Thursday Night Football will undergo quite the makeover this year, as the NFL has teamed up with Amazon Prime Video to stream these games exclusively on their platform in ’22. Previously, these games were frequently available on NFL Network and sometimes aired on Fox. Traditionalists may cringe at this news as the NFL moves away from regular cable TV networks. That said, everyone should rejoice in knowing that the Prime broadcast crew has massive upside. They could quickly become the NFL’s best broadcasting crew, and certainly a fan favorited one. So, who are the announcers on this broadcasting crew anyways, and why is this such a big deal?
Tony Gonzalez joins Kirk Herbstreit & Al Michaels in Prime’s 2022 broadcast booth. Richard Sherman & Ryan Fitzpatrick will join their team for pre- and post-game productions. I’m not a fan of Herbstreit, but watching Gonzalez & Michaels work together will be fascinating. Also, the trio of Gonzalez, Sherman, and Fitzpatrick have 44 years of combined NFL experience. They have played in two Super Bowls (one ring), 19 Pro Bowls, and for 15 different NFL teams. Most importantly, they’ve all played in the league recently & so they will discuss current events.
All of these guys have distinct personalities that should mesh well together on camera. Gonzalez is the jovial guy that everyone likes being around, the real life of the party so to speak. Michaels is the true professional of the crew, with 30+ years of sports broadcasting experience. Herbstreit’s also been around the block for a while, and although I’m not a big fan of his, my impression is that he’s well-liked by most people in the industry and by those watching at home. I’ll be most interested to see how Sherman & Fitzpatrick work together for their pregame show. Those two have quirky personalities that may cause some fans to have a love-hate relationship with them. “Prime”time football will certainly be entertaining to watch for NFL fans this year.
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