The NFL Today
Encyclopedia
The NFL Today is an American sports series
that precedes the American football
program The NFL on CBS
on CBS Sports
. The program usually airs at noon
(ET) on Sundays of the National Football League
regular season
. The hosts and studio analysts on the program comment on the latest NFL events and make their game predictions.
, CBS Sports
broadcast the first remote 15-minute pre-game show, the first of its kind on network sports television. Pro Football Kickoff (with host Johnny Lujack
) originated from NFL stadiums around the country with a comprehensive look at all the day's games. This show was succeeded in 1962
and 1963
by NFL Kickoff (with Kyle Rote
hosting).
During the 1964
season, Frank Gifford
began hosting NFL Report, which later that season would be retitled The NFL Today. This version of The NFL Today was a 15-minute, regional sports program that presented interviews with National Football League players and coaches, and news and features about the NFL. In 1967
, The NFL Today expanded to a 30-minute format preceding game coverage.
On September 20, 1970, The NFL Today signed industry-pioneering women: Marjorie Margolies, who produced and reported features and actress Carole Howey, who also reported. Margolies would win election to the U.S. House
from Pennsylvania
in 1992 as Marjorie Margolies-Mezsvinsky.
In 1971
, Jack Whitaker
and Pat Summerall
took over hosting duties on The NFL Today from Frank Gifford, who left CBS to call play-by-play on ABC's Monday Night Football
.
In 1973
, The NFL Today began originating from CBS' New York studios. It now included reports from stadiums around the country. The program continued to be pre-recorded in advance of game day each week.
In 1974
, CBS abandoned the pre-recorded NFL Today show and its quickie wrap-up show, Pro Football Report, for a live, wrap-around style show entitled The NFL on CBS. It would start one-half hour before kickoff of either the singleheader or doubleheader telecast (12:30, 1:30 or 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time). On September 15, 1974, the revamped progam debuted with a new three-segment format: highlights of the day's games and commentary, special features shot during the week, and a third segment covering the day's sports news, including scores and highlights at halftime. The hosts were Jack Whitaker (brought into the studio after quite a few years at play-by-play) and Lee Leonard
. The show broke ground in a number of ways: Being live, showing half-time highlights of other CBS games, and then wrapping up as a post-game show. CBS no longer called its stadium studios or its pre-game set CBS Control, but the CBS Sports Center. There would also no longer be a third member of an on-air crew stationed at CBS Control providing scores, halftime info and - time permitting - post-game interviews, a position often held by Dick Stockton
during his early days at the network.
, a year in which it won 13 Emmy Award
s, with journalist Brent Musburger
and former NFL player Irv Cross
, and with former Miss America
Phyllis George
as one of the reporters. Jimmy Snyder
, nicknamed The Greek, joined in 1976
. Jack Whitaker also contributed to the program as an occasional reporter and essayist during this period.
By this time, the show began the complex process of producing three separate live pregame, halftime and postgame programs for 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. games. Also for the first time, signature musical pieces are produced for NFL coverage.
1979
was the first year the Sports Emmy Awards
were awarded to sports broadcasts; among the recipients was The NFL Today.
Phyllis George was replaced by Miss Ohio USA
1978 Jayne Kennedy
from the 1978
to the 1979 NFL season
and left the program after the 1983 season
. Jimmy Snyder was dismissed by CBS Sports
at the end of the 1987 season
, one day after making comments about racial differences among NFL players on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in 1988.
, Musburger was abruptly fired following a power shift at CBS on April 1, 1990, while Cross was demoted to the position of game analyst. They were replaced by Greg Gumbel
(former WFAN
morning host and brother to Bryant Gumbel
), famous former Pittsburgh Steelers
quarterback
Terry Bradshaw
and longtime sportswriter Lesley Visser
, bringing a female reporter back to The NFL Today for the first time since Phyllis George went on maternity leave during the 1983 season
.
After the 1993 season
, CBS Sports' contract with the NFL to transmit NFC games ended, and the NFC rights were passed to Fox Sports
. The NFL Today had a four-year break along with The NFL on CBS from the 1994
to the 1997 NFL season
s. Gumbel went over to NBC Sports
, Bradshaw to Fox NFL Sunday
and Visser to Monday Night Football
on ABC
. Gumbel and Visser would eventually return to CBS.
, NBC Sports' AFC
contract expired, and CBS Sports took over the rights to telecast its games.
In November 2004, the NFL signed 6-year contracts with CBS Sports ($
622.5 million per year) and Fox
($712.5 million per year) to continue broadcasting their respective AFC and NFC games from the 2006 to the 2011 seasons.
Chalk Talk, in which commentators and program guests discuss team strategies, and Outside the Huddle with computer-animated PUNT TV pregame host Thurston Long, who makes fun of people around the NFL. He is electronically rendered by animators of Scripted Improv Media, Synergistix Media, and of Viacom
(VIA), the publicly traded company that owns CBS
itself, and with the help of animators and animation software of face2face
, a joint venture
of Lucent Technologies
and other investors. On June 15, 2005, Viacom announced the spin-off its CBS division, which marked the end of Outside the Huddle.
