Category Archives: Sherman Spotlight

Will Phil Simms be analyst for CBS’ next Super Bowl in 2016?

Posted on by

During the lead-up to Sunday’s game, Lance Barrow, CBS’ coordinating producer, was asked when preparations began for this year’s Super Bowl?

“The day after our last Super Bowl (in 2010),” Barrow said.

So that means Monday was day 1 of CBS’ preparations for Super Bowl L (the big 5-0) in 2016, the next time it has the big game. While the question may not have been discussed yesterday, you can be sure it will be asked within the highest reaches of the network: Will CBS give Phil Simms another shot at the Super Bowl?

CBS is an extremely loyal place, and Simms has been a good ambassador and a capable soldier, serving as its lead NFL analyst since 1998. Sunday was Simms’ seventh Super Bowl; two were with NBC. Quite an impressive track record.

Unfortunately for Simms, Sunday was by far his worst. As I wrote in a post yesterday, I can’t recall another time when the lead analyst in a Super Bowl received such an avalanche of bad reviews. It wasn’t as if all the critics had a conference call and decided what to write. Rather, it was a spontaneous reaction to an analyst who seemed hesitant to speak out during key points of the game.

Regardless of what network officials might say, the negative reaction definitely was heard all the way up to the office of CBS president and CEO Leslie Moonves.

CBS knows it was a bad performance by Simms. The one time you really don’t want to be bad is during a Super Bowl.

If CBS decides to stick with Simms for the 2016 Super Bowl, it creates a problem. His presence will revive all the harsh critiques from Sunday. It will become a storyline for that year’s coverage. Can Simms redeem himself after 2013’s clunker?

“That’s not the story they’ll want,” said a TV insider.

If not Simms, then who? Internally, CBS has two former ABC Monday Night Football analysts on its roster. Boomer Esiason is terrific as a radio analyst for Dial Global Sports. The network could shift him from the studio. Dan Fouts, a Hall of Famer, has received high praise for his work at CBS and on radio for Dial Global.

CBS also could go outside. Who knows? What if Peyton Manning plays two more years and retires at the end of the 2014 season? Boom, CBS swoops in and puts him in the No. 1 seat next to Nantz in time for the 2016 Super Bowl.

Here’s a thought: Don’t discount the possibility of CBS using a three-man booth, with Simms and another analyst for the 2016 game. In fact, I think it is a strong possibility. It would enable the network to transition to a new look in the booth and allow Simms, who will be 61 in 2016, to call one last Super Bowl.

A little history: That’s exactly what NBC did with Simms when he went from player to analyst in the 90s. He teamed with Dick Enberg and Paul Maguire on that network’s No. 1 crew.

Then again, CBS could decide to stick with Simms. Perhaps, the network will determine one bad game doesn’t define a career.

Remember what I said about loyalty.

CBS doesn’t have to decide Simms’ fate today or even for next year. But a decision will have to made at some point.

 

 

 

My view of Super Sunday: Not so super for Phil Simms; thumbs up for NFL Network

Posted on by

I felt like I played in the game.

That’s what watching all this stuff for a zillion hours does to you. Super Sunday is an all-out assault on the senses that drains your very last brain cell. And that was before the power outage hit.

I’m more of a purist who can do without all the sideshows of the Super Bowl. I’ll take Championship Sunday every time.

Yet having said that, I’m already counting down the days until I see Scott Hanson again on NFL RedZone.

Here’s the good, bad and in between from Super Bowl 47–sorry, too tired to figure out the Roman numerals.

Note: I didn’t see every minute of every pregame show. I even watched the hockey and golf for a few minutes. So if I missed something, well maybe I’ll catch it next year.

Intercepted: I’m not sure why, but Phil Simms really was off his game Sunday. Following John Harbaugh’s decision to go with a fake field goal, Simms came back from commercial and said he wasn’t going to second-guess the coach? Huh? Isn’t that what an analyst does?

The call was begging for more analysis, agree or disagree. You can’t be a network analyst in the Super Bowl, and shy away from weighing in on such a controversial decision. Big blow to Simms’ credibility, as evidenced by the reaction on Twitter.

Throughout much of the first half, Jim Nantz, who had a good night, seemed to be working extra hard to draw out Simms, especially when things got a bit chippy between the two teams. Simms was hesitant.

Simms stepped up a bit in the second half. However, on the key play, he waffled on the no-holding call in the endzone. At one point, he said: “The more I see it, the more confused I get.”

Sort of sums up Simms’ night.

Lights out: So now we know that Steve Tasker is CBS’ official “the lights are out” reporter. The power outage made a mess of things for CBS, considering it also knocked out Nantz’s mic in the booth. CBS gave us the first ever power outage running clock in Super Bowl history. So that was exciting.

It wasn’t the network’s finest moment. Given all the billions the network shells out to the NFL, why didn’t it have an on-air interview with a league official to explain the situation?

Networking: I didn’t watch all of the NFL Network’s 8 1/2 hours of pregame coverage, but I watched a lot of it. The network has put together a solid cast of analysts who have developed a good chemistry. The Hall of Famers/Super Bowl champions were in their element Sunday. Marshall Faulk is vastly underrated, and his feature on his hometown of New Orleans was really strong.

