Television series
The NFL Today
is an
American football
television program on
CBS
that serves as the
pre-game show
for the network's
National Football League
(NFL) game telecasts under the
NFL on CBS
brand. The program features commentary on the latest news around the NFL from its hosts and studio analysts, as well as predictions for the day's games and interviews with players and coaches. Originally debuting as
Pro Football Kickoff
on September 17, 1961, the program airs before all NFL games broadcast by CBS (usually on Sundays at 12:00 p.m.
Eastern Time Zone
), and generally runs for one hour (except for
Thanksgiving
and during the postseason when it is generally 30 minutes). The program's commentators also provide commentary during game updates, the halftime reports, and the postgame show on the
NFL on CBS
broadcasts.
Since 2024, the crew consists of longtime sportscaster
James Brown
, who has served as the host of The NFL Today since 2006; former
Pittsburgh Steelers
head coach
Bill Cowher
; former
Seattle Seahawks
,
Minnesota Vikings
, and
Detroit Lions
wide receiver
Nate Burleson
;
Houston Texans
legend and former defensive end
J. J. Watt
; and
Atlanta Falcons
legend, 2016 MVP, and former quarterback
Matt Ryan
serving as analysts.
The NFL Today
broadcasts from Studio 43 at the
CBS Broadcast Center
in
New York City
; however, the program will occasionally broadcast from the game site for the
AFC Championship Game
and the
Super Bowl
. The pregame telecast of the Super Bowl has sometimes been branded as
The Super Bowl Today
.
From 2014 to 2017, CBS partnered with the
NFL Network
to air selected
Thursday Night Football
games; the
NFL GameDay
crew has appeared in segments on
The NFL Today
for both Thursdays and Sundays (and Saturdays when applicable).
Broadcast history
[
edit
]
Dawn of the pregame format (1961?1974)
[
edit
]
The program began on September 17,
1961
, when CBS debuted the first remote 15-minute pre-game show, the first of its kind on network sports television. Originally titled
Pro Football Kickoff
,
[2]
hosted by
Johnny Lujack
, the program originated from NFL stadiums around the country with a comprehensive look at the day's games. This show was succeeded in
1962
and
1963
by
NFL Kickoff
, with
Kyle Rote
serving as its host.
On September 13,
1964
,
Frank Gifford
began hosting the renamed
NFL Report
, which was subsequently retitled
The NFL Today
later that season. This version of
The NFL Today
[3]
was a 15-minute, regional sports program that presented interviews with NFL players and coaches, and news and features about the league. 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
(later elected to
Congress
from
Pennsylvania
in
1992
) produced and reported features, and actress Carole Howey, who also reported for the program.
In
1971
,
Jack Whitaker
and
Pat Summerall
took over hosting duties on the program from 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 City
studios; the program also began to include reports from stadiums around the country, although it continued to be pre-recorded before each week's game day.
For
1974
, CBS abandoned the pre-recorded
NFL Today
broadcast and its short-form wrap-up show,
Pro Football Report
, for a live, wraparound style program titled
The NFL on CBS
.
[4]
It started a half-hour prior to kickoff of either the singleheader or doubleheader telecast (12:30, 1:30, or 3:30 p.m.
Eastern
). On September 15, the revamped program debuted with a new three-segment format: the first featured highlights of the day's games and commentary, special features shot during the week were broadcast during the second segment, and the third covered the day's sports news, including scores and highlights at halftime. The program's hosts were Whitaker (who was brought into the studio after quite a few years serving as a play-by-play announcer for the network's NFL broadcasts) and
Lee Leonard
.
[4]
The program broke ground in a number of ways: it was the first live pre-game show, the first to show halftime highlights of other games televised by CBS, and the first to wrap up as a post-game show. CBS also began referring its stadium studios or its pre-game set, previously known as "CBS Control," as the "CBS Sports Center". The program also no longer featured a third member of the on-air crew stationed at CBS Control to provide scores, halftime information and ? time permitting ? post-game interviews, a position often held by
Dick Stockton
during his early days at the network.
