now,'' Jaworski said. ''I think that when you go 10-6 and have the kind of year he had, the pressure from the outside becomes incredible.''

Whatever happens this year, Jaworski said, credit will be dished out disproportionately.

''Cleveland's a passionate sports town. It has been a long time since they've had a winner and the burden does fall on the quarterback,'' he said. ''They get too much credit when they win and too little blame when they lose. So I think clearly the bar has been raised for Derek Anderson, and we'll see if we can handle that internal pressure.''

Prime-time players

Much has been made about the Browns' five appearances in prime time on the league's assorted broadcast partners. Opinions run the gamut — from it's not good for the team to it's great for the team to it's terrible for NFL fans because the team is overrated.

NBC's Madden has the right take on the topic. No matter what people think, say or write, being on prime time is a sign of arrival as a team.

''It beats the hell out of the alternative. If you play a lot of night games, you're a good team,'' Madden said. ''When I was coaching, my players liked it. If you looked at our records on Monday night, we did very well. It was the only game; everyone was watching.

''I think that down deep, players are really showoffs. They know that most of the people are watching them, and that gives them something extra. Maybe they don't talk about it, maybe they don't say that, but I think they feel that.''

Short takes

Kendall Lewis has landed the play-by-play gig for the Lake Erie College Storm football team. Lake Erie is a small, private college in Painesville. . . . ClevelandBrowns.com goes from the Web to the TV screen at 6:30 tonight. Jamir Howerton, Zac Jackson and Steve King will host The ClevelandBrowns.com Preview Show on SportsTime Ohio.

George M. Thomas can be reached at sportswriterabj@sbcglobal.net. Read his blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/sportsblitz/.

Monday Night Football is set to kick off its regular-season coverage and ESPN is making some aesthetic changes that should improve the broadcast.

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