The commentators of The NFL Today also comment on The NFL on CBS on game updates, on the Sprint
Halftime Report and on the Subway
Postgame Show.
At the start of that same 2003 regular season, CBS Sports introduced the new theme song Posthumus Zone
for The NFL Today and for The NFL on CBS. The song was made by Los Angeles
electronica
group E.S. Posthumus
, which is so named because it composes songs that have dead ancient cities as a motif
. In 2006
, E.S. Posthumus released their second CD, Rise to Glory, with the Posthumus Zone on it and with a remix of the Posthumus Zone called Rise to Glory. The song Rise to Glory was also featured on The NFL Today and on The NFL on CBS during the 2005 NFL season
.
, at 767 5th Avenue and 59th Street
(see the at Google Maps
), next to the southeast corner of Central Park
. The winter studio is Studio 43 of the CBS Broadcast Center
. However, starting in 2005, The NFL Today was broadcast from Studio 43 all year round. The current studio set for The NFL Today debuted the following season (2006), the same year the show began broadcasting in HD
.
became the studio host. Incidentally, during the 1993 season, Jim Nantz filled-in for his predecessor, Greg Gumbel while Gumbel was away covering the American League Championship Series
for CBS.
During the 1998 NFL season
, when the show returned, newcomer Bonnie Bernstein joined the both the show and the network. She only appeared on the show for one season until moving on to the NFL sidelines for the 1999 season
. She would eventually returned to the show in 2004
and 2005
.
In the meantime there have been eleven studio analysts on the program. The original lineup consisted of Nantz, Marcus Allen
, Brent Jones
, and George Seifert
and did not last past that season. In fact, only Nantz returned to the pregame the next season, being joined by former CBS College Football Today studio analyst Craig James, former CBS and NBC color commentator Randy Cross
and former Fox analyst Jerry Glanville
.
During the 2000 NFL season
, Lesley Visser
returned to CBS Sports
/The NFL Today after a 6 year hiatus. Visser served as a feature reporter on the show. Visser briefly left the show in 2004
and 2005
as she left to work as the lead reporter for top NFL games. She would eventually return to the show in 2006
as she still continues that role today.
The pregame was rebooted again after the 2001 season with Dan Marino
and Boomer Esiason
joining Nantz, 2000 addition Mike Ditka
and 2001 addition Deion Sanders
. Sanders left the broadcast team after Super Bowl XXXVIII
to return to the NFL, playing 2004
with the Baltimore Ravens. Nantz would follow shortly thereafter, being promoted to lead play-by-play broadcaster.
, Gumbel returned to the studio to replace him. To replace the departed Sanders, Shannon Sharpe
joined the team and has been there ever since.
During the 2004 NFL season
, Bonnie Bernstein took over Lesley Visser
's spot on the show while taking over Armen Keteyian
's spot as the lead sideline reporter for the NFL on CBS
teaming up with Nantz and Simms while Keteyian takes over Bernstein's spot on the No. 2 announce team. Those three held their positions for two seasons. This was Bernstein's return to The NFL Today after five seasons on the sidelines while Visser returned to the sidelines after a brief hiatus of four years.
announced the hiring of James Brown, who moved from studio host of Fox NFL Sunday
to the host of the The NFL Today. Greg Gumbel moved back to play-by-play, teaming with Dan Dierdorf
on the second team replacing Dick Enberg
.
During the 2006 NFL season
, Lesley Visser
returned to The NFL Today after a two year hiatus. Visser once again served as Feature Reporter. She continues to hold that position today. Bonnie Bernstein left the network to pursue other broadcasting opportunities. Aside from Visser returning to the show, Sam Ryan joined CBS Sports
/The NFL Todayas she joined the network in June 2006. Ryan left the network after the 2010 NFL season.
In 2007
, CBS added a fifth member to its studio analyst table by adding recently retired coach Bill Cowher
.
During Week 5 of the 2010 regular season
, Spero Dedes
filled in for Greg Gumbel for the Kansas City Chiefs
vs. Indianapolis Colts
matchup and Gumbel filled in for an ill James Brown on The NFL Today.
Sunday, generally from the site of the game. The Super Bowl Today is only broadcast during years when CBS
has rights to televise the Super Bowl.
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
that precedes the American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
program The NFL on CBS
NFL on CBS
The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:...
on CBS Sports
CBS Sports
CBS Sports is a division of CBS Broadcasting which airs sporting events on the American television network. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on West 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street.CBS...
. The program usually airs at noon
Noon
Noon is usually defined as 12 o'clock in the daytime. The word noon is also used informally to mean midday regarding the location of the sun not the middle of a persons day. Although this is a time around the middle of the day when people in many countries take a lunch break...
(ET) on Sundays of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
regular season
Regular season (NFL)
The National Football League regular season begins the weekend after Labor Day. Each team plays 16 games during a 17-week period. Traditionally, the majority of each week's games are played on Sunday afternoon, with weekly games on Sunday night and Monday night, and occasional games on Thursday...