The driver of the show, Rich Eisen, is funny, insightful, and not overbearing, unlike another NFL host on another cable sports network. All in all, a good interesting, informative and entertaining package.

Restrained: CBS was very restrained with its coverage of the Harbaugh brothers. We didn’t see the first reaction shots of the coaches until the beginning of the second quarter. And we barely got any shots of mom and dad, especially down the stretch. If Fox were doing the game, it would be cutting to the brothers and their parents after every play.

Ray Lewis: When it comes to awkward, it’s hard to beat CBS’ coverage of Ray Lewis. His former teammate Shannon Sharpe did the pregame interview. A questionable call, given their relationship, although Sharpe did ask Lewis about the Atlanta murders.

Then in the studio discussion, Boomer Esiason called out Lewis for not disclosing all he knows about the murders. However, the conversation didn’t go anywhere. Eventually, Dan Marino did an awkward segue back to football.

During the game, Nantz mentioned the murders once, and Simms interjected something that added nothing.

Oops: Joe Flacco could be heard saying, “F-ing awesome” immediately after the game. ESPN immediately issued an apology.

Emotional: The most memorable image of Sunday: The kids from Newtown singing America The Beautiful. Nothing comes close. Wonderful, touching moment.

Disaster: A pregame segment featuring Boomer Esiason and Shannon Shannon handing out Pizza Hut pizzas in the French Quarter was, in the words of my 17-year-old, “really stupid.” I’d say beyond stupid. Really, do the networks need the money that badly to have to shill for those products?

Inspirational: Hard to beat Lesley Visser’s feature on O.J. Brigance on Sunday or any day. Truly moving. Right up there was the story on Chuck Pagano and his battle with cancer.

And in the quality department, enjoyed Bill Cowher’s piece on Vernon Davis that featured insights from his former coach Mike Singletary.

Sobering: Andrea Kremer’s compelling feature on Jacksonville receiver Laurent Robinson on NFL Network. Robinson’s wife tells him, “One more concussion and you’re done.” Hard to imagine how he’ll ever play again.

True words: “Five minutes aren’t enough to discuss this,” said Boomer Esiason during a concussion segment on CBS. Right about that, although they could have had a few more minutes if they dumped the Pizza Hut thing.

Still punishing: Jim Brown appeared on NFL Network and was blunt as always on minority coaching hires and the league’s health issue.

Future analyst: Larry Fitzgerald. The Arizona receiver will be in demand after he hangs them up.

No. 4: Brett Favre, sans tie, was a nice addition to NFL Network. Critics might say he wasn’t polished, and he wasn’t. But I still tuned in because it was Favre. And despite the “you knows,” he still had plenty to say. A network job is there if he wants it, but I doubt he does.

Huh?: Looks like Favre doesn’t spend much time on his computer. Says to Eisen, “What’s a podcast?

Drowned out: It’s great to get some flavor of the town by setting up a stage in front of screaming fans. The problem is that it forces the hosts also to scream, which can be annoying. ESPN, and CBS early on, went the outdoor route more often than not. At one point, Suzy Kolber seemed to be yelling just to be heard. I don’t like to be yelled at.

Puppy Love: I would have liked to have heard Chris Berman call the Puppy Bowl for Animal Planet.

And out: I figure all the promos for CBS’ shows (a new record?) will be ringing in my head for weeks. Good thing the Super Bowl only is once a year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hoe many show promos can CBS squeeze into one Super Bowl?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Puppy: I would have liked to have heard Chris Berman on the Puppy Bowl for Animal Planet.

 

 

Rich Eisen My First Job: From stand-up comic to Redding Calif. to Super Bowl

Posted on by

It doesn’t get any bigger for Rich Eisen Sunday than being the lead horse for the NFL Network’s coverage of the Super Bowl. He will host an 8 1/2-hour pregame show surrounded by current and future Hall of Famers. All in all, not a bad gig.

Yet once upon a time, Eisen was a raw anchor trying to make a name for himself in Redding, Calif.

In a Super Bowl edition of My First Job, Eisen recalls a particularly rough night when he was just breaking into the business. And I’m sure he will be delighted that I found a Youtube clip of him delivering the sports in 1995. His hairstyle, like mine, definitely has changed.

Here’s Eisen on his first job, which led to an eventual call from ESPN:

******

When I was in college, I did stand-up at the student union at Michigan once a month. It has made everything else I’ve done in my career very easy. Nothing comes close to the intensity and nerves of doing stand-up comedy. Going on the road–anybody who does that for a living has my utmost respect.

I decided maybe I could combine the things I love, which is sports and comedy, and get on SportsCenter.

I started in Redding, Calif., KRCR, the ABC-affiliate on election night of ’94. It’s about 3 1/2 hours north of Sacramento. It was like an episode of Northern Exposure, a Jew in the mountain community.

