SI

Al Michaels Deserved Better From NBC

Also in Traina Thoughts: Saints mock Tommy DeVito; Steph Curry’s streak comes to stunning end; NFL Quote of the Day; and more.

Jimmy Traina

1. When the New York Post’s Andrew Marchand broke the news last week that NBC would not be using Al Michaels for its NFL playoff coverage this season, I wasn’t shocked.

After giving NBC’s decision some thought over the past week, though, I can’t help but think that the move is just really sh---y.

From a practical standpoint, I understand some of NBC’s thinking. Michaels does not work for NBC anymore, despite having some fake title. He works for Amazon. It would make sense that NBC would want to use its own people for the game. The network probably wants to get some publicity for Noah Eagle and Todd Blackledge, who call Big Ten games for NBC to small audiences. 

NBC will air four playoff games this season. Its regular Sunday night crew of Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth will call three of them.

I would also bet money that NBC, and likely the NFL, was not happy with the backlash from viewers last season when Michaels and Tony Dungy called the Chargers-Jaguars playoff game. I contend Dungy was the problem with that telecast, but Dungy still works for NBC, so the network wasn’t going to give him the boot and give Michaels a different partner this year.

But here’s what really makes kicking Michaels to the curb distasteful. Next season will be the last year of his contract with Amazon. Maybe Michaels will continue, or maybe he won’t. Would it have killed NBC to give Michaels one more playoff game this season and let him go out on a high note?

You can argue about whether Michaels, who called his first NFL game in 1973, is the greatest NFL play-by-play man of all time. What you can’t argue is that he’s, at worst, in the top three. He deserves better than being shunned by the network and then getting humiliated by how the news of his absence in the playoffs came out. 

The classy move from NBC would’ve been to tell Michaels it was going to give him this one last playoff game so he can then announce he’s going out on his own terms, get a proper send off from postseason football and use the game as an opportunity to get the bad taste from Chargers-Jaguars out of everyone’s mouth. There would’ve been zero harm in NBC’s waiting one more year to use Eagle and Blackledge. 

Instead, we now have this situation with Michaels that seems messy and unnecessary. 

2. It appears Tommy DeVito mania has come to a screeching halt. The Saints sacked the Giants‘ quarterback seven times Sunday and added insult to injury by repeatedly mocking DeVito’s signature hand gesture.

Meanwhile, DeVito and his agent, who received a lot of attention last week, are now embroiled in a business controversy. 

3. The Bears nearly pulled off an amazing Hail Mary at the end of Sunday’s game against the Browns.

The near miracle by Chicago led to a brutally honest postgame quote from Cleveland tight end David Njoku.

4. Sunday marked the first time since in five years that Steph Curry played in a game without making a three-pointer.

5. Here’s another great “Imagine if Twitter were around” moment. Back in 1989, the Bengals beat the Oilers 61–7 in a game filled with many “running up the score moments.” Cincinnati was trying onside kicks and throwing repeatedly in the second half. NFL fans would lose their minds if this had happened today.

6. The latest episode of SI Media With Jimmy Traina features an interview with New York Post sports media reporter Andrew Marchand.

Marchand discusses the news that NBC will not be using Al Michaels to call one of its four NFL playoff games this season; the fallout from MLB Network’s Jon Morosi erroneously reporting on a Shohei Ohtani flight to Toronto, leading to speculation that he’d sign with the Blue Jays; and whether the NBA’s in-season tournament was a success.

Other topics covered with Marchand include Troy Aikman’s pulling no punches regarding NFL officials, why flex scheduling is useless for Thursday Night Football, Tony Romo’s season and much more.

Following Marchand, Sal Licata from WFAN radio and SNY TV in New York joins me for our weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment. This week we talk about the curious response to Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito, why YouTube is such a better home for NFL Sunday Ticket than DirecTV and more.

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

You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on Sports Illustrated’s YouTube channel.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Eddie Murphy’s Raw came out 36 years today. It deserves to be celebrated.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out SI Media With Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.

Published
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.

Home/NFL