Musburger, George and Cross (1975?1989)
[
edit
]
The program reinstated its previous
NFL Today
title on the September 21,
1975 broadcast
, with former
WBBM-TV
and
KCBS-TV
sportscaster/anchorman
Brent Musburger
(previously a play-by-play announcer for CBS) serving as host, former NFL player
Irv Cross
as an analyst, and former
Miss America
Phyllis George
as one of the reporters. That year, the program won 13
Emmy Awards
. Sports bookie
Jimmy Snyder
, nicknamed "The Greek," joined the program in
1976
. Jack Whitaker also contributed to the program as an occasional reporter and essayist during this period. It was during this period that
The NFL Today
began an 18-year run as the highest-rated program in its time slot, lasting until the network lost the broadcast rights to Fox in 1994, the longest consecutive run for a television program in a consistent time slot.
By this time, the program began the complex process of producing three separate live pre-game, halftime and postgame programs for 1:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m. (through 1981) and 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) games. Also for the first time, signature musical pieces are produced for NFL coverage. The show's signature theme was "Horizontal Hold," a piece by
Jan Stoeckart
(recorded under his pseudonym of Jack Trombey).
The NFL Today
was among the recipients of the
Sports Emmy Awards
in its inaugural event in
1979
.
Phyllis George was replaced by former
Miss Ohio USA
Jayne Kennedy
beginning with the
1978 NFL season
, before George returned to the program for the
1980 NFL season
. George was replaced on the program by
Charlsie Cantey
midway into the
1983 NFL season
, after going on
parental leave
, with George ultimately departing the program outright.
[5]
Jimmy Snyder was dismissed by
CBS Sports
on January 16, 1988, one day after making comments about racial differences among NFL players on
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
. Musburger announced Snyder's dismissal on
The NFL Today
prior to the
Minnesota Vikings
-
Washington Redskins
NFC Championship Game the next day. Snyder's slot on
The NFL Today
would subsequently be filled by
Dick Butkus
for the next two seasons.
Gumbel and Bradshaw (1990?1993)
[
edit
]
After the
1989 NFL season
, Musburger was
abruptly fired
on April 1, 1990, following a power shift at CBS (he later resurfaced at ABC), while Cross was demoted to the position of game analyst.
[6]
They were replaced by former
ESPN
football analyst and
WFAN
morning host
Greg Gumbel
(brother of then-
Today
co-host
Bryant Gumbel
), legendary 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
Super Bowl XVIII
.
On December 18, 1993, the NFL awarded
Fox
a four-year contract (worth
$
1.58 billion) for the broadcast television rights to the
National Football Conference
(NFC), allowing that network to carry regular season and playoff games from the conference starting with the
1994 NFL season
(which it continues to this day). The deal stripped CBS of NFL telecasts following the
1993 NFL season
after 38 years;
[7]
[8]
as a result,
The NFL Today
ended its original run and CBS aired its final NFC telecast on January 23, 1994.
After CBS lost the NFL rights, Greg Gumbel went to
NBC Sports
, Terry Bradshaw left to become an analyst for Fox's new pre-game show
Fox NFL Sunday
and Lesley Visser joined ABC as a sideline reporter for
Monday Night Football
; Gumbel and Visser eventually returned to CBS.
CBS reacquires rights (1998?present)
[
edit
]
The NFL Today
made its return to CBS in
1998
, after the network signed a contract with the NFL to acquire the broadcast rights to televise games from the
American Football Conference
(AFC) effective with that year's NFL season, taking over the rights from
NBC
.
[9]
Under Jim Nantz (1998?2003)
[
edit
]
In the months before CBS began its AFC broadcast contract, former
NFL Today
host Greg Gumbel rejoined CBS from NBC to serve as the lead play-by-play announcer for the NFL game; while
Jim Nantz
was named as the studio host for
The NFL Today
(incidentally, during the 1993 season, Nantz filled in for predecessor Gumbel on the program, as the latter was helming the broadcast team for
CBS
' coverage of the
American League Championship Series
alongside
Jim Kaat
). Newcomer
Bonnie Bernstein
joined CBS as a reporter for
The NFL Today
, before being moved to a sideline reporting role for the
1999 NFL season
. Bernstein eventually returned to the show in
2004
, before leaving again in
2005
.
The NFL Today
returned on September 6,
1998
, 1,687 days since the program's last broadcast under the previous NFL contract, with Nantz welcoming back viewers to CBS for its coverage of the NFL. In addition to Nantz as host, the relaunched program's original lineup of studio analysts consisted of
Marcus Allen
,
Brent Jones
and
George Seifert
. Seifert was let go during the season, while Allen and Jones were not retained.
