It's a new day on FOX NFL Sunday and it's not entirely pretty. James Brown, who hosted what became known as the #1 NFL pre-game show on television since its inception in 1994, left FOX after the 2005 season to return to CBS where he is now hosts The NFL Today.
I've been looking for more detailed information about why JB decided to vacate his FOX position but I can't find anything. Since he will also call NCAA basketball games at CBS, I can only assume that's something he really wanted to do since he is a former college (Harvard) and pro (Atlanta Hawks) basketball player. Brown also lives in Washington, DC and may have been tired of making the cross country trek to Los Angeles for the weekend NFL gig. The CBS pregame show is based in New York, a much shorther plane hop from DC.
Regardless of why Brown left FOX, his departure has completely changed the pregame show that I, and many others, had grown to love. There is still a JB in the host's chair as FOX Sports named Joe Buck the new host. Buck also continues as the network's lead play-by-play guy so the pregame show now originates from whatever stadium from which he's scheduled to call the game. I didn't see the Week One pre-game show, but I did see the post-game show and I didn't really like it. It wasn't bad, but I didn't like the nearly identical setup to ESPN's very popular and hugely successful College Football Gameday show which originates from the location of a top matchup each Saturday. It just didn't seem to work for me. Kind of like the CBS attempt to move it's NFL show outside one season. (Is it still outside?)
Another disappointment for me-- the lack of diversity on the studio team. With JB's (James Brown's) departure and JB's (Joe Buck's) arrival, the main team is all white. And when you think about it, FOX has gone from having 50% diversity on that team-- Ronnie Lott was a member of the crew from 1996-1997-- to 25% diversity, to 0% diversity. Though, I'm sure FOX officials would say the team isn't all white because Curt Menefee, an African American, sits in the host chair during halftime because Joe Buck is in the booth calling a game. I'm sorry, that's weak. And, no offense to Menefee, but he's no James Brown. Not even close. Also, Best Damn Sports Show Period host Chris Rose handles Game Break updates fro Los Angeles, though we never see him.
I guess we'll see how this new format with the new faces plays with viewers. I'm not impressed after my first look, and you know the old saying-- "First impressions are lasting impressions." I'd consider switching to ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown but former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin gets on my last nerve.
Oh, Good Evening!
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