Todd Blackledge Q&A: On his move to NBC, calling Bengals-Steelers and playoffs

Each week during the football season, we will interview a different broadcaster. The goal is for readers to gain insight into how broadcasters approach what they do, along with some questions tied to the game or assignment they are charged with that week. Our 14th Q&A subject is NBC college football and NFL analyst Todd Blackledge, who will call Saturday’s Cincinnati Bengals versus Pittsburgh Steelers game on NBC and Peacock with Noah Eagle and Kathryn Tappen.

Previous weeks have featured Fox’s Greg Olsen, Pam Oliver and Jay Glazer; Amazon’s Al Michaels; CBS and Westwood One Audio’s Kevin Harlan; CBS’ Gene Steratore; ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky; NBC’s Melissa Stark; the NFL Network’s Rich Eisen; ESPN/ABC’s Joe Buck, CBS’ Charles Davis and Amy Traskand ESPN’s Laura Rutledge.

Why was moving from ESPN to NBC after nearly two decades the right move for you?

I was very happy there, and I was very confident that my work was well-respected and well-received. I was not looking to go anywhere. I was there 17 years. I had different play-by-play guys, but I had the same director, Scott Johnson, for all 17 years. There were a half-dozen camera guys on our same crew the entire time. So it was a very family-oriented feel, and I loved it. I would put our games and our work up against anybody doing football at any level.

I did a (college) playoff game every year, and I was comfortable with that. I realized that I was at a ceiling at ESPN, and that was not going to change. It took me a while when I first came over (to ESPN) from CBS, but I came to grips with that. When NBC started talking to me about what their (Big Ten) project was going to be and how they were going to try to present it, I was very intrigued. Again, I wasn’t looking to go anywhere. But the more this thing went down the road, the NBC offer got better and better, and they made me feel very important and wanted. You want to find a place that’s a great fit, you want to feel wanted, and you want to feel like you’re important to them. NBC made me feel that way.

Your broadcast group is doing the Bengals-Steelers game. The last time you called an NFL game was the first two weeks of the 2000 NFL season when you filled in for a couple of fellow CBS Sports analysts who had some health issues. A 23-year gap for any job assignment can be surreal. Are you nervous? Excited? A combination of all?

First of all, I’m thrilled for the opportunity. I’m very thankful that NBC felt confident to put Noah, Kathryn and (me) in that spot. I wouldn’t say that I’m nervous because I’ve always been a fan of the game. My dad coached in the NFL for 16 years. I played, and I know it was a long time ago, but I remain a fan.

During the weekend of the college football conference championships — this is the first year I haven’t done a college football championship game in many years — Noah and I went to Stamford, Connecticut, and we did a practice game in a studio. It was the Sunday night Packers–Chiefs game. We had our producer in our ear and we did the whole game. I then flew to Dallas for the Cowboys–Eagles game because I wanted to go through the process of how Mike (Tirico) and Cris (Collinsworth) prepare. I went to see the Cowboys practice and sat in on the meetings with (Cowboys coach) Mike McCarthy and (quarterback) Dak Prescott. I wanted to see how Cris and Mike plan their week and how different that is from what I’m used to. I then stayed for the game and sat in the “Sunday Night Football” booth and listened to the feed.

Those two weekends were very helpful for me and make me confident going into this week. At the end of the day, it’s still calling football. In that 23-year gap, the college game has morphed into more of a professional game in terms of rules and some of the things that are happening. It’s not as drastic of a difference as it was many years ago.

Your broadcast group will also be calling an NFL playoff game. Was that something that you expected when you joined NBC, or is this a great piece of happenstance?

It’s not something I was expecting. It wasn’t part of my deal to come over. But I’m honored and thrilled with the opportunity. To me, that says they liked the job that Noah, Kathryn, myself and our whole production crew did in our first year together on the Big Ten and they feel confident putting us in that role. I’m very pleased by it, but it wasn’t something that I went in expecting.

How would you assess your first year in the booth calling college football for NBC?