On Saturdays in a small outfit, there’s just me, the news anchor and one person working the tapes. One night, nothing went right. Tapes were going to black and sound bites weren’t working and the graphics were brutal. At one point, I looked at the camera and said, ‘I’m broiling in my own sweat.’ It was one of those boom-goes-the-dynamite moments. I decided to talk about the elephant in the room.

How soon did you get to ESPN?

I was in Redding for 1 1/2 years. I sent a tape to a head hunter in ’95. Al Jaffe of ESPN called me and said he saw my tape and wanted to interview me. That was five minutes after an agent from William Morris called me and said he heard I was an up-and-coming sportscasters.

I said, “OK, if you say so, I’m about to drive 60 miles to cover a volleyball game. I’m not feeling hot at all.”

I called my brother and said, “You’re not going to believe what’s happening…”

I get off the phone and the phone rings again. The guy said it was Al Jaffe.

I’m thinking to myself, ‘It’s not Al Jaffe. My brother called my friends in Staten Island and told them to call me.’

It really was Al Jaffe. So I almost carpet F-bombed Al Jaffe the first time I talked to him. Luckily, I didn’t.

******

Eisen went to ESPN in 1996 and stayed in Bristol until 2003. Then he made the big move, jumping the WWL to become the voice of the NFL’s new start-up network in 2003.

 

Postscript:

Q/A with CBS’ producer for Super Bowl: Most football games don’t have Beyonce performing at halftime

Posted on by

Lance Barrow said I helped give him his wake-up call about being the main man for a Super Bowl.

Barrow’s first spin as the coordinating producer for the Super Bowl came in 2007 for the Indianapolis-Chicago game. During a CBS media gathering in Miami, he found himself sitting on a dais with all the network’s heavy hitters such as Jim Nantz, Phil Simms, Dan Marino, James Brown, Boomer Esiason, etc..

“I figure the producer never gets asked anything,” Barrow said. “I’m thinking, ‘How many stone crabs am I going to order tonight?'”

Turns out Barrow was wrong.

“All of sudden, you ask me, ‘How does the Super Bowl compare to doing the Masters?’ Then (somebody else) asks me a question. I came up to you guys later and said, ‘What was that all about?'”

It’s about the Super Bowl, Lance. It’s about being in charge of a broadcast that will feature 62 cameras at the Superdome in New Orleans. It’s about being the man responsible if one of those 62 cameras fails to catch the right angle for a pivotal play.

Not only is the Super Bowl the most viewed event in sports, it also is the most scrutinized. Any mistake, even a blip, gets magnified a thousand-fold.

Barrow is well aware of what he will be walking into Sunday. This will be his third Super Bowl as CBS’ coordinating producer. It will be his 11th overall, dating back to when he was Pat Summerall’s spotter for Super Bowl XII in 1978.

In a Q/A, Barrow talks about the pressure and expectations and how he feels about the reviews as he prepares for the big game Sunday.

You did your first Super Bowl in 1978. What stands out as the major changes in doing the game today.

Obviously, everything is bigger. Not only the game, but everything around the game. You have more equipment, more personnel.  Most football games don’t have Beyonce performing at halftime.

You know it’s the Super Bowl. Nobody has to tell you that.

Is there any extra pressure for you as a producer? You know so many more people are watching and critiquing.

You know you’re doing this huge game that hundreds of millions of people are watching around the world. But it’s a football game. What you’re doing is a football game.

I’m not really about that nervous about it. Sure, there are some nerves. If you didn’t have any, something must be wrong with you.

You don’t want the largeness to overwhelm you. You’ve still got to go out and perform, just like the teams. You don’t want to get too nervous. Otherwise, you won’t be able to perform.

I got into this business to do the biggest events, the most important events that we have at CBS Sports. I’ve been very fortunate that I have been chosen to do these huge events.

I love it. I can’t wait for it. After I did the first one (in 2007), someone said, ‘Aren’t you glad it’s over with? I said, ‘No, I wish we could do it again next week.’

You have so many cameras and gadgets to play with. Do you have to be careful not to overuse them?

You have to be really careful. You have to make sure they don’t get in the way of the broadcast. They are there to enhance the broadcast, not to take away from the broadcast.

Even with 62 cameras, do you ever have any fears of one of the cameras missing a crucial angle on a play?

I expect us to get every angle. My boss (CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus) expects us to get every angle. We expect that every week. We expect everyone to perform at a top level. We’re the No. 1 crew at CBS Sports. We’ve been given this opportunity to produce the Super Bowl.

I don’t go into the game worrying if we’re going to have the right replay. I expect it to happen.

During the 2010 Super Bowl, New Orleans coach Sean Payton opened the second half with an onside kick. It caught Indianapolis by surprise. Did it catch you by surprise? Explain what went into covering that play.

Nobody told us they were about to do an onside kick. Sean Payton had mentioned to us in our meeting, ‘Bill Parcels said you’ve got to lay it on the line for a big game.’ Payton said, ‘Don’t be shocked if I do an onside kick.’ It could have been the first kick of the game or the last. Nobody is calling us and saying, ‘Hey, by the way, get ready, we’re going to do an onside kick.’

