Mike Tirico isn't a stranger to hosting a NFL pregame show. He once had stints on ESPN's lead-in to the Monday night game.
"That gave me the opportunity to work with 'Downtown' Julie Brown," Tirico said. "I'm very confident in saying that I am the only person to ever work with 'Downtown' Julie Brown and Hubie Brown."
Neither of the Browns will be part of Tirico's new role. Sunday night, he takes over for Bob Costas as host of NBC's "Football Night in America."
Costas now will handle the pregame duties for NBC's new package of five Thursday night games; its first Thursday game will be Panthers-Saints on Nov. 17.
It had been widely assumed when Tirico made the big jump from ESPN to NBC during the summer that he would be on the call for NBC's Thursday night games. Instead, Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth will work those telecasts.
"I was smiling when I read the reports, because it was based on an assumption," Tirico said. "People kept bringing it up and throwing it out there. Hopefully, a lot of this wasted conversation will end with my fall assignment. I know the people who live in my house don't care."
Tirico still is getting some play-by-play work this fall. He joined Collinsworth for two NFL preseason games on NBC and will team with Doug Flutie for two Thursday night games on NFL Network. He also is calling three Notre Dame games for NBC.
Make no mistake, after serving 10 years as the play-by-play voice for ESPN's "Monday Night Football," Tirico knows he will miss being in the booth for a full slate of games.
"Calling football is what I love to do the most," Tirico said. "It has become the most identifiable part of what I do. Will I miss being in the booth every week? Absolutely. Do I still have plenty to do and be involved with at NBC? Absolutely."
Tirico's new role does require an adjustment from doing play-by-play. For starters, he doesn't have to do as much research on every player on each team.
"It's unlikely I will be talking about a second-team offensive lineman (as a studio host)," Tirico said.
Instead, Tirico will be following the template set by Costas, focusing on "the big picture" for the upcoming game. It gives him the chance to do more interviews; he sat down with Carolina's Cam Newton before the season opener last Thursday. Unlike other NFL pregame shows, Tirico also has to be able to adjust quickly since NBC's version airs on the heels of the Sunday afternoon games.
"This show responds to what society has become," Tirico said. "There's no more wait for something to cook in the oven. These guys put it in the microwave and get it done. You react to what just happened in the games during the day."
Tirico is thankful he will be on site for NBC's Sunday games. If there is one thing he learned from going to the studio to play-by-play at ESPN, it is the value of being there. He relishes the opportunity of being on the field before the game to get last-minute information from coaches and players. He feeds off the buzz of the arriving crowd.
"You can't have the texture or feel for an event when you never leave the studio," Tirico said. "You lose touch with the nuances and little things that are important during a game. There's really nothing like being in a stadium and being able to see people face-to-face."
When he joined NBC, Tirico thought he might experience some twinges of withdrawal from leaving ESPN, where he spent 25 years. But he says the transition was made easier by the "classy" farewell he received from ESPN and by the way he has been received by NBC. Besides, with a myriad of assignments, including the Olympics, he is too busy to dwell on his big jump.
Tirico, though, knows Monday nights will be different during the season. For the first time since 2005, he will be home in Michigan watching ESPN's telecast of the game.
"It depends on what's going on with the kids, but I know at 8:30 (p.m. ET), I will be seated somewhere in my house enjoying the game," Tirico said. "Some of my dearest friends are over there. I hope the 11th season of 'Monday Night Football' (on ESPN) is the best season they've ever had."