I thought it went very well. I was pleasantly surprised how much chemistry I felt Noah and I had. I felt like it got better through the year and Kathryn Tappen was great to work with. So, outside the fact that we had a few games that were not great games, I thought the broadcast went very well and got better as the year went on.

You had never worked with Noah before. He is someone who is your kid’s age. How have you tried to forge chemistry?

I knew they were working on getting his contract done, and there was a certain waiting period. Once that was official, we talked on the phone and then met in New York. The (NBA’s) Clippers actually had a weekend where they were playing the Knicks one night and then the Nets (for whom Eagle does play-by-play duties). So I flew up to New York and our producer, Matt Marvin, our director, Charlie Dammeyer, Noah and I got together for lunch. That was the first time I was with him in person. We then corresponded back and forth and were together in Indianapolis for the Big Ten media days.

I’ve worked with great play-by-play guys — Mike Tirico, Verne Lundquist, Mike Patrick, Brad Nessler, Joe Tessitore, Sean McDonough — and I never did a practice game with any of those guys. The first time we showed up to do a game, we did it and kind of figured out each other’s rhythm and style, and it went from there. Noah’s a pro. He’s mature beyond his years.

Noah Eagle (left) and Todd Blackledge teamed up on NBC’s college football coverage. They’ll also call Bengals-Steelers on Saturday and an NFL playoff game next month. (Courtesy of NBC Sports)

What current college football coach would make for a good broadcaster if they decided to leave the coaching profession?

I think (TCU’s) Sonny Dykes would be good. He’s kind of got that Texas good ol’ boy to him and he’s been around football, high school and colleges, his whole life. He’s got a good personality. I think (Clemson’s) Dabo Swinney would be good. He’d be fun to listen to. He’s kind of a high-energy guy, a lot of personality. He’d bring that energy to the booth, which is important.

How close have you come to cursing on the air?

I’ve been close a couple of times. I’ll tell you a funny story. This happened early in my career. The very first job I got as an analyst, I got hired by the Big East Television Network. They had just started their own TV package. It was hard for me to get the job because I was a Penn State guy, and Penn State had kind of said goodbye to their Eastern neighbors and went to the Big Ten. Some of the schools in the Big East were not thrilled about me being hired.

One of them was Pittsburgh because that was our archrival. One of the very first games I did was at the old Pitt Stadium. They had a blue wooden box for the broadcast booth. It was separate from the press box. It was a noon game, and it was hot in September. Somebody spilled a Coke on the ground in the booth, and there were bees flying in and out of the booth the whole time. At one point, we went off-camera for a commercial break. I’m swatting bees and saying this place really sucks. Well, some bar owner in Pittsburgh had the bird up and they caught me talking. Both the Big East Network and me caught some grief. That next week I had to do some apologizing and explaining. I learned (to) never assume that your mic is not on. Always assume it’s on.

What’s one sporting event outside of college football you have never called but would love to regardless of who has the contract?

I love the Final Four. I’ve been to it. I’ve watched it. Basketball was my favorite sport growing up, and for a long time my dream was to go to the University of Kentucky to play basketball. My dad was an assistant football coach at UK when I was in middle school. I fell in love with Kentucky basketball, but I just wasn’t big or talented enough to pursue that dream. So the Final Four would probably be the event.

Who is a current broadcaster working in another sport that you really admire and why?

The first would be (ESPN NBA analyst) Hubie Brown just because of his longevity. I just think he’s great. When I listen to an analyst, I want somebody to teach me something or give me insight that I couldn’t see for myself, and Hubie always does that. The other guy for the same reason is (Fox MLB analyst) John Smoltz. I love listening to him do a game because he takes you into the mind of the pitcher or the mind of the hitter and just gives you information that you would not know on your own.

Hopefully, that’s the way I call a game. The very first game I ever did live, a producer pulled me aside after our production meeting and said: “Look at the guy next to you, his job is to tell people what happened, who carried the ball, who made the tackle. Don’t repeat what he says. Your job is to try to answer the question ‘why.’ Why did this play work? Why didn’t it work? Why is the game going this way?” So I’ve always tried to answer the question “why.”

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