We were as surprised as Indianapolis was. But (director) Mike Arnold had the Skycam on, and this is where teamwork comes into play and being prepared for that moment. I always think about the great line in the movie, Tin Cup (in which Barrow, Nantz and other CBS staffers had roles). Kevin Coster says, ‘You could define the moment, or the moment defines you.’

CBS Sports defined that moment. We had the Skycam on. Instead of going away to follow the kick (like a sideline camera), the Skycam followed the ball. When it came time, we had the right replays. Then you start thinking about not only who covered it, but did it go 10 yards?

You have 40-50 replay devices. You’ve got to make sure you pick the four or five replays that show the right one. That’s what we did.

Do you worry about the reviews? Do you read them?

I don’t worry about too much about them. Sure, I’m interested in what they have to say. It’s human nature. You want to be liked. But at the same time, I only can produce the game and do the coverage the way we think we should do it.

It’s live television. It’s not a perfect science. I have in my mind what (legendary golf producer and Barrow’s mentor) Frank Chirkinian said once in an interview: ‘If I ever produce a perfect show or game, I will turn around and walk away from this business because I never will be able to accomplish it again.’

It took me a few years to realize that. He’s right. I said to our crew before the the AFC title game: ‘Tom Brady or Joe Flacco might throw an interception, but that doesn’t mean they won’t wind up with five touchdowns.’ It’s the same thing with us. It’s 3 1/2 hours. It’s beyond split-second decisions that are being made. You hope you make the right moves.

When it comes to the Super Bowl, I always joke that I’ll be on a plane at 6 on Monday morning, going off to Pebble Beach (to produce CBS’ coverage of  the AT&T National Pro-Am). By Monday afternoon, I’ll have a golf meeting. Less than 24 hours after you’ve done a Super Bowl, you’re on to something else. That’s the way it is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jokes aside, NBC Sports Network has much riding on new Michelle Beadle show

Posted on by

Michelle Beadle doesn’t do serious. During a teleconference to promote her new show, The Crossover, she couldn’t resist dishing out the one-liners.

“I think (the show will) be a little bit different on our lineup, you know, after hunting,” Beadle said.

It’s a good line to be sure. However, there’s more than tinge of reality to that statement, considering hunting shows still generate some of the highest ratings on NBC Sports Network.

So while the jokes were flying Wednesday, make no mistake, Beadle’s new show is serious stuff for a network that still is struggling to gain a foothold. The 30-minute Monday through Friday program debuts live from New Orleans Monday at 6 p.m. ET.

The NBC Sports Network needs to develop signature, go-to personalities if it ever is going to make an impact in the market. It is imperative. The addition of Dan Patrick’s radio show in the morning was a step in the right direction. Beadle’s show, though, represents an even bigger opportunity to serve as a key anchor going up against the 6 p.m. SportsCenter and into an evening of games at NBC Sports Network, ESPN, and elsewhere.

Beadle, funny and engaging, had a healthy following as co-host of SportsNation on ESPN. Will they follow her to NBC Sports Network? Network executives hope so.

Here are Beadle, her co-host Dave Briggs (an interesting figure in his own right), and NBC Sports Executive Producer Sam Flood addressing the key issues:

On the importance of NBC Sports Network developing go-to personalities:

Flood: It’s about personality. It’s about people you want to spend time with. It’s the people you want to be at the bar and hang out with, and these are the two people that you want to do that with. And that’s an important part of establishing them, and establishing the time at 6:00 (p.m. ET), Monday through Friday. And we’re going to re-air the show at 10:30 p.m. every night after our hockey coverage, and drive that puck audience over, and expose puckheads to Beadle and Briggs, which will be a fun opportunity to push a new audience and expose them to what will be a fun show.

On Beadle serving as an important piece of NBC Sports Network.

Beadle: I love the fact that the landscape of sports television has changed so drastically in the last two or three years. There’s not just one place to go anymore, and part of us coming here and doing this show is to bring a fun half hour, not take yourself too seriously. No contrived arguments where it feels forced or not organic.

I, personally, don’t watch sports through the eyes of a stats nerd or an anger monger. I truly love stories and characters and the flash and the sexiness of it all. So, for me, I want 22 minutes-a-day of that kind of talk. And we’re not going to be as funny or light-hearted as Costas, but we’re definitely hoping to try to bring that level of our A-game to every day of this. I think it’ll be a little bit different on our lineup, you know, after hunting.

On Briggs, a former host on Fox News, and if he will bring politics into the new show.

Briggs: We discussed all things 24-7 and did it in a very partisan manner. But I think the thing that you should take from Fox & Friends is that I can shift gears and do anything from current events, world events, to wars in the Middle East, to politics. Do I have a history of being somewhat political? Sure, but this is not a political show, and I don’t intend to steer it in that direction. I always try to bring balance to an issue, and even if I have a very strong opinion, I always welcome other opinions.”

Beadle: But we are going to do an hour special on Roe v. Wade anniversaries.

