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NFL Expert Picks, Week 1: Saints overwhelmingly picked to beat the Bucs.
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On paper, the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers appear evenly matched. Both teams feature Hall of Fame-bound quarterbacks in Drew Brees and Tom Brady, who are commanding impressive offenses stocked with top-shelf receiving duos (Michael Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, if healthy) and game-breaking pass catchers like Alvin Kamara and Rob Gronkowski. Fireworks are to be expected.
But experts around the NFL’s orbit forecast more of a one-sided beatdown. Expert picks surveyed by NFL Pickwatch overwhelmingly favor the Saints, with 86% of the football cognoscenti weighing in for the black and gold. Just 14% of experts are giving the Buccaneers a shot.
There are reasons to think the Saints run away with this one. They’ve returned rare continuity from the last few years, when they won 13 games in each of the last two seasons. Their coaching staff is unchanged, and many of their 22 starters remain in place. They won’t have to adjust to new teammates or a new scheme and quarterback. In such an unusual year marred by the COVID-19 pandemic, that might mean a world of difference.
But the experts have been wrong before. We saw it back in January when only 3% of the experts surveyed picked the Minnesota Vikings, who upset the Saints in the playoffs. So maybe don’t let this one sway your decision too far one way or the other.
ESPN's Chris Berman adjusting to reduced role on Sundays.
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Don't ask Chris Berman how it felt to experience the opening weekend of the NFL season as a regular viewer watching games on the sofa. He doesn't know.
After stepping down from his 31-year run as ESPN's primary NFL studio host last winter, and 38 years overall covering the league for the network, Berman spent his first free regular-season Sunday playing golf with friends in Ireland.
"I'll be in the gorse somewhere," Berman said prior to leaving for Dublin last Friday. "I'm not going to be thinking about what I'm going to say about Aaron Rodgers. I'm going to be thinking about what club to use."
Berman insists he didn't leave the country as a diversion to avoid being around for the NFL's opening Sunday. This is an annual trip taken by his friends, planned well in advance last December. When they heard of his intentions to scale back, they invited Berman to make the trek for golf in Ireland.
"They said, 'Are you interested?'" Berman said. "I said, 'I can't even compute the question. I worked 40 Septembers in a row. I don't even know what you're asking.' It's really not about me dealing with withdrawal. It's just a coincidence that it was the first Sunday of the season."
Instead, Berman will get his first taste of a NFL Sunday at home this week. He purchased NFL Sunday Ticket from DirecTV, and plans to give his remote a workout.
"I'm a consumer again," Berman said. "As this all progresses, it's going to be really different."
Indeed, it has been a period of intense transition for the 62-year-old Berman, and his reduced duties at ESPN are the least of it. In May, Berman's wife, Kathy, died in a car accident on a rural road in Connecticut.
Berman has been trying to recover emotionally from the loss of his wife of 38 years. He has taken great comfort in the outpouring of support from people he knows, and just as important, people he doesn't.
"It's been four months now, and perfect strangers still come up to me and say, 'I'm praying for your family,'" Berman said. "At times, maybe you question the human spirit. But when the chips are down, people are great. I've been able to see the human touch, human compassion is alive and well. I'm almost overwhelmed by it."
The start of the football season also has brought some sense of normalcy to Berman. He is quick to point out that he hasn't retired.
Indeed, during a piece that aired on Monday Night Countdown this week, there was Berman telling viewers, "See, you're not done with me yet."
Berman will be featured each week on the Monday pregame show with flashback stories from "Boomer's Vault" on great games in Monday Night Football history. Monday, he will recall Joe Washington's huge game on Sept. 18, 1978, which included a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the driving rain to give Baltimore a 34-27 victory over New England. He remains the only NFL player to ever throw a touchdown, catch a touchdown and return a kickoff for a touchdown in a single game.
Berman also is going to do periodic interviews. He had a sit-down with Seattle safety Earl Thomas that aired on last week's S unday NFL Countdown . He will be part of ESPN's NFL coverage during the playoffs and Super Bowl.
"I'm still staff at ESPN," Berman said. "I'm around."
But not nearly as much as when he was a prime figure in ESPN's NFL coverage. In addition to viewing games at home, he also plans to watch the new version of Sunday NFL Countdown this week. Sam Ponder replaces him as the host