. The hosts and studio analysts on the program comment on the latest NFL events and make their game predictions.
Dawn of the pregame format (1961–1974)
On September 17, 19611961 NFL season
The 1961 NFL season was the 42nd regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 14 teams with the addition of the Minnesota Vikings, after the team's owners declined to be charter members of the new American Football League. The schedule was also expanded from 12 games per...
, CBS Sports
CBS Sports
CBS Sports is a division of CBS Broadcasting which airs sporting events on the American television network. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on West 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street.CBS...
broadcast the first remote 15-minute pre-game show, the first of its kind on network sports television. Pro Football Kickoff (with host Johnny Lujack
Johnny Lujack
John Christopher Lujack Jr. is a former American football quarterback and 1947 Heisman Trophy winner.Lujack was born on January 4, 1925, in Connellsville, Pennsylvania. He played college football for the University of Notre Dame, and professionally for the Chicago Bears. Lujack was the first of...
) originated from NFL stadiums around the country with a comprehensive look at all the day's games. This show was succeeded in 1962
1962 NFL season
The 1962 NFL season was the 43rd regular season of the National Football League. Before the season, CBS signed a contract with the league to televise all regular-season games for a $4.65 million annual fee....
and 1963
1963 NFL season
The 1963 NFL season was the 44th regular season of the National Football League. On April 17, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle indefinitely suspended Green Bay Packers running back Paul Hornung and Detroit Lions defensive tackle Alex Karras for gambling on their own teams, as well as other NFL games;...
by NFL Kickoff (with Kyle Rote
Kyle Rote
William Kyle Rote, Sr. was an American football player and sports announcer.-Early life:Rote attended Thomas Jefferson High School in San Antonio, Texas, where he was an all-state basketball and football player....
hosting).
During the 1964
1964 NFL season
The 1964 NFL season was the 45th regular season of the National Football League. Before the season started, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle reinstated Green Bay Packers running back Paul Hornung and Detroit Lions defensive tackle Alex Karras, who had been suspended for the 1963 season due to...
season, Frank Gifford
Frank Gifford
Francis Newton "Frank" Gifford is a Hall of Fame former American football player and American sportscaster.-Early life:Gifford was born in Santa Monica, California, the son of Lola Mae and Weldon Gifford, an oil driller....
began hosting NFL Report, which later that season would be retitled The NFL Today. This version of The NFL Today was a 15-minute, regional sports program that presented interviews with National Football League players and coaches, and news and features about the NFL. In 1967
1967 NFL season
The 1967 NFL season was the 48th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 16 teams with the addition of the New Orleans Saints. The league's teams were realigned into four divisions: the Capitol and Century Divisions in the Eastern Conference, and the Central and...
, The NFL Today expanded to a 30-minute format preceding game coverage.
On September 20, 1970, The NFL Today signed industry-pioneering women: Marjorie Margolies, who produced and reported features and actress Carole Howey, who also reported. Margolies would win election to the U.S. House
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
in 1992 as Marjorie Margolies-Mezsvinsky.
In 1971
1971 NFL season
The 1971 NFL season was the 52nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl VI when the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Miami Dolphins...
, Jack Whitaker
Jack Whitaker (sportscaster)
Jack Whitaker in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is an American sportscaster who worked for both CBS and ABC.-Early life and career:...
and Pat Summerall
Pat Summerall
George Allen "Pat" Summerall is a former American football player and television sportscaster, having worked at CBS, Fox, and ESPN.Summerall is best known for his work with John Madden on NFL telecasts for CBS and Fox.-High school:...
took over hosting duties on The NFL Today from Frank Gifford, who left CBS to call play-by-play on ABC's Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
.
In 1973
1973 NFL season
The 1973 NFL season was the 54th regular season of the National Football League. The season featured O.J. Simpson becoming the first man to rush for 2,000 yards in one season...
, The NFL Today began originating from CBS' New York studios. It now included reports from stadiums around the country. The program continued to be pre-recorded in advance of game day each week.
In 1974
1974 NFL season
The 1974 NFL season was the 55th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl IX when the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Minnesota Vikings...
, CBS abandoned the pre-recorded NFL Today show and its quickie wrap-up show, Pro Football Report, for a live, wrap-around style show entitled The NFL on CBS. It would start one-half hour before kickoff of either the singleheader or doubleheader telecast (12:30, 1:30 or 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time). On September 15, 1974, the revamped progam debuted with a new three-segment format: highlights of the day's games and commentary, special features shot during the week, and a third segment covering the day's sports news, including scores and highlights at halftime. The hosts were Jack Whitaker (brought into the studio after quite a few years at play-by-play) and Lee Leonard
Lee Leonard
Lee Leonard is an American television personality who was involved in the launch of cable television networks ESPN and CNN.-Early life:...
. The show broke ground in a number of ways: Being live, showing half-time highlights of other CBS games, and then wrapping up as a post-game show. CBS no longer called its stadium studios or its pre-game set CBS Control, but the CBS Sports Center. There would also no longer be a third member of an on-air crew stationed at CBS Control providing scores, halftime info and - time permitting - post-game interviews, a position often held by Dick Stockton
Dick Stockton
Dick Stockton is an American sportscaster. He is currently employed by Fox Sports and Turner Sports as a football, baseball, and basketball play-by-play announcer.-Early life and career:...
during his early days at the network.
