In the process of working on a golf-related story on Jim Nantz, I talked to CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus. Last night, I realized there is a McManus quote about Nantz in the piece that gets to a big part of CBS’ new deal with the NFL for the new Thursday night package.

“If you turn on the TV and hear his voice, you know it is a big event if Jim Nantz is doing it.” McManus said.

Indeed, the $250 million or so for the package is nice, but the NFL sought more. It wants a big-game feel to these Thursday night games.

Not to knock Brad Nessler, the previous voice of Thursday night football on NFL Network, and one of the best in the business, but he doesn’t do Super Bowls. Analyst Mike Mayock never was a Super Bowl MVP.

Nantz does Super Bowls. His analyst, Phil Simms, was a Super Bowl MVP.

Together, they call the biggest NFL games for CBS. The NFL believes their presence will elevate the Thursday night games to another level.

It is telling that Nantz and Simms, along with the CBS production crew, will call the entire Thursday night slate, and not just the eight games on CBS. Some of the reason, undoubtedly, has to do with continuity and the difficulty of a new broadcast team starting at mid-season. However, make no mistake, the league wants the the big-game feel of a Nantz-Simms telecast to carry over for the six Thursday night games (plus a Saturday night game) on NFL Network.

The NFL wants to make Thursday night into a showcase, putting it on the same level as Sunday and Monday night games. In order to do that, the league felt it needed an A-team crew. That’s what the NFL is getting in Nantz and Simms.

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The new Thursday night schedule will mean an incredibly busy fall for Nantz and Simms. However, McManus said they will have several Sundays off, presumably on CBS’ single-header weeks.

So who gets CBS’ No. 1 game on those days? Following the retirement of Dan Dierdorf from the Greg Gumbel No. 2 team, don’t be surprised if Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts get those top games. They have received high critical praise for their strong work.