Briggs: I don’t shy away from talking about politics if Sam wants us to… I think that my past could allow us different discussions. We have a segment called ‘Head to Head,’ I could see myself saying, ‘Alright, who’s a worse dealmaker the United States Congress or the NHL?’ I think you could take things from my past that changes the discussion topic a little bit and steer it in that direction.

On developing chemistry on the show:

Beadle: We hang out. We go into rehearsal, we’re about to go into another one in a half hour, that’s just going to be part of it. In the next four days we are going to hang out as much as possible, get ourselves to New Orleans and practice and go to dinners. You just get a feel for working with each other and how the other works, and sometimes it clicks right away and sometimes it takes a little bit longer. I have no idea. I think that is kind of part of the nervous excitement of everything that’s going on over here.

Briggs: It’s tough to have to work with someone who has to sit in the makeup chair and worry about the hair, but Beadle will get used to the fact that I need those things.

Beadle: He does take a while.

On missing out on the sports-world wackiness during the last couple of weeks:

Beadle: The last 2-3 weeks have been gifts from the sports gods. Every day is kind of one more thing that we can talk about that’s fun. I’m just hoping that they have some more stories left in them come Monday because man, if I can get another dead, fake girlfriend who died of cancer out of this world, I think that we’re all winning.

Briggs: It has been very difficult this last week to 10 days to not have the show airing. There’s certainly no shortage of stories that are perfect for us. I wish we had Manti Te’o but there’s another fake girl just around the corner.

Beadle: Lots of them out there.

Briggs: Washington Redskins players just said that they too have been duped by a couple of fake online girls. There’s always a juicy story right around the next corner.

 

 

Take-aways from Te’o: Is Deadspin the new go-to for sports news? How it beat ESPN on big story

Posted on by

While the Manti Te’o story was blowing up last week, somebody asked me what it means for the future of sports journalism? Does Deadspin suddenly become our source for news?

I responded by pointing out a headline on the site that caught my attention just prior to Deadspin breaking the Te’o story last Wednesday. It read:

I want to film myself having sex with my wife without her knowing it.

Now this headline for Drew Magary’s Funbag letters column wasn’t stuck in a corner of the home page. It was front and center until the Te’o story hit.

The future of sports journalism? No, this isn’t your father’s Sporting News.

*****

Deadspin’s profile has gone up considerably thanks to a bunch of idiots who decided to hoax a naive linebacker. The original post generated more than 3 million page views. Deadspin was cited in reports by Anderson Cooper, Brian Williams, Scott Pelley, and everyone else. All in all, not a bad day.

In my mind, one of the bigger stories here is that Deadspin beat ESPN for the story.

Both outlets were tipped around the same time. ESPN has some of the best (and most expensive) reporters, editors, producers in the business.

Yet the WWL watched Deadspin, a site that regularly skewers ESPN, break the stunning tale. And to further underscore the David-Goliath angle, the reporters were Tim Burke, a 34-year-old video and assignment editor for the website, and Jack Dickey, who just happens to be a senior at Columbia University.

Wait a minute, the Bernstein of this piece still is getting college homework assignments? Time to turn pro, kid.

According to a post by Richard Deitsch of SI.com, the tipster picked Deadspin because “Deadspin was better equipped to do the search.”

The tipster couldn’t have known that Burke completed his doctoral studies at the University of South Florida with an expertise in identity, according to Deitsch’s piece. That’s a fairly strong asset in nailing down a story involving identity.

However, the tipster did have a feeling Deadspin, with its younger and yes, edgier, reporters would be able navigate through the computer maze better than anyone else. This story is about mining Google, Twitter, Facebook, and other information that’s out there if you know where to look.

If there’s a lesson to be learned here, it’s that social media can be a powerful tool in reporting in the new age.

As a result, Deadspin got the story; ESPN didn’t.

******

Deadspin’s slogan, if you will, is “Sports News Without Access, Favor, or Discretion.”

Let’s underline the discretion part. If you’re a target of Deadspin, you think the site is the devil incarnate.

I don’t think I’m breaking news when I say Deadspin’s mission seems to be to highlight the stupid and inane aspects of sports, and life in general. If they can embarrass a subject, all the better.

In regards to journalistic values, let’s not forget the site paid a source for the infamous Brett Favre penis photos. That practice puts Deadspin closer to the National Enquirer than the Washington Post.

And regarding the Te’o story, Deadspin went over the line when it quoted an anonymous source who said he was “80 percent sure” the linebacker had played a role in the hoax. As I wrote last week, most outlets wouldn’t have gone with a single source who wasn’t 100 percent certain with such a damning allegation.

Deadspin, though, is what it is. The site already had a big audience prior to last week’s story. All the exposure should result in more people checking it out.

If the Te’o fiasco showed anything, it’s that Deadspin will be a player for these stories in the future. This won’t be the last time the site nails a big one.

However, it also is going to be a site that trumpets headlines asking if it is OK to video yourself having sex with your wife without her knowing it? With those kind of headlines, how seriously can you take a site like that?

You be the judge.

By the way, Magary says your wife has to know.

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

Q/A with Eddie Olczyk: With short schedule, ‘It is such a crapshoot’; Pivotal season for Blackhawks

Posted on by

Eddie Olczyk needs to make up for lost time. So the NBC/Chicago Blackhawks analyst hardly is easing into the new season.

