tazinib1 Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 (edited) Possibly the greatest day ever The NFL Network's game coverage is getting a serious makeover. SI.com has learned that Mike Mayock will join the NFL Network's broadcast team for its eight-game Thursday Night Football package. He will replace Matt Millen and Joe Theismann on the broadcast. When contacted Thursday afternoon by SI.com, an NFL Network spokesperson declined to comment. The network's next move for those games revolves around the play-by-play position. Bob Papa is a respected game-caller and has had held the job for the past two seasons, but sources tell SI.com that NFL Network is considering other broadcasters, including CBS and Big Ten announcer Gus Johnson, who currently calls NFL games for CBS (with analyst Steve Tasker) and served as the Lions play-by-play voice during the 2008 season. Johnson has become a favorite among the under-35 crowd for his hyper-intensity during the NCAA men's basketball tournament. No formal announcement on Mayock or any other possible changes is expected for a number of weeks. Mayock is one of the rising stars in sports broadcasting. He is considered by most fans as television's leading NFL draft analyst and last year replaced Pat Haden as the analyst on NBC's Notre Dame football coverage. He also served as the analyst, alongside Tom Hammond, on NBC's coverage of the wild-card playoff game between the New Orleans Saints and Seattle Seahawks last season. Millen was named an NFL Network game analyst in 2009, joining Papa in the booth. Theismann was added last season. Both Millen and Theismann were polarizing figures, often drawing the ire of fans on Twitter and other social media outlets. The addition of Mayock will be greeted positively in many corners. Since grabbing a share of the NFL's game package, NFL Network has gone through a number of announcing teams for its Thursday Night Football program. HBO's Bryant Gumbel was the network's first play-by-play announcer and lasted two seasons before leaving in 2008. He was replaced by Papa, the voice of the New York Giants. Edited April 14, 2011 by tazinib1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whiskey Pimp Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tazinib1 Posted April 14, 2011 Author Share Posted April 14, 2011 Weird...I thought you guys would jump all over this. Getting rid of Theisman? You guys ok??? Need an aspirin or something? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piratesownninjas Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 Mayock and Gus Johnson would be freaking awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tazinib1 Posted April 14, 2011 Author Share Posted April 14, 2011 I posted a congrats to Mike Mayock on NFL Networks facebook page and it was promptly deleted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMD Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 Great move to be sure. Now I only wonder where else that Theisman shows up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j2v Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 That's a great booth; now they need to improve the overall production value. Sideline mics would be a nice start; last year games sounded like they were being played in a mausoleum. 2V Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby's Hubby Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 Great move to be sure. Now I only wonder where else that Theisman shows up. I think this was the final resting place for Joe. Dare I say his career is really finally over, at least for NFL games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAYER Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 I think this was the final resting place for Joe. Dare I say his career is really finally over, at least for NFL games. I thought his career was over a long time ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuke'em ttg Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 Puddy/Mayock/Andrews Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Dick Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 Mayock and Gus Johnson would be freaking awesome. I'd cream my pants if this happened. (from a purely football perspective, of course) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tazinib1 Posted April 16, 2011 Author Share Posted April 16, 2011 (edited) I'd cream my pants if this happened. (from a purely football perspective, of course) NTTAWW Edited April 16, 2011 by tazinib1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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