Craig James
(a former studio analyst for CBS'
SEC on CBS
pre-game show),
Randy Cross
(a former color commentator for CBS and NBC) and
Jerry Glanville
(a former analyst for
Fox NFL Sunday
) were brought in to replace Allen, Jones, and Seifert alongside Nantz on the pre-game show the next season. As a prelude, James and Cross joined Nantz, Jones, and Allen for the pregame show before the AFC Championship Game during the previous season.
During this time, the program introduced new segments such as
Chalk Talk
(in which commentators and program guests discuss team strategies), and
Outside the Huddle
(featuring commentary mocking about people around the NFL provided by PUNT TV pregame host "Thurston Long," a computer-animated character.)
[10]
Outside the Huddle
was later dropped after
Viacom
decided to split into two companies ?
CBS Corporation
(a restructuring of the original Viacom, which retained CBS, among other assets that included
Showtime Networks
and
UPN
) and a new company with the
Viacom
name (which acquired assets including
Paramount Pictures
and
MTV Networks
).
Lesley Visser returned to CBS Sports/
The NFL Today
for the
2000 NFL season
after a six-year hiatus, serving as a feature reporter for the program. Visser left
The NFL Today
in
2004
to work as the lead reporter for top NFL games. She returned to the program two years later in
2006
. Also during the 2000 season, former
Chicago Bears
and
New Orleans Saints
coach
Mike Ditka
joined the program as an analyst;
Deion Sanders
was added as an analyst in 2001.
For the
2000 NFL season
, the program moved part-time from the CBS Broadcast Center to a new outdoor studio on the site of the
General Motors Building
, on
Fifth Avenue
and
59th Street
in
Manhattan
.
[11]
The set, which was used during the fall, was set up on Sunday mornings at a plaza in the area near the building that later became the glass structure of the
Apple Fifth Avenue
store,
[12]
next to the southeast corner of
Central Park
. During the winter,
The NFL Today
was broadcast indoors from Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center.
[13]
The program was rebooted again after the 2001 season with
Dan Marino
and
Boomer Esiason
joining Nantz and Sanders. Sanders left the broadcast team after
Super Bowl XXXVIII
to return to the NFL, playing for the
Baltimore Ravens
until
2004
. Nantz followed shortly thereafter, being promoted to lead play-by-play broadcaster.
At the start of the
2003 NFL season
, CBS Sports introduced
Posthumus Zone
as the new theme music for
The NFL Today
and for the network's NFL game telecasts. The song was composed by
Los Angeles
electronica
group
E.S. Posthumus
, so named because it composes songs that have no-longer-existing ancient cities as a
motif
. In
2006
,
Posthumus Zone
and a remixed version titled
Rise to Glory
were included as tracks on the group's second CD release,
Rise to Glory
. The song
Rise to Glory
was also featured on
The NFL Today
and on CBS' NFL broadcasts during the
2005 NFL season
.
Second tenure of Greg Gumbel (2004?2005)
[
edit
]
With Nantz moving to the lead broadcast team alongside
Phil Simms
, Gumbel returned to the studio to replace him on
The NFL Today
.
Shannon Sharpe
also joined the team to replace Sanders as an analyst. Sharpe's critics said that his broadcasting skills were hurt by his poor grammar and enunciation of words (Sharpe has a very noticeable
lisp
and
drawl
). This was parodied in a
satire
article in
The Onion
with the headline, "CBS Producers Ask Shannon Sharpe To Use At Least 3 Real Words Per Sentence."
[14]
The outdoor set was abandoned for the
2005 NFL season
, with
The NFL Today
broadcasting from Studio 43 for the entire season. The following season (
2006 NFL season
),
The NFL Today
began broadcasting in
high-definition television
; the program introduced a new HD-ready set at Studio 43 with the conversion.
Under James Brown (2006?present)
[
edit
]
On February 6, 2006, CBS Sports announced the return of James Brown, who left CBS eleven years earlier to become studio host of
Fox NFL Sunday
, to the network as the host of
The NFL Today
beginning with the 2006 NFL season. Greg Gumbel moved back to play-by-play duties, teaming with
Dan Dierdorf
as part of its secondary announcing team, replacing
Dick Enberg
.