Musburger and Cross (1975–1989)
The NFL Today title was reinstated in 19751975 NFL season
The 1975 NFL season was the 56th regular season of the National Football League. It was also the first time that featured an entire season with no games ending in a tie. The league made two significant changes to increase the appeal of the game:...
, a year in which it won 13 Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
s, with journalist Brent Musburger
Brent Musburger
Brent Woody Musburger is an American sportscaster for the ESPN and ABC television networks. Formerly with CBS Sports and one of the original members of their legendary program The NFL Today, Musburger has covered NASCAR, NBA, MLB, NCAA football and basketball games. Musburger has also served as a...
and former NFL player Irv Cross
Irv Cross
Irvin Acie "Irv" Cross is a former professional American football cornerback and sportscaster.-Playing career:Cross was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the seventh round of the 1961 NFL Draft. In 1966 he was traded to the Los Angeles Rams. Then in 1969, he returned to the Eagles and became...
, and with former Miss America
Miss America
The Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
Phyllis George
Phyllis George
Phyllis Ann George Brown is an American businesswoman, actress and a former sportscaster. She is a former Miss Texas and Miss America of 1971.- Early life :...
as one of the reporters. Jimmy Snyder
Jimmy Snyder
Dimetrios Georgios Synodinos , better known as Jimmy "the Greek" Snyder, was an American sports commentator and Las Vegas bookie.-Life and career:...
, nicknamed The Greek, joined in 1976
1976 NFL season
The 1976 NFL season was the 57th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 28 teams with the addition of the Seattle Seahawks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers...
. Jack Whitaker also contributed to the program as an occasional reporter and essayist during this period.
By this time, the show began the complex process of producing three separate live pregame, halftime and postgame programs for 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. games. Also for the first time, signature musical pieces are produced for NFL coverage.
1979
1979 NFL season
The 1979 NFL season was the 60th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XIV when the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Los Angeles Rams...
was the first year the Sports Emmy Awards
Sports Emmy Awards
The Sports Emmy Awards are presented by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in recognition of excellence in American sports television programming, including sports-related series, live coverage of sporting events, and best sports announcers...
were awarded to sports broadcasts; among the recipients was The NFL Today.
Phyllis George was replaced by Miss Ohio USA
Miss Ohio USA
The Miss Ohio USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Ohio in the Miss USA pageant.Ohio achieved success in the first decades of the Miss USA competition but has not done as well in recent years...
1978 Jayne Kennedy
Jayne Kennedy
Jayne Kennedy is an NAACP Image Award-winning American actress, model and sportscaster.-Miss Ohio USA:...
from the 1978
1978 NFL season
The 1978 NFL season was the 59th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded the regular season from a 14-game schedule to 16. Furthermore, the playoff format was expanded from 8 teams to 10 teams by adding another wild card from each conference...
to the 1979 NFL season
1979 NFL season
The 1979 NFL season was the 60th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XIV when the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Los Angeles Rams...
and left the program after the 1983 season
1983 NFL season
The 1983 NFL season was the 64th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XVIII when the Los Angeles Raiders defeated the Washington Redskins.-Major rule changes:...
. Jimmy Snyder was dismissed by CBS Sports
CBS Sports
CBS Sports is a division of CBS Broadcasting which airs sporting events on the American television network. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on West 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street.CBS...
at the end of the 1987 season
1987 NFL season
The 1987 NFL season was the 68th regular season of the National Football League. A 24-day players' strike reduced the 16-game season to 15. The games that were scheduled for the third week of the season were canceled, but the games for weeks 4–6 were played with replacement players...
, one day after making comments about racial differences among NFL players on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in 1988.
Gumbel and Bradshaw (1990–1993)
After the 1989 NFL season1989 NFL season
The 1989 NFL season was the 70th regular season of the National Football League. Before the season, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle announced his retirement...
, Musburger was abruptly fired following a power shift at CBS on April 1, 1990, while Cross was demoted to the position of game analyst. They were replaced by Greg Gumbel
Greg Gumbel
Greg Gumbel is an American television sportscaster. He is best known for his various assignments on the CBS network...
(former WFAN
WFAN
WFAN , also known as "Sports Radio 66" or "The FAN", is a radio station in New York City. The station broadcasts on a clear channel and is owned by CBS Radio...
morning host and brother to Bryant Gumbel
Bryant Gumbel
Bryant Charles Gumbel is an American television journalist and sportscaster. He is best known for his 15 years as co-host of NBC's The Today Show. He is the younger brother of sportscaster Greg Gumbel.-Early life:...
), famous former Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Terry Bradshaw
Terry Bradshaw
Terry Paxton Bradshaw is a former American football quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League . He played 14 seasons. He is a football analyst and co-host of Fox NFL Sunday...
and longtime sportswriter Lesley Visser
Lesley Visser
Lesley Candace Visser is an American sportscaster, radio personality, and sportswriter. Visser is the first female NFL analyst on TV, and the only sportscaster in history, male or female, who has worked on Final Four, NBA Finals, World Series, Triple Crown, Monday Night Football, the Olympics, the...