His schedule since last Saturday through Sunday:

Saturday: Los Angeles for Blackhawks-Kings; Sunday: Phoenix for Blackhawks-Coyotes; Tuesday: Chicago for St. Louis-Blackhawks; Wednesday: New York for Boston-Rangers; Thursday: Dallas for Chicago-Stars: Friday: East Lansing to Michigan State-Penn State (his son plays for Penn State); Saturday: Columbus for Chicago-Blue Jackets; Sunday: Chicago for Detroit-Blackhawks.

I get exhausted just typing that. But Olczyk doesn’t seem fazed.

“I just forge ahead,” he said.

Olczyk, one of the best analysts in any sport, knows being busy beats the alternative. With the NHL season finally kicking off Saturday, I asked Olczyk to assess the fallout and look ahead to the factors that will impact the short 48-game season. Also, as a bonus to the Chicago readers, Olczyk weighs in on what will be an important season for the Blackhawks.

How did you handle the time off?

For me, I lived through this before as a coach and a player. I understand the dynamics of what goes in it.

It was a chance to spend time with my family. I have two boys playing college hockey. I saw a lot of their games. I have a son whose team I help coach. I was at the rink five nights a week. So I was around hockey quite a bit.

Were you nervous the entire season would be wiped out?

I was always banking on the common sense part of it. On the inside, I was hoping we would play. But the longer you go, you wonder if common sense would kick in.  But it’s a business. There’s no guarantees. It happens with everything in life. Unfortunately for us, it happens far too often.

Was this all worth it? Will the sport be better off?

It’s too early to get your thumb print on it. Any time you lose games, it’s not a good thing. So many people were affected (on and off the ice).

Where does the league stand now compared to 2004-2005 when the entire season was lost?

Back then, they came back with a lot of gadgets. The shootout. People were really jazzed up about that. There were rules changes (for more offense). You had Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin coming on.

Now I think we’re relying more on the momentum that the sports captured over the last seven years. The playoffs were big last year. People were so happy all those outlets had all the games. We’re going to tell stories, tell people why the game is as great as it is. Not only in person but on television as well. The bottom line is, it’s entertainment. We have to entertain.

If you were coaching this year, how would you feel going into the season without any real training camp?

Certainly, there are going to be challenges. You had only five practices to implement your system.

It’s going to be a 48-game push. For coaches, time management is going to be the key. You’re going to go through tough stretches where you’re not playing well in a certain area. You may lose three in a row and your power play is 0 for 20. You want to practice, but you’re going to have give guys a day off. Maybe rest is the most important thing you can give them.

You’re going to have to watch a guy’s minutes. You’re going to be playing four games in six nights. For a lot of guys, it won’t be physically possible for them practice on that off day and have them ready to go.

What’s the impact of a reduced schedule?

With the short schedule, it is such a crapshoot. The only thing I know for sure, the first 14 games are going to be big. I don’t think you can make the playoffs in the first 14 games, but I think you can knock yourself out. Is that .500? Is that a game over?

Every night somebody is gaining on you. You have to be able to stay out of going 2-5 on a road trip. If you don’t win for two or three games, you’re going to drop off big time.

You can see how close the division races were in past years. You think about all games are within the conference this year. Everyone will need to brush up on the tie-breakers. With the short season, it’s going to be so close. The difference between home ice advantage and missing the playoffs…It’s going to be really, really crazy.

You work as a local TV analyst for the Blackhawks for Comcast SportsNet Chicago. Since winning the Stanley Cup in 2010, the Blackhawks have been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in two straight years. How big of a season is it for the Hawks?

There’s no doubt that they’ve got to take that next step. Losing in the first round is just not good enough. I know the philosophy of (owner Rocky Wirtz and team president John McDonough). Regardless of changeover or anything else, their expectations are one thing: To win.

The Hawks need the goaltending to go to another level. They need to be able to win those defensive type of games, those tight-checking, neutral zone type of games. There are their special teams. And put that in the blender, and hope you get to the next step.

Can they do it without making any major changes?

That’s a good question. They get Hossa back, they get Daniel Carcillo back, and he’ll give them a physical presence they were lacking for most of the season (Note: Carcillo got injured in the opener Saturday and will miss some significant time.) They have some depth on the back end, which will help. How much time will their best defenseman play (Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook)? And can they improve their power play?

Those things can be the difference, not only during the regular season, but in the playoffs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jeremy Schaap on Te’o interview: ‘If people saw him on camera, he’s very convincing’

Posted on by

It’s been whirlwind couple of days for Jeremy Schaap.

“I’ve been sitting in the same conference room for the last 17 hours,” said Schaap around noon on Saturday. “I’ve been up for the last 35-36 hours. Yeah, it’s been a bit crazy.”

I called Schaap to get the backstory and his insights into landing the big interview with Manti Te’o last night. He spoke to the former Notre Dame linebacker off-camera for 2 1/2 hours.

Update: Here’s a link with the edited transcript of the interview.

