data-mm-id=”_vp9wuoivn”>It's 5:45 A.M. on any given Tuesday. Outside the windows of Good Morning Football's perch in the World Trade Center, the days are getting longer. Inside, though, the dog days of the NFL offseason are unfortunately getting shorter. The show must go on. The king of American sports never steps off its throne. And there are three hours of decrees to be made.For the next four-plus months before there are football games, the challenge is seasoning content with unique spices to make it taste delicious and fresh. This is not a shocking revelation. Our sports nation's greatest natural resource this year has been Tom Brady and Dak Prescott speculation. “It's like the cafeteria that serves the same mystery meat every day, we have to make it taste good,” Kyle Brandt jokes.We're sitting in a small, darkened office. There's a gray bean bag in the corner. It's quiet. Almost too quiet, considering the burst of energy looming on the horizon. Brandt, Nate Burleson, Peter Schrager, and guest host MJ Acosta have just wrapped up the the morning's editorial huddle and are running a spread offense. The commitment to speed and space would delight Jim Harbaugh. Loose lips sink ships and ruin spontaneity, as well as true authentic reaction, so it's best not to telegraph. “This floor is like the level in Goldeneye N64," Brandt explains. "It’s a grid you go around, there are little rooms. I’m here in this corner. I know for a fact that Peter’s in the complete opposite corner and Nate’s in a different corner. We go as far as we can away from each other because we don’t want the others to know what we’re going to say.”All the secrecy can put a strain on the graphics department, which needs to work ahead. Talent will typically tip them off by text to ensure a more robust presentation. It's indicative of the quiet conversations that suddenly get much louder when the red light goes on. Producer Matt Hamilton joins us. Caffeine and research is injected. It's like cramming for an exam. For as loose and conversational as GMFB tends to be, competency is essential.Brandt and Hamilton rip through what Nick Foles in New England might be like, try to decide if Andy Dalton is one of the 12 best quarterbacks in the NFL, settle on Matt Cassel’s record during his fill-in year (11-5), ponder what the Packers need next year (muscle on the defensive line), and discuss if Jameis Winston is a cautionary tale for Jordan Love due to his many collegiate interceptions. The table will soon be asked to weigh in on what coach they'd like to hang out with in Vegas. Brandt lands on new Giants honcho Joe Judge, who certainly knows how to win a press conference and his way around a cliche. Along the way they bait me into a conversation about Detroit Lions fans passionately defending Matthew Stafford. Without meaning to, I passionately defend the long-suffering quarterback and am owned.When the tension subsides, we weave through the labyrinth to the dressing room, which appropriately has the vibe of a communal living space where so many Goldeneye battles took place late last century. There's a couch, a television, and a rack of clothes. Hamilton had predicted Schrager and Burleson would be watching Everybody Loves Raymond. Evidently Doris Roberts gets them fired up. On this morning it was Family Matters. A shoddy substitute, if you ask me, which no one does. Instead, we dive into matters of family."We have been together for four years," Schrager says. "These are my brothers. I had a kid, they were there. It's real. We have real love for each other and go out and do television together.""I went to college for four years," Burleson says. "The longest I played for one team was four years. This is the longest-lasting male relationship that I've had outside of family and friends. This is the longest-lasting team I've been on, which is crazy."There is a tremendous amount of comfort in the room and between the three of them. Viewers at home have a hard time parsing if hosts on television are truly friendly or if it's all for show. In this case, it's clearly the former. Schrager and Burleson, who each have roles on broadcast pregames, explain that everyday reps in the morning have helped them ease into Fox and CBS gigs more smoothly. "It's like doing stand-up during the week at clubs and then being prepared for Madison Square Garden," Burleson says. On set, the energy is significantly different. Everyone is ready to work this particular club. An eclectic yet ill-advised soundtrack leads up to showtime. Sugar Ray, Nickelback, Smashmouth, and Train are all represented. It's explained to me that they're intentionally tanking the selections for the No. 1 groan. There's a breakfast nook tucked away in the corner with enough delicious pastries to turn a wide receiver into a tight end in a matter of weeks. Brady's future is the predictable lead. Now