Lesley Visser returned to
The NFL Today
after a two-year hiatus in her previous role as feature reporter, a position she continues to hold to this day; meanwhile, Bonnie Bernstein left the network to pursue other broadcasting opportunities. Aside from Visser returning to the show,
Sam Ryan
joined CBS Sports in June 2006, as a reporter for
The NFL Today
; Ryan left the network after the
2010 NFL season
. In
2007
, CBS added a fifth member to its studio analyst table by adding then-recently retired head coach
Bill Cowher
.
In 2012, following the murder-suicide of
Kansas City Chiefs
linebacker
Jovan Belcher
and his girlfriend, Brown digressed on the program about the role that men needed to take in the fight against
domestic violence
. He accused the league's players of letting the NFL's reputation on domestic violence go unchanged.
Beginning with the
2013 NFL season
,
The NFL Today
, along with all other CBS Sports presentations, switched to a
16x9
widescreen
presentation that extended or placed graphics outside of the 4:3
safe area
, with the network requiring
cable television
providers to use the #10
Active Format Description
tag to present the broadcasts in a
letterboxing
format for viewers watching a CBS station's
standard-definition television
feed.
On February 18, 2014, CBS Sports announced that Sharpe and Marino were being relieved of their duties as on-air commentators, to be replaced by
Tony Gonzalez
and
Bart Scott
.
[15]
On February 5, 2014, the NFL announced that a deal with CBS to broadcast
Thursday night games
during the first eight weeks of the NFL season games beginning the
2014 NFL season
in simulcast with
NFL Network
, with the remainder airing on NFL Network exclusively.
[16]
[17]
With the addition of the package, CBS announced an additional
NFL Today
broadcast for the games, to be broadcast from the site of each week's game; with Brown and Cowher to be featured on both the Thursday and Sunday broadcasts, Deion Sanders returning to the program as an analyst for the Thursday editions, and while Esiason, Gonzalez and Scott remaining on the Sunday broadcasts.
During the first Thursday edition of
The NFL Today
on September 11, 2014, in the wake of the domestic violence controversy involving Baltimore Ravens running back
Ray Rice
, Brown spoke via satellite to
CBS News
anchor
Scott Pelley
and spoke face-to-face with CBS News correspondent
Norah O'Donnell
, who had interviewed NFL Commissioner
Roger Goodell
days before. Baltimore Ravens owner
Steve Bisciotti
also appeared in a taped interview with Brown. During the pre-game, Brown updated his 2012 digression about domestic violence, wondering why in the two years since his initial commentary, that nothing had been done to change the problem, and how the problem had actually become worse.
On September 13, 2015 (the first time CBS had aired a Week 1 doubleheader since the NFL returned to the network 17 years earlier),
The NFL Today
debuted an entirely new set at Studio 43, replacing the previous set that had been used since 2006.
On September 11, 2016,
The NFL Today
debuted a new program logo, replacing a variation of the previous logo used since the
2006 NFL season
.
Scott and Gonzalez both left
The NFL Today
prior to the 2017 season, with Gonzalez switching networks to join Fox's pregame coverage.
Phil Simms
, who had been demoted from CBS's lead color commentator position when the network hired
Tony Romo
for that post, and
Nate Burleson
, who comes over from
NFL Network
, replaced Scott and Gonzalez.
For the 2020 season due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
, the set was modified to allow for social distancing, which resulted in the temporary removal of the desk, and instead Brown, Burleson, Cowher, Esiason and Simms were seated on stools. The set returned to its normal configuration for the 2021 season.
On April 29, 2024, CBS announced that
Matt Ryan
would join
The NFL Today
as a full-time analyst. Esiason and Simms departed the network as their contracts expired at the end of the 2023 season.
[18]
Super Bowl editions
[
edit
]
The NFL Today at the Super Bowl
, previously known as
The Super Bowl Today
,
[19]
[20]
is the edition of
The NFL Today
that precedes the
Super Bowl
during years when CBS has the rights to broadcast the game. The show is generally broadcast from the site of that year's game; in
Super Bowl LVIII
's case, for example, the show originated from the
Las Vegas Strip
, in addition to the on-site set at
Allegiant Stadium
in
Las Vegas
,
NV
.
On-air staff
[
edit
]
Studio hosts and analysts
[
edit
]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"EVOLUTION OF A PREGAME"
.
ViacomCBS Press Express
. Retrieved
September 15,
2020
.
- ^
Brulia, Tim.
"A CHRONOLOGY OF PRO FOOTBALL ON TELEVISION: Part 1"
(PDF)
.