Earlier, I wrote Schaap now has become part of the story. He said in his 11-minute ESPN report that he thought Te’o was “credible” in telling how he was duped in an elaborate hoax. Schaap’s view carries a lot of weight since he is the only journalist to interview Te’o.

Here’s my Q/A with Schaap.

How did the interview come about?

We became aware of the story (about nine days ago). We were trying to break the story, but Deadspin beat us to it.

It looked like I was going to get an interview with Manti on Thursday night. I flew down Thursday morning. By the time I landed (in Bradenton, Fla.), the interview was definitely off. His advisors wanted more time to consider his options. They said they weren’t ready to put him on camera.

What happened Friday?

Yesterday, at 3, (a Te’o representative) said, it’s a go, but no cameras.

What was your reaction to the no cameras part?

I said, ‘We really would like to have cameras. This is TV.’ They felt he would be more comfortable doing this without cameras. They said, “He’ll open up more in a relaxed setting. He’ll be a better interview. That’s our condition. You can ask any question you want. You can keep him as long as you want.”

Our obligation journalistically is to submit him to the tough questions. Obviously, you can accomplish those things without a camera there. I understand there are people frustrated that it wasn’t on camera. None more so than I.

Was it a smart move on their part?

He was very candid and forthcoming. Who knows if he would have been as forthcoming with cameras there?

Part of me disagrees with his advisors here. He was so comfortable. If people actually saw him on camera, he would be convincing.

The dynamic, though, changes with a camera. So you don’t know.

Did you have to negotiate to use the sound bites on air?

Yes. I said, ‘You remember when the Washington Post interviewed Joe Paterno, they put out a couple of sound bites.’ We agreed to put out some sound bites that would best tell the story. In no way were we fettered with any restrictions other than being off camera, which is disappointing.

Was there any point in the interview where you felt he was lying to you?

He admitted he lied to his father. That led to the stories that he had met her. He admitted that he mislead interviewers. It was embarrassing for him to say he never met the love of his life.

Maybe I’m the most gullible guy in the world. It’s a strange position to be everyone’s believability monitor here.

But he was calm, composed. He wasn’t hemming and hawing. He didn’t lose track of dates and events. I didn’t think he was lying. I thought he was telling the truth. I’ll be blunt about that.

Did you think twice about being so strong with your judgment?

Sure, there’s some hesitation. You’re always hesitant when you report a story like this to offer up your opinion. But this was a special circumstance. Part of my responsibility here was to share my opinions with people.

If I’m watching on TV, the first thing I want to know is, “What’s his explanation?” The second thing is, “Do I believe him?” It’s a fine line. It’s not a line I haven’t crossed before.

How did you address the speculation that Te’o created these stories to cover up that he is gay?

I didn’t ask him any questions about that. I saw no credible information that would suggest that he is gay. During the course of our interview, without my prompting, he spoke several times about his romantic relationships with women. He said he had a girlfriend after learning (the made-up person) had died.

Are you confident that you hit him hard and asked all the right questions?

I’m sure someone will point out the things I missed. I’ve avoided the Internet during the last 12 hours.

I’m sure something will come to me at some point. But at this point, considering I’ve been up for the last 35 hours, nothing comes to mind.

Did his people indicate to you whether Te’o will do more interviews and eventually answer questions on TV?

They did indicate he would do something, but they didn’t say when and where.

There are interviews that never happen with athletes in this circumstance. Is it in his best interest to do more after our interview? It probably is, because he is very credible.

Will the story start to fade away now?

I think it does. People wanted to hear his side of the story. They heard him answer questions that were aggressively put to him.

I can say he was very relieved at the end of our interview. It appeared like he had a huge weight off of his shoulders.

Is this the nuttiest story of all time?

It’s up there. I was talking to a friend today. There’s a good quote from Arthur Conan Doyle (creator of Sherlock Holmes) that applies here:

“When you’ve eliminated all which is impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”

Heavy math: Sports on Earth NFL writer was Joe Flacco’s high school calculus teacher

Posted on by

Mike Tanier is different than any other NFL writer covering the playoffs for two reasons

A. Tanier is the only sportswriter who was Joe Flacco’s high school calculus teacher.

B. Tanier likely is the only sportswriter who understands calculus.

“Wait a minute, you know calculus?” I said about a subject that still gives me the shakes 35 years after graduating high school.

Tanier, who covers the NFL for the new Sports on Earth site, definitely has a unique story and a unique perspective on this year’s playoffs.

It didn’t begin for Tanier in the conventional way. Instead of getting a position in journalism after graduating college, he became a teacher at Audubon (N.J.) High School, outside of Philadelphia. It was a job he held for 17 years, as he moonlighted on the side as a football writer.

Besides Flacco, Tanier also taught future Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne. He had the foundation of a nice backfield in his classes.

The Baltimore Ravens quarterback took calculus from Tanier during 2001-02 school year. “For some reason, I taught the lowest levels of math and the highest levels of math,” Tanier said.

OK, where did Flacco fall, said, fearing the worst.

