Mike Tirico to call play-by-play on NBC’s Thursday Night Football

Posted by Michael David Smith on May 31, 2017, 4:30 PM EDT
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Mike Tirico will be spending more time in the booth and Al Michaels will focus on Sunday nights this season.

Tirico is taking over for Michaels as the play-by-play announcer on NBC’s Thursday Night Football broadcasts for 2017. Michaels will continue to call Sunday Night Football, and Cris Collinsworth will remain the analyst for all of NBC’s NFL games.

The NFL has an agreement with both CBS and NBC that the networks will use their top broadcast teams for Thursday Night Football. For CBS, that means Jim Nantz and new arrival Tony Romo, who replaces Phil Simms. For NBC, that has meant Michaels and Collinsworth, but the NFL confirmed that it has approved Tirico stepping in for Michaels.

Prior to joining NBC last year, Tirico was the lead voice on ESPN’s Monday Night Football broadcasts. Michaels has been the lead voice on Sunday Night Football since it premiered on NBC in 2006. Michaels will call Super Bowl LII in February, his 10th Super Bowl as play-by-play announcer.

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26 responses to “Mike Tirico to call play-by-play on NBC’s Thursday Night Football”

  4. I have not seen a lot of Tirico as I cut the cable cord, so I don’t know how good he is or who he was paired with at ESPN. I wonder if ESPN would have fired him had he not left.

  5. And …. I’m out. Will be tuning in the radio broadcasts, just as I did when he was on MNF. I get that Al Michaels might want a lighter schedule, but to, Tirico is just annoying.

  6. I actually really like Trico, he had a great call on the Saints “Domecoming” for the Gleason blocked kick…..but we are missing the real person that should have gotten the color commentary seat in the MNF booth back a few years ago,,, Mike Wilburn not Kornheiser.

  7. Great news. I love Al but I’m sure I’m not alone in missing Tirico calling games once a week like he did on ESPN.

    MNF schedule was always brutal, and he was stuck calling bad games. Unfortunately, he’ll be stuck calling bad games on Thursday as well.

  9. Long time fan of Micheals, but he has lost it over the last few years. He regularly botches calls on some of the biggest plays over the last few years and it’s only getting worse. Tirico is far better than Al at this stage and in fact, could easily argued that he is the best football announcer of all the big networks primetime callers. Although in my opinion, Kevin Burkhardt is the best calling NFL games.

  12. Tirico knows all the players names and describes the game sufficiently. That about covers my requirements for a play by play man. Now if they can only teach the analyst to shut up and let the game happen. I’d be happy.

  14. As long as Simms is gone, I’m happy. The worst. And he got worse the longer he did it.

  15. Please. AL Michaels hasn’t lost a step. Tirico on the other hand is just OK. Nothing special. Just like Fowler taking over the big college football games. Just OK, his presence doesn’t make it bigger.

  16. I have been tired of Al Michaels for years. And I like Tirico.
    So this move gets a thumbs up from me.

  17. Tirico is in love with his own voice. He talks too much, saying little that is worth hearing. He is perfect for those garbage TNF games. I don’t watch them.

  18. Good move. Tirico’s a class act and a first rate announcer. Just afraid the poor guys going to be stuck calling awful games all season long.

  21. I love Mike Tirico. He’s the best play-by-play man in the business 🙂 Heather Cox is great on the sidelines as well. That’s why ESPN sucks now, among other reasons, the two of them aren’t there anymore. I’m also a big Brad Nessler guy

  24. Can we do anything about Collingsworth? He, like Phill Simms, seems to be enamored with the sounds of his own voice and tends to babble nonsensically until interrupted. Too often, color commentators seem afraid of “dead air”, even for a few seconds, and start babbling to the point where they miss much more meaningful actions on the field. Shut up for a few seconds, Chris, or please just go away.

  25. Al Michaels is old. I’m sure he doesnt want to have to work twice a week calling games. This is just to lighten his load so they don’t overwork him.

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