, bringing a female reporter back to The NFL Today for the first time since Phyllis George went on maternity leave during the 1983 season
1983 NFL season
The 1983 NFL season was the 64th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XVIII when the Los Angeles Raiders defeated the Washington Redskins.-Major rule changes:...
.
After the 1993 season
1993 NFL season
The 1993 NFL season was the 74th regular season of the National Football League. For the first time in league history, all NFL teams played their 16-game schedule over a span of 18 weeks. After the success of expanding the regular season to a period of 17 weeks in 1990, the league hoped this new...
, CBS Sports' contract with the NFL to transmit NFC games ended, and the NFC rights were passed to Fox Sports
Fox Sports (USA)
Fox Sports is a division of the Fox Broadcasting Company . It was formed in 1994 with Fox's acquisition of broadcast rights to National Football League games...
. The NFL Today had a four-year break along with The NFL on CBS from the 1994
1994 NFL season
The 1994 NFL season was the 75th regular season of the National Football League. To honor the NFL's 75th season, a special anniversary logo was designed and each player wore a patch on their jerseys with this logo throughout the season...
to the 1997 NFL season
1997 NFL season
The 1997 NFL season was the 78th regular season of the National Football League. The Oilers relocated from Houston, Texas to Nashville, Tennessee...
s. Gumbel went over to NBC Sports
NBC Sports
NBC Sports is the sports division of the NBC television network. Formerly "a service of NBC News," it broadcasts a diverse array of programs, including the Olympic Games, the NFL, the NHL, MLS, Notre Dame football, the PGA Tour, the Triple Crown, and the French Open, among others...
, Bradshaw to Fox NFL Sunday
FOX NFL Sunday
Fox NFL Sunday is the pregame show for the TV show NFL on Fox. The program is broadcast on Fox television affiliates nationwide. The audio portion of the show is broadcast over the Fox Sports Radio network, distributed by Premiere Radio Networks...
and Visser to Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
. Gumbel and Visser would eventually return to CBS.
CBS reacquires rights (1998–present)
In 19981998 NFL season
The 1998 NFL season was the 79th regular season of the National Football League.The Tennessee Oilers moved their home games from Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis to Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, still awaiting construction on a new stadium in Nashville.This was the first season that CBS...
, NBC Sports' AFC
American Football Conference
The American Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the National Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL....
contract expired, and CBS Sports took over the rights to telecast its games.
In November 2004, the NFL signed 6-year contracts with CBS Sports ($
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
622.5 million per year) and Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
($712.5 million per year) to continue broadcasting their respective AFC and NFC games from the 2006 to the 2011 seasons.
Regular segments
The show includes segments like the CarQuestCarquest
Carquest Auto Parts is a chain of auto-supply stores. There are over 3,400 Carquest Auto Parts locations in North America. The company is a supplier to National Account customers like Goodyear, Firestone, CarMax, Meineke, Midas, American Tire Dealers. General Parts International Inc. is the largest...
Chalk Talk, in which commentators and program guests discuss team strategies, and Outside the Huddle with computer-animated PUNT TV pregame host Thurston Long, who makes fun of people around the NFL. He is electronically rendered by animators of Scripted Improv Media, Synergistix Media, and of Viacom
Viacom
Viacom Inc. , short for "Video & Audio Communications", is an American media conglomerate with interests primarily in, but not limited to, cinema and cable television...
(VIA), the publicly traded company that owns CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
itself, and with the help of animators and animation software of face2face
Face2face
face2face is a proprietary proximity-based mobile application developed by Proximate Global Inc. that allows users to identify when members of their social networks are nearby, within walking distance, without sacrificing privacy....
, a joint venture
Joint venture
A joint venture is a business agreement in which parties agree to develop, for a finite time, a new entity and new assets by contributing equity. They exercise control over the enterprise and consequently share revenues, expenses and assets...
of Lucent Technologies
Lucent Technologies
Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc., originally Lucent Technologies, Inc. is a French-owned technology company composed of what was formerly AT&T Technologies, which included Western Electric and Bell Labs...
and other investors. On June 15, 2005, Viacom announced the spin-off its CBS division, which marked the end of Outside the Huddle.
The commentators of The NFL Today also comment on The NFL on CBS on game updates, on the Sprint
Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel Corporation is an American telecommunications company based in Overland Park, Kansas. The company owns and operates Sprint, the third largest wireless telecommunications network in the United States, with 53.4 million customers, behind Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility...
Halftime Report and on the Subway
Subway (restaurant)
Subway is an American restaurant franchise that primarily sells submarine sandwiches and salads. It is owned and operated by Doctor's Associates, Inc. . Subway is one of the fastest growing franchises in the world with 35,519 restaurants in 98 countries and territories as of October 25th, 2011...
Postgame Show.