“He was in the highest level,” Tanier said. “He was a really smart kid. There were 4 or 5 of his teammates in his class.” Also in his class was Flacco’s future wife.

Tanier described Flacco as “quiet, dedicated, and very serious.” Still, he showed his quarterback qualities in class.

“When we had a group project, he took on the leadership position,” Tanier said.

As a football player at Audubon, Tanier recalled Flacco as an gifted athlete playing with a lot of not-so-gifted athletes. He said Flacco was throwing to a bunch of 5-10, 160-pound kids and “none of them were named Danny Amendola.”

Flacco eventually went on to fame at Delaware and then with the Ravens. Tanier didn’t expect their lives to intersect again, but they did.

Tanier, 41, always had a passion for sportswriting. When blogs started to exploded in the early 2000s, he started writing for the Football Outsiders. “I think they liked that I was able to use my math knowledge and apply it to football,” he said.

Tanier, though, wasn’t just a bland math geek (not to stereotype or anything). He took an offbeat approach to his posts. His bio on Sports on Earth includes this line: “He strives to write game capsules for people who hate game capsules: funny, offbeat, informative and as cliché-free as possible.”

Tanier began to contribute NFL capsules to the New York Times in 2009. Yet he still kept his day job as a teacher.

Eventually, though, he hit a crossroads. In 2011, he walked away from teaching.

“The reality hit that if the New York Times was putting my work in the Sunday paper, maybe I should pursue this professionally,” Tanier said. “It was the most difficult thing I ever had to do. I had tenure and I was well regarded as a teacher. I’m flabbergasted about how it turned out. There’s a million ways that this wouldn’t have happened.”

This year, Sports on Earth called. Now the former teacher has byline on the same home page as Joe Posnanski, Leigh Montville, Dave Kindred, Shaun Powell, Gwenn Knapp, among others.

This week, Tanier did a column on Flacco in advance of this week’s AFC title game. From reading it, you wouldn’t know that Tanier has a personal connection to the quarterback. He says he has criticized Flacco in the past and will in the future if events warrant.

Yet Tanier admits he isn’t completely objective when it comes to Flacco. He wants his former student to finally reach the Super Bowl.

“I absolutely root for him,” Tanier said. “I’ve never hidden the fact that I’m an Eagles fan. If they’re out of it, then I’m a Ravens fan.. This is a kid I used to see fool around with his buddies before class. It’s like any teacher. You want your former students to do well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nantz, Simms on the Bill Belichick you don’t know; ‘You would never think it’s same guy’

Posted on by

During a conference call Tuesday, I asked Jim Nantz to give us an inside look at Bill Belichick, who rarely lets anyone inside.

CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus interjected at one point. “Jim, I thought he normally gives you the first 15 plays.”

Good line. Everyone laughed because you’re supposed to laugh when the boss makes a joke.

However, while Belichick doesn’t share the script, Nantz maintains he sees a much different side to the coach than the dour one he usually displays in public. Nantz should know.

The AFC title game will be Nantz’s 62nd on the call for the Patriots. That’s nearly four full regular-seasons worth of games, a staggering number given that this is Nantz’s ninth year as the lead NFL voice for CBS.

The Patriots have been that good. NFL broadcast teams typically have information meetings with both coaches a day or two before the game. This week will mark Nantz’s 62nd session with Belichick.

“We usually meet with him on Friday at Gillette Stadium,” Nantz said. “I think he builds in a little extra time for us. There’s a lot more to him than people would ever think as far as his personality. He does a lot of storytelling. There are 15-20 minute stretches where he gets away from football. He wants to talk about a variety of subjects. It’s a time to hang out for him with one of his former players (analyst Phil Simms) and our small core (from CBS).

“If people saw a snapshot of those meetings compared to what he is like on the sidelines, you would never think it’s the same guy. I’m pleasantly surprised how much he shows of his personality.”

I ask, does he ever reveal his strategy? That prompted McManus’ line. If given the choice, Belichick wouldn’t disclose more than name, rank and serial number to the press.

“The answer to that question is yes,” Nantz said. “He is forthright about what is going to happen, especially about some of the comments he makes about the other team. As far as how he expects the game to go, he gives our lead analyst a lot of information.”

That lead analyst would be Simms. He and the coach have a long relationship, dating back to when Belichick was an assistant under Bill Parcells with the New York Giants.

“I find it interesting that we never even talk about the game sometimes,” Simms said. “Sometimes, I don’t ask questions because I already know a lot about the team. I do read between the lines with anybody I talk to.

“This is the thing I find fascinating about Bill: I’ll say, ‘Hey I read this football book,’ whether it’s on the wishbone or an autobiography, and he’ll say, ‘Oh yeah, I read that.’ I’ll tell him, ‘You know the zone read they’re using today? I know the team that used that in 1935.’ He’ll go, ‘Oh yeah, that was the Chicago Cardinals.’

“I’m never able to tell him anything he doesn’t already know. His history knowledge is the greatest I’ve ever seen in the NFL. A lot of interesting things come out of those meetings.”

Too bad McManus and CBS can’t air those meetings. Sounds like it would make good TV.