ESPN’s Chris Berman. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
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By Dan McNeil-
For many American sports fans, it doesn’t get any better than the opening weekend of the NFL season.
The quality of play isn’t stellar in Week 1, but who cares? Our old friend is back and despite all the false starts, dropped passes and busted plays, we are as comfortable as the armchair in which we are reposed.
This year, however, I won’t be alone in begging for the first week’s conclusion. The deep thinkers in Bristol, Conn., announced this week that “Sunday NFL Countdown” host Chris Berman will handle the play-by-play duties for the nightcap of ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” doubleheader.
Berman, 57, will call the Oakland-San Diego game with Trent Dilfer handling analysis. “It’s like two friends doing a game and I intend to get out of his way,” Berman said in a press release.
That’s hysterical. Berman has prospered for decades for getting in the way. On “Countdown.” At the NFL draft. At the U.S. Open. Wherever there’s a camera and a microphone, Chris Berman becomes a runaway train.
And the suits seem to love him for it. He was rewarded with a multi-year contract two years ago after being wooed by NFL Network and other outlets.
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