certain, Brandt works Cassel's 11-5 mark into his take. The talent play Big Deal or No Deal with tablets playing the role of suitcases. Schrager offers expansive takes on the Brett Favre-Aaron Rodgers relationship, which soon dovetails into a Significant Other 101 bit played for laughs and the benefit of the newly-engaged Acosta. GMFB is reliant on improv. In person, it's clear how much isn't rehearsed, how often people say, "Yes, and." But what could be lost is that such an approach doesn't truly work if it's not backed up by a solid foundation of acumen. Without the expertise it could devolve into wacky drive-time morning show territory.So while it looks and is easy and light, the cumulative effect of digging into the minutiae and going in-depth on all 32 franchises is that the information is there, even if it doesn't feel near the surface. The trio mentions the common occurrence of doing local hits and at first feeling underprepared, then realizing the Bengals or Dolphins or Bills nuggets are much easier to access."Osmosis," Schrager calls it. "You know it because you're living it."Says Burleson: "We don't like to do numbers-heavy on the show. We want to say something people can't Google. But because we study so much, I end up using numbers on the weekend."Time is limited and there's not an opportunity to ask high-minded questions about the spirit of GMFB. But if it's to juggle both having fun and being informative, they're doing well. That's what comes across on the screen. In the room, there's diametric interplay between the chill and the bustling. As I exit, the sun has come up on another morning. The once-quiet and dark streets of the Financial District are bright and bustling, much more alive than a few hours ago. The same can be said about the studio some-50 stories up in the building behind me.
Related Posts
data-mm-id=”_nje84b0vq”>The Pelicans have had an exceptionally disappointing season thus far; belittled by injuries left and right and missing their 2019 No. 1 overall pick in Zion Williamson, New Orleans currently sits at 6-22 on the season. There have been bright spots, most notably in the form of Brandon Ingram, but overall the season has not been what they hoped. As such, they appear to be planning on selling at the trade deadline. Marc Stein reported on Tuesday that the Pelicans would be willing to part with All-Star guard Jrue Holiday after making him unavailable all summer in trade discussions. As Stein notes, it would take a hefty price to pry the 29-year-old PG away from New Orleans, but discussions will be had. Here are three teams that are best suited for Holiday's tale…
data-mm-id=”_zmo31ulwb”>Odell Beckham Jr. tore his ACL on Sunday while chasing down a Baker Mayfield interception. Surprisingly, this was somehow a turning point in the Browns' favor as Mayfield played an essentially perfect final three quarters of football after OBJ went down. Cleveland pulled out a last-second victory on a Mayfield dime to Donovan Peoples-Jones with 11 seconds remaining.That sequence of events has sparked a discussion in the football world about if Mayfield is a better player without his most talented receiver on the field. Stats such as the one below from two ESPN personalities were presented. Mayfield passer rating in last 2 seasons:OBJ on field (79.6)OBJ off field (116.6) https://t.co/JIuRFhoQM4— Paul Hembekides (@PaulHembo) October 26, 2020I am going to go…
data-mm-id=”_zmhgzn70r”>Baseball will be making its return in late July. There are still some details to be ironed out, but we will see players trotting onto the diamond before August hits. It will look very different from any MLB season before– only 60 games in the season, a universal DH, and an attempt to shorten extra-inning games by allowing a runner to start on second after the ninth inning are among the big changes. Buster Olney went on ESPN this morning to discuss the changes and how it will affect the season in the larger picture. He also gave his pick for the World Series, and it comes as a bit of surprise. Olney is a believer in the Tampa Bay Rays. Yesterday, I argued that a 60-game season means star power will be more important than ever, which is why the Los Angeles Angels…
data-mm-id=”_cqgp50iho”>Ahead of Super Bowl XL some 14 years ago, aging Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jerome Bettis allowed cameras to follow him around and showcase what he endured physically to play in an NFL game. The segment aired during Super Bowl pregame and, though I searched in vain to find it on YouTube, what I remember clearly from it was the pain on his face as he walked down the stairs and saying his body felt like it was in a "car accident" after every game. That memory stirred this morning when I read a quote from Ben Roethlisberger about what his body felt like in the aftermath of the Steelers' Week 1 win over the New York Giants. In his first game back since suffering what could have been a career-ending elbow injury in Week 2 last year, Roethlisberger…