Pro Football Researchers
.
- ^
"The NFL Today marks 40th year"
. CBS Sportsline. August 21, 2007. Archived from
the original
on November 14, 2007
. Retrieved
October 3,
2012
.
Similar to today's NFL Today show, which has a segment during the last 10 minutes of the show called "First to the Field" featuring the current NFL on CBS broadcast teams commenting on news and players surrounding their respective games, 1964's program originated live and on videotape at the playing fields where the games were being played and from special television studios at each stadium. The show was broadcast regionally to the same area carrying the game that followed
- ^
a
b
Brulia, Tim (2004).
"A CHRONOLOGY OF PRO FOOTBALL ON TELEVISION: Part 2"
(PDF)
.
The Coffin Corner
.
26
(4). Pro Football Researchers.
- ^
Brulia, Tim.
"A CHRONOLOGY OF PRO FOOTBALL ON TELEVISION: Part 3"
(PDF)
.
Pro Football Researchers
.
- ^
Brulia, Tim.
"A CHRONOLOGY OF PRO FOOTBALL ON TELEVISION: Part 4"
(PDF)
.
Pro Football Researchers
.
- ^
Steve Wulf (December 27, 1993).
"Out Foxed"
.
Sports Illustrated
. Retrieved
June 23,
2022
.
- ^
"NBC Gets Final N.F.L. Contract While CBS Gets Its Sundays Off"
.
The New York Times
. December 21, 1993
. Retrieved
June 22,
2012
.
- ^
Milton Kent (September 4, 1998).
"CBS mood positively 'electric' after reconnecting with NFL Intercepting AFC games caps network's comeback from rights turnover in '94"
.
Baltimore Sun
. Retrieved
June 22,
2012
.
- ^
"CBS SPORTS ANIMATED SEQUENCE, 'OUTSIDE THE HUDDLE,' ON 'NFL TODAY' GAINS POPULARITY; EXPANDS TO SPORTSLINE.COM"
. Sportsline
. Retrieved
October 3,
2012
.
- ^
"The NFL Today marks 40th year"
. CBS Sportsline. August 21, 2007. Archived from
the original
on November 14, 2007
. Retrieved
October 3,
2012
.
September 2000: The NFL Today studio show moves from the CBS Broadcast Center to a new indoor-outdoor studio located in the GM Building on Fifth Avenue in New York City
- ^
"Map of 767 5th Ave"
. Google Maps. October 1, 1970
. Retrieved
October 3,
2012
.
- ^
"West of Central Park (524 W 57th St)"
. Google Maps. October 1, 1970
. Retrieved
October 3,
2012
.
- ^
"CBS Producers Ask Shannon Sharpe To Use At Least 3 Real Words Per Sentence"
.
The Onion
. January 19, 2010
. Retrieved
October 3,
2012
.
- ^
Nate Davis (February 18, 2014).
"CBS hires Tony Gonzalez, parts with two Hall-of-Fame analysts"
.
USA Today
. Retrieved
February 18,
2014
.
- ^
"CBS to broadcast eight Thursday night football games in 2014"
.
CBS Sports
. February 5, 2014
. Retrieved
June 24,
2022
.
- ^
"CBS to broadcast NFL games on Thursday in 2014"
.
USA Today
. February 5, 2014.
- ^
Gardner, Steve (April 29, 2024).
"CBS makes major changes to 'NFL Today': Phil Simms and Boomer Esiason out"
.
USA Today
. Retrieved
April 30,
2024
.
- ^
"January 18, 1976: CBS broadcasts Super Bowl X with a new 90-minute pre-game ? Super Bowl Sunday Special"
. CBS Sportsline. August 21, 2007. Archived from
the original
on November 14, 2007
. Retrieved
October 3,
2012
.
- ^
"January 22, 1984: For the first time, The Super Bowl Today devotes two hours to pre-game coverage, with 11 broadcasters, 13 feature and remote producers and four directors"
. CBS Sportsline. August 21, 2007. Archived from
the original
on November 14, 2007
. Retrieved
October 3,
2012
.
- NFL Today
at CBS SportsLine
- Schedules
at CBS SportsLine
- The NFL Today
weekly transcripts 2004: Wk
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- https://web.archive.org/web/20050209100510/http://www.esposthumus.com/images/posthumuszone.mp3
- History of Network NFL Pre-Game shows
External links
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