At the start of that same 2003 regular season, CBS Sports introduced the new theme song Posthumus Zone
Posthumus Zone
"Posthumus Zone" is a song composed by the Los Angeles electronic music group E.S. Posthumus for the TV programs The NFL on CBS and The NFL Today on CBS Sports...
for The NFL Today and for The NFL on CBS. The song was made by Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
group E.S. Posthumus
E.S. Posthumus
Unearthed, the first album composed by E.S. Posthumus, was originally made available for purchase online through the CD Baby website in January 2001. It became the third-biggest selling album in CDBaby's history...
, which is so named because it composes songs that have dead ancient cities as a motif
Motif (music)
In music, a motif or motive is a short musical idea, a salient recurring figure, musical fragment or succession of notes that has some special importance in or is characteristic of a composition....
. In 2006
2006 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2006.-January:*January 10 – Eric Burdon releases his album Soul of a Man and begins touring with a new band....
, E.S. Posthumus released their second CD, Rise to Glory, with the Posthumus Zone on it and with a remix of the Posthumus Zone called Rise to Glory. The song Rise to Glory was also featured on The NFL Today and on The NFL on CBS during the 2005 NFL season
2005 NFL season
The 2005 NFL season was the 86th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 8, 2005 to January 1, 2006...
.
Studio sets
Nowadays, the program usually runs on Sunday at noon, Eastern Time, and lasts one hour. The outdoor studio, which was used during the fall, was set up on Sunday mornings at a plaza in front of the reflecting glass structure of the Apple Store in the General Motors BuildingGeneral Motors Building (New York)
The General Motors Building is a 50-story, 705-foot office tower in Manhattan, New York City, facing Fifth Avenue at 59th Street . The building is one of the few structures in Manhattan that occupies a full city block...
, at 767 5th Avenue and 59th Street
59th Street (Manhattan)
59th Street in the New York City borough of Manhattan runs east-west, from York Avenue to the West Side Highway, with a discontinuity between Ninth Avenue/Columbus Avenue and Eighth Avenue/Central Park West for the Time Warner Center. Although it is bi-directional for most of its length, the...
(see the at Google Maps
Google Maps
Google Maps is a web mapping service application and technology provided by Google, free , that powers many map-based services, including the Google Maps website, Google Ride Finder, Google Transit, and maps embedded on third-party websites via the Google Maps API...
), next to the southeast corner of Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
. The winter studio is Studio 43 of the CBS Broadcast Center
CBS Broadcast Center
The CBS Broadcast Center is a television and radio production facility located in New York City, New York. It is CBS's main East Coast production center, much as Television City in Los Angeles is the West Coast hub.-Overview:...
. However, starting in 2005, The NFL Today was broadcast from Studio 43 all year round. The current studio set for The NFL Today debuted the following season (2006), the same year the show began broadcasting in HD
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
.
Under Jim Nantz
Greg Gumbel came back from NBC Sports to work as the lead play-by-play announcer for The NFL on CBS. Jim NantzJim Nantz
James William Nantz, III is an American sportscaster, known primarily for his work with CBS Sports television.-Early life:...
became the studio host. Incidentally, during the 1993 season, Jim Nantz filled-in for his predecessor, Greg Gumbel while Gumbel was away covering the American League Championship Series
1993 American League Championship Series
-Game 1:Tuesday, October 5, 1993 at Comiskey Park in Chicago, IllinoisThe ALCS opened at Comiskey Park with a battle of aces, as Toronto threw Juan Guzmán against Chicago's Jack McDowell, the eventual 1993 American League Cy Young Award winner...
for CBS.
During the 1998 NFL season
1998 NFL season
The 1998 NFL season was the 79th regular season of the National Football League.The Tennessee Oilers moved their home games from Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis to Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, still awaiting construction on a new stadium in Nashville.This was the first season that CBS...
, when the show returned, newcomer Bonnie Bernstein joined the both the show and the network. She only appeared on the show for one season until moving on to the NFL sidelines for the 1999 season
1999 NFL season
The 1999 NFL season was the 80th regular season of the National Football League. The Cleveland Browns returned to the field for the first time since the 1995 season...
. She would eventually returned to the show in 2004
2004 NFL season
The 2004 NFL season was the 85th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 9, 2004 to January 2, 2005...
and 2005
2005 NFL season
The 2005 NFL season was the 86th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 8, 2005 to January 1, 2006...
.
In the meantime there have been eleven studio analysts on the program. The original lineup consisted of Nantz, Marcus Allen
Marcus Allen
Marcus LeMarr Allen is a former American football player and, until recently, was affiliated with CBS as a game analyst. As a professional, Allen ran for 12,243 yards and caught 587 passes for 5,412 yards during his career for both the Los Angeles Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs from 1982 to 1997...
, Brent Jones
Brent Jones
Brent Michael Jones is a former American Football tight end who played almost his entire career with the San Francisco 49ers from 1987 to 1997. He was selected in the 5th round by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1986 NFL Draft...
