ESPN bit the bullet and completely overturned the cast of its "Sunday NFL Countdown" pregame show during the offseason.
While NBC Sports, Fox Sports and CBS Sports stood pat, ESPN's cast purge was so complete that host Chris Berman was the last man standing from last season.
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Out were Mike Ditka, Cris Carter, Keyshawn Johnson and Tom Jackson (Ditka and Johnson are still with ESPN in other roles; Jackson retired after 29 years).
In were new studio analysts Charles Woodson, Matt Hasselbeck and Randy Moss. Plus Trent Dilfer, who slid into one of the empty chairs from the "Monday Night Countdown" sister show.
During the first few weeks of the season, I thought "Sunday NFL Countdown's" struggled to find chemistry.
But guess what? The new cast of "Sunday NFL Countdown" is beginning to gel. You could see the improvements during Week 4.
ESPN producers Seth Markman, Matthew Garrett and Chad Minutillo deliberately went out and recruited TV rookies like Woodson and Hasselbeck who'd just retired from the field. That way they could deliver first-hand insight into today's NFL.
TV rookies like Woodson delivered big-time on Sunday.
I thought "Sunday NFL Countdown" did the best job this week of reading the tea leaves.
Consider Woodson and Hasselbeck predicted the 1-2 Bills would likely upset the 3-0 Patriots hours before kickoff. They were spot-on. Patriots QB Jacoby Brissett played like the rookie he is. The Bills beat Bill Belichick's Patriots 16-0.
"I just think today that this team has the mindset, 'Man, we will not let this third-string quarterback beat us. It just won’t happen today," Woodson said.
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Woodson correctly predicted the Pats and Brissett would have a "long day" throwing the ball against Rex Ryan's Bills.
Hasselbeck also sensed a Bills win.
"Of all the times that Rex Ryan has had to go up to Foxborough, this is his best chance to win a football game," Hasselbeck said.
They were also on the money about the struggles of reigning NFL MVP Cam Newton of the Panthers.
Before the Panthers' 48-33 loss to Matt Ryan and the Falcons, the "Countdown" crew said Newton was getting hit way too much. Sure enough Newton had to leave the game with a possible concussion.
"He's getting hit a lot. The (Panthers) offense is still running him on called running plays. So he’s taking hits on both ends," warned Woodson. "When he drops back — and when they’re running the ball. They need to change. He’s putting too much on himself. The team is putting too much on him."
This was a big week for Woodson. I thought he was mostly invisible for three weeks. But he brought it during Week 4.
I'm worried about Moss, however. He doesn't seem as self-assured or well-versed as he was on Fox Sports last season. We'll see if Moss comes around. Because he has the potential.
And hey, let's give it up for Berman, Twitter's favorite punching bag. Despite rumors ESPN is pushing him out after this season, Berman has been an old pro, helping the TV rookies along, while mourning the loss of long-time TV partner Jackson.
It's still Berman's show. If he wants to jump to another network next season, he can point to how he brought Woodson, Hasselbeck and Moss up to speed.
NBC: What in hell was Cam Newton thinking?
Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison didn't mince words on NBC's "Football Night in America" after Newton suffered a helmet-to-helmet hit, and possible concussion, on a 2-point conversion play.
Rather than running hard for the goal line, Newton seemed to take his sweet time.
He was rewarded with a snot-bubbling hit by Deion Jones of the Falcons that sent him straight into concussion protocol.
Check out the interplay here between NBC's Dungy and Harrison on Newton:
Dungy on Newton’s goal-line hit: “Better not relax. When you get that close to the goal line, if you sprint in there, you won’t take these kinds of hits.”
Harrison: “We say it all day, finish the play.”
Dungy: “Last year, Cam was the MVP and the formula they had was a great defense, they were running the ball well, they were ahead a lot. Now this year, they are behind, they are not running well, they are throwing more. Cam is getting hit so much that even when he is in the pocket he has been off target. He is not the same player this year…he’s not playing like the MVP.”
Harrison: “The loss of Josh Norman, they won’t admit it, but he is the one guy who can match up with Julio Jones. He can take away one side of the field and they can roll coverage. When you lose three veterans in that secondary, you lose leadership. You also lose communication and I think that is what they are struggling with right now. ”
Bradshaw: Dak will take Romo's starting job
Before the Cowboys (3-1) defeated the 49ers (1-3) 24-17 Sunday, Fox Sports' Terry Bradshaw predicted Dak Prescott would take the starting QB from Tony Romo this season,
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"Regardless of what happens, he will continue to play well and develop. I do not think Tony Romo gets that job back. I think they stay with this guy," Bradshaw said on "Fox NFL Sunday."
Michael Strahan agreed.
"The one thing Dak does, that Tony Romo had a tendency to do, (he) does not turn over the football. That’s always handicapped the Cowboys."
Watch Josh Norman get hit with strangest penalty call ever
Josh Norman keeps finding new ways to make himself the center of attention. On Sunday, he was flagged for simulating "shooting a bow and arrow."
Fox rules analyst Mike Pereira said it was the right call.
It's in the NFL rulebook, that players can't mime shooting guns on the field. Or pretending to be Katniss Everdeen from "The Hunger Games."
