ESPN's vision is to streamline visuals
As television technology has improved over the years, particularly with sports, networks have tried to cram as much information into a broadcast as possible. At times, the graphics have been so extensive as to hinder the programming rather than complement it.
With that in mind, the brain trust for ESPN's "Monday Night Football" is banking that less will translate into more this year. Beginning with Monday's doubleheader (Minnesota at Green Bay at 7 p.m., Denver at Oakland at 10:15), the network promises to demonstrate a cleaner, crisper viewing experience.
Executive producer Jed Drake said making a big change for the sake of change doesn't always mean improvement.
"When you have a franchise like "Monday Night Football," people automatically think, "Well, what are you going to do differently?' and inevitably there are changes that we're going to make but they are more evolutionary than revolutionary," said Drake. "Last year, we brought in Ron Jaworski. Our booth is very much intact. That really is one of the key areas we're going to focus on -- making the three of them [Jaworski, Mike Tirico, and Tony Kornheiser] even more cohesive than they've been.
"Visually we're going to be debuting a brand-new graphic look that has never been done in our view not just in terms of what it looks like but how it's done and what it looks like on the screen," said Drake. "It's a result of what we learned from in our focus groups about high definition. It's fascinating. Fans are enamored with high definition and the screen. It's about reducing clutter. It's a much more streamlined look. I think it's going to be a lot more visually appealing because there is less [clutter] and it doesn't get in the way of the images."
One area where the pictures will play a greater role in telling the story is during replays. Drake said the latest technology can handle 300 frames per second.
"We've learned through working with our technicians, you have to figure out a frame rate where blur is eliminated," said Drake. "If a foot is on the line by half an inch, you can see it clearly. It basically eliminates a lot of the questions about certain plays. It's a far more definitive look than what we've seen in the past. It's one thing to use this technology at a Super Bowl, it's another to use it every week on every "Monday Night Football" telecast. These projects, like everything that we do, are works in progress."
Drake said one goal for the broadcast booth is to improve chemistry, similar to what he saw from ABC's trio of Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, and Mark Jackson during NBA broadcasts.
"They are one of the best broadcasting teams in all of sports," said Drake. "You look at Mike and Jaws and Tony, they all come from different backgrounds. They are learning each other still and how each other operates."
One of the highlights of the Monday night season stands to be Sept. 22, when the Brett Favre-led Jets face the Chargers in San Diego.
"For three months we had been preparing with the Packers for a retirement package on Favre," said Drake. "Now everything has changed."
Model behavior
CBS studio analyst and former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher has watched with interest as the Patriots prepare for their follow-up to a perfect regular season. Cowher believes New England is still the team to beat. "I don't think there's any question that people look at the New England Patriots as the model organization," said Cowher. "Given the structure of the National Football League, which has virtually created a situation where you just can't do it year in and year out, they've been able to defy that. I think between Bill Belichick and Scott Pioli and obviously Robert Kraft, they've created an environment -- how many times do you see veterans take less money to go there because of the opportunity to win? That's a credit to them. No one's going to talk about it but they are the team everybody wants to beat. All the talk of the Jets because of Brett Favre and the Giants coming off the great run that they had and the Cowboys as "America's Team," New England has been the team [to beat]. They do it the right way." Cowher said there will be even more challenges for the Patriots along the way. "Their division, without question, is going to be a lot tougher," he said. "Obviously, with Brett Favre, that's documented. But I think the Buffalo Bills will be a better football team. I think Miami, with [Bill] Parcells [running it], are going to be a better football team, with a little bit of the unknown there. But I think that will be good for New England, it will keep them on edge." ....... Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, and Pam Oliver return as Fox's No. 1 broadcast team Sunday, when the Browns host the Cowboys. Former Giants great Michael Strahan joins Fox's studio crew, working with Curt Menefee, Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, and Jimmy Johnson for the network's 15th season. Fox also hired former Baltimore Ravens coach Brian Billick as a game analyst. He will make his debut with Thom Brennaman Sunday calling the Tampa Bay-New Orleans game.Nancy Marrapese-Burrell can be reached at marrapese@globe.com. 