, and George Seifert
George Seifert
George Seifert is a former NFL head coach of the San Francisco 49ers and the Carolina Panthers. Seifert joined the 49ers' coaching staff under Bill Walsh in 1980 as defensive backs coach and served as the team's defensive coordinator from 1983–1988.As a 49er assistant, his defenses finished...
and did not last past that season. In fact, only Nantz returned to the pregame the next season, being joined by former CBS College Football Today studio analyst Craig James, former CBS and NBC color commentator Randy Cross
Randy Cross
Randall "Randy" Laureat Cross , is a football analyst and former NFL offensive lineman. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in July 2011.-High school years:...
and former Fox analyst Jerry Glanville
Jerry Glanville
Jerry Glanville is a former American football player and current head coach of the Hartford Colonials of the United Football League, former NASCAR driver and owner, and sportscaster in the United States. He served the head coach of the Houston Oilers from 1986 to 1990 and the Atlanta Falcons from...
.
During the 2000 NFL season
2000 NFL season
The 2000 NFL season was the 81st regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXXV when the Baltimore Ravens defeated the New York Giants.Week 1 of the season reverted to Labor Day weekend in 2000...
, Lesley Visser
Lesley Visser
Lesley Candace Visser is an American sportscaster, radio personality, and sportswriter. Visser is the first female NFL analyst on TV, and the only sportscaster in history, male or female, who has worked on Final Four, NBA Finals, World Series, Triple Crown, Monday Night Football, the Olympics, the...
returned to CBS Sports
CBS Sports
CBS Sports is a division of CBS Broadcasting which airs sporting events on the American television network. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on West 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street.CBS...
/The NFL Today after a 6 year hiatus. Visser served as a feature reporter on the show. Visser briefly left the show in 2004
2004 NFL season
The 2004 NFL season was the 85th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 9, 2004 to January 2, 2005...
and 2005
2005 NFL season
The 2005 NFL season was the 86th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 8, 2005 to January 1, 2006...
as she left to work as the lead reporter for top NFL games. She would eventually return to the show in 2006
2006 NFL season
The 2006 NFL season was the 87th regular season of the National Football League.Regular season play was held from September 7 to December 31, 2006...
as she still continues that role today.
The pregame was rebooted again after the 2001 season with Dan Marino
Dan Marino
Daniel Constantine "Dan" Marino, Jr. is a retired American football quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League...
and Boomer Esiason
Boomer Esiason
Norman Julius "Boomer" Esiason is a former American football quarterback and current network color commentator. He played for the National Football League's Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets, and Arizona Cardinals before working as an analyst for ABC and HBO...
joining Nantz, 2000 addition Mike Ditka
Mike Ditka
Michael Keller Ditka, Jr. is a former American football NFL player, television commentator, and coach. Ditka coached the Chicago Bears for 11 years and New Orleans Saints for three years. Ditka and Tom Flores are the only two people to win Super Bowls as a player, an assistant coach, and a head...
and 2001 addition Deion Sanders
Deion Sanders
Deion Luwynn Sanders , nicknamed "Prime Time" and "Neon Deion", is a former National Football League cornerback and Major League Baseball outfielder who currently works as an NFL Network analyst...
. Sanders left the broadcast team after Super Bowl XXXVIII
Super Bowl XXXVIII
Super Bowl XXXVIII was an American football game played on February 1, 2004 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas to decide the National Football League champion following the 2003 regular season....
to return to the NFL, playing 2004
2004 NFL season
The 2004 NFL season was the 85th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 9, 2004 to January 2, 2005...
with the Baltimore Ravens. Nantz would follow shortly thereafter, being promoted to lead play-by-play broadcaster.
Under Greg Gumbel (the second time)
With Nantz moving to the lead broadcast team alongside Phil SimmsPhil Simms
Phillip Martin "Phil" Simms is a former American football quarterback, and currently a television sportscaster for the CBS network. After a standout career at Morehead State University, Simms was drafted in the first round by the New York Giants of the National Football League with the number...
, Gumbel returned to the studio to replace him. To replace the departed Sanders, Shannon Sharpe
Shannon Sharpe
Shannon Sharpe is a former American Football tight end who played for the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. Sharpe is known for his creative commentary and trash talking. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and inducted on August 6, 2011...
joined the team and has been there ever since.
During the 2004 NFL season
2004 NFL season
The 2004 NFL season was the 85th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 9, 2004 to January 2, 2005...
, Bonnie Bernstein took over Lesley Visser
Lesley Visser
Lesley Candace Visser is an American sportscaster, radio personality, and sportswriter. Visser is the first female NFL analyst on TV, and the only sportscaster in history, male or female, who has worked on Final Four, NBA Finals, World Series, Triple Crown, Monday Night Football, the Olympics, the...
's spot on the show while taking over Armen Keteyian
Armen Keteyian
Armen Keteyian is an American television journalist and author. He is currently CBS News' Chief Investigative Correspondent based out of New York, reporting primarily for the CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley, while also contributing to 60 Minutes.-Early life and career:Keteyian was born in...
