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Is a Jump to the NFL in Kirk Herbstreit's Future? TRAINA THOUGHTS

Could Kirk Herbstreit leave college football to call NFL games?

Jimmy Traina

Is a Jump to the NFL in Kirk Herbstreit's Future? TRAINA THOUGHTS
Is a Jump to the NFL in Kirk Herbstreit's Future? TRAINA THOUGHTS /

1. Kirk Herbstreit called an NFL game for the first time in his career during Week 1 of the season when he joined his partner, Chris Fowler, for Steelers-Giants on Monday night.

The longtime college football duo will work another NFL game Monday, when they call the rescheduled Patriots-Broncos game at 5 p.m. ET.

Could Herbstreit, who has been the lead analyst for ESPN Saturday Night Football on ABC since 2006, be ready to leave college football for the NFL?

Obviously, nothing is in the works at the moment since we're in the middle of both seasons, but there have been rumors Disney would like to get a second NFL package when the NFL negotiates new television deals. In fact, this was discussed on this week's SI Media Podcast with James Andrew Miller.

If ESPN/ABC end up with two NFL packages, that would give Herbstreit an opening to make the jump. 

Would he be open to that move? It sure sounded like it during a recent interview he gave to The Big Lead.

"I had an absolute ball calling that game [Steelers-Giants] and it made me reflect a little bit differently toward my future and what I might want to do down the road," Herbstreit said. "Like I said, I hope to always do college football. But if NFL would be in my future, I'm a lot more open to that thought than I was maybe prior to that experience."

Herbstreit added, "Most people in my shoes are just looking to grow and grow, 'one day maybe I'll do the NFL.' I've never had that. With that being said, I was blown away by how much I enjoyed that game."

Again, this is a long way from being a real thing, but the speculation is fun. Would Fowler also move over to the NFL? Who would ESPN turn to for a lead college football broadcast team? Would Herbstreit move to Monday Night Football even if Disney didn't land a second NFL package?

One thing that has to be enticing for ESPN when it comes to moving Herbstreit from college football on Saturday nights to Monday Night Football is that the network is in desperate need of some stability for the MNF booth. 

There isn't a football analyst around who could do that better than Herbstreit, who is popular, respected and always gives viewers a good broadcast.

2. You may hate them, but MLB has to love getting the Astros in the ALCS. Sports always need an enemy and people still haven't let go of Houston getting busted for its sign-stealing scam. Case in point:

Having a team most people can root against is always good for ratings, so while MLB can't admit, I'm sure executives did a little fist pump when Houston finished off the A's yesterday. And the Astros are embracing their role as villains.

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3. Just a super relatable quote here from Dodgers outfielder AJ Pollock after L.A. finished its sweep of San Diego last night.

4. DeMar DeRozan shared a great story about LeBron James on J.J. Redick's podcast, The Old Mad and the Three. According to DeRozan, during his time with the Raptors, LeBron once reminded a Toronto player how to run a play that he had forgotten how to run.

5. This week's episode of the SI Media Podcast features a conversation with author, reporter and podcast host James Andrew Miller.

Miller, who wrote epic books about ESPN and Saturday Night Live, talks about whether NFL ratings this year will have an impact on TV rights negotiations, how the pandemic could affect the NFL's TV contracts, whether ESPN will keep pursuing Peyton Manning for Monday Night Football, how ESPN has handled social justice issues the past few weeks, the return of Saturday Night Live, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Howard Stern's reported new deal with SiriusXM and much more.

You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher and Google Play.

6. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Let the great Bobby Heenan end your week on a high note.

7. SPORTS VIDEO OF THE DAY: It looked like Tom Brady didn't know what down it was at the end of the Bucs' loss to the Bears last night. After the game, Brady and Tampa coach Bruce Arians said Tom did know the downs. Either way, this is a good time to relive a classic sports moment.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Stitcher. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter and Instagram.

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Jimmy Traina
JIMMY TRAINA

Jimmy Traina is a staff writer and podcast host for Sports Illustrated. A 20-year veteran in the industry, he’s been covering the sports media landscape for seven years and writes a daily column, Traina Thoughts. Traina has hosted the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast since 2018, a show known for interviews with some of the most important and powerful people in sports media. He also was the creator and writer of SI’s Hot Clicks feature from 2007 to '13.

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