data-mm-id=”_3y4pyudty”>Last Sunday brought us a very rare occurrence in recent NFL history: Aaron Rodgers threw for two interceptions in one game. One of those was a pick-six, only the second of Rodgers' 15-year career. All in all, it was an uncharacteristically awful game for the Green Bay Packers quarterback. Rodgers went 16-of-35 for all of 135 yards and zero touchdowns along with the aforementioned interceptions. The Packers, naturally, lost. This is terrible news for the Houston Texans. They are the unfortunate team to be listed next on the Packers' schedule. It's not just the fact that the Texans a generally awful team with a putrid secondary that fired their head coach two weeks ago and the Packers should have no trouble at all handling them. Houston should be ve…
data-mm-id=”_6czbb17qk”>The Chicago Bears inked Andy Dalton to a one-year contract worth up to $10 million yesterday, appearing to signal an end to their rumored pursuit of Seattle Seahawks superstar QB Russell Wilson. Wilson is not officially on the trade block by any stretch of the imagination, but Seattle is willing to listen to offers after Wilson openly called for the team to give him more protection on the offensive line. Given the issues the Seahawks have had in doing just that throughout Wilson's tenure with the team, it's not an unfair ask, but doing so to media rather than his bosses seems to have aggravated the front office. The Bears were the team most linked with Wilson after deciding to move on from Mitch Trubisky and boasting an elite defense. On the Dan Patric…
data-mm-id=”_6fctjoa7z”>Sevilla FC eliminated PSV Eindhoven from the Europa League on Thursday evening. One PSV fan was apparently so distraught about this that he felt the desire to run onto the pitch and express his displeasure directly to the face of Sevilla goalkeeper Marko Dmitrović. Things escalated as the fan punched Dmitrović, but the player was unfazed and held the fan on the ground until security arrived to take him away. Here is video of Dmitrović taking one to the face before taking down the fan. Un aficionado del PSV ha saltado a agredir a Dimitrovic, partido del Sevilla en plena disputa del partido, surrealista. pic.twitter.com/7El1HI6Zvk— Rodríguez (@RodriguezRMCF) February 23, 2023And some absolutely insane pictures of what happened that double as a useful illustr…
data-mm-id=”_8tejmmasq”>The fantasy football season is nearly upon us, which means it's time to start brainstorming the funniest possible team name you can cook up. Having the best name in your league is the biggest honor possible behind actually winning the whole thing and is far less of a luck-based achievement. It's arguably just as satisfying, too. Few things are better than proving you're funnier than your friends. However, most of us are not comedic geniuses and need a little bit of guidance to come up with the real good stuff. Thus, this list is your starting point. You can rip straight from it or use it as inspiration. There are no rules in this game. From player-specific jokes. to just general NFL puns, here are 50 of the funniest fantasy football names we could…
data-mm-id=”_qn1ic6bbf”>Nevada has flourished into quite a college basketball program over the past several years and the Wolf Pack got off on the right foot by trouncing Sacramento State in their opener. It was the perfect way to open the season except for one things. The bat delay right as winning time rolled around. Bats have delayed the Sacramento State vs Nevada game.Did someone from Nevada send them out to stop the Sacramento State run? pic.twitter.com/wqMbKqo3AQ— Mark Titus Show (@MarkTitusShow) November 8, 2023Once that was resolved, Nevada pulled away but the bats returned as the clock was bring dribbled away. The officials decided to just let them fly around and continue on because stopping the game a second time for bats isn't something anyone to do. A few players had…
data-mm-id=”_va7410v85″>The Green Bay Packers got off to a stellar start against the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card round of the 2023 NFL playoffs. The Packers received the ball and proceeded to march down the field to score a touchdown on the opening drive, burning eight minutes of clock in the process. Then they forced the Cowboys to punt after giving up only one first down, a huge win for a defense that is clearly the biggest weakness of the team. And then, to fully complete the picture of how well things were going in the first quarter for Green Bay, they managed to draw a flag on the ensuing punt thanks to a flop. Dallas punted to returner Jayden Reed. Reed waved for a fair catch at his own seven-yard line, which is an interesting decision on its own but not why we find ourselves…