's spot as the lead sideline reporter for the NFL on CBS
NFL on CBS
The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:...
teaming up with Nantz and Simms while Keteyian takes over Bernstein's spot on the No. 2 announce team. Those three held their positions for two seasons. This was Bernstein's return to The NFL Today after five seasons on the sidelines while Visser returned to the sidelines after a brief hiatus of four years.
Under James Brown
On February 6, 2006, CBS SportsCBS Sports
CBS Sports is a division of CBS Broadcasting which airs sporting events on the American television network. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on West 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street.CBS...
announced the hiring of James Brown, who moved from studio host of Fox NFL Sunday
FOX NFL Sunday
Fox NFL Sunday is the pregame show for the TV show NFL on Fox. The program is broadcast on Fox television affiliates nationwide. The audio portion of the show is broadcast over the Fox Sports Radio network, distributed by Premiere Radio Networks...
to the host of the The NFL Today. Greg Gumbel moved back to play-by-play, teaming with Dan Dierdorf
Dan Dierdorf
Daniel Lee "Dan" Dierdorf is a former American football player and current television sportscaster. He played 13 NFL seasons and has worked for ABC's Monday Night Football and CBS as a color commentator since retiring from football....
on the second team replacing Dick Enberg
Dick Enberg
Richard Alan "Dick" Enberg is an American sportscaster. He currently provides play-by-play for telecasts of San Diego Padres baseball on 4SD, following a long career calling various sports for such networks as NBC, CBS, and ESPN...
.
During the 2006 NFL season
2006 NFL season
The 2006 NFL season was the 87th regular season of the National Football League.Regular season play was held from September 7 to December 31, 2006...
, Lesley Visser
Lesley Visser
Lesley Candace Visser is an American sportscaster, radio personality, and sportswriter. Visser is the first female NFL analyst on TV, and the only sportscaster in history, male or female, who has worked on Final Four, NBA Finals, World Series, Triple Crown, Monday Night Football, the Olympics, the...
returned to The NFL Today after a two year hiatus. Visser once again served as Feature Reporter. She continues to hold that position today. Bonnie Bernstein left the network to pursue other broadcasting opportunities. Aside from Visser returning to the show, Sam Ryan joined CBS Sports
CBS Sports
CBS Sports is a division of CBS Broadcasting which airs sporting events on the American television network. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on West 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street.CBS...
/The NFL Todayas she joined the network in June 2006. Ryan left the network after the 2010 NFL season.
In 2007
2007 NFL season
The 2007 NFL season was the 88th regular season of the National Football League.Regular-season play was held from September 6 to December 30....
, CBS added a fifth member to its studio analyst table by adding recently retired coach Bill Cowher
Bill Cowher
William Laird "Bill" Cowher is a former American football coach and player. Cowher resigned after 15 seasons as the Steelers' coach on January 5, 2007, 11 months to the day after winning 2005–06's Super Bowl XL...
.
During Week 5 of the 2010 regular season
2010 NFL season
The 2010 NFL season was the 91st regular season of the National Football League.The regular season began with the NFL Kickoff game on NBC on Thursday, September 9, at the Louisiana Superdome as the New Orleans Saints, Super Bowl XLIV champions, defeated the Minnesota Vikings 14–9.Tom Brady,...
, Spero Dedes
Spero Dedes
Spero Dedes is a Greek-American sportscaster born in Paramus, New Jersey. He is a graduate of Paramus High School and a 2001 graduate of Fordham University in New York....
filled in for Greg Gumbel for the Kansas City Chiefs
2010 Kansas City Chiefs season
The 2010 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's 41st season in the National Football League, the 51st overall and the second under the head coach/general manager tandem of Todd Haley and Scott Pioli. The team improved on its 4–12 record from 2009, and won their first AFC West division title...
vs. Indianapolis Colts
2010 Indianapolis Colts season
The 2010 Indianapolis Colts season was the 58th season for the team in the National Football League, the 27th in Indianapolis, and the second under head coach Jim Caldwell...
matchup and Gumbel filled in for an ill James Brown on The NFL Today.
The Super Bowl Today
The Super Bowl Today is a triennial edition of the NFL Today broadcast on Super BowlSuper Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
Sunday, generally from the site of the game. The Super Bowl Today is only broadcast during years when CBS
NFL on CBS
The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:...
has rights to televise the Super Bowl.
See also
- The NFL on televisionNFL on televisionThe television rights to broadcast National Football League games are the most lucrative and expensive rights of any American sport. It was television that brought professional football into prominence in the modern era after World War II...
- AFCAmerican Football ConferenceThe American Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the National Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL....
- NFL on CBSNFL on CBSThe NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:...
- Fox NFL SundayFOX NFL SundayFox NFL Sunday is the pregame show for the TV show NFL on Fox. The program is broadcast on Fox television affiliates nationwide. The audio portion of the show is broadcast over the Fox Sports Radio network, distributed by Premiere Radio Networks...
- The NFL on NBC Pregame ShowThe NFL on NBC Pregame ShowThe NBC television network's pregame/studio coverage for their National Football League coverage has had a rather inconsistent history in comparison to The NFL Today on CBS and Fox NFL Sunday on the Fox Broadcasting Company...
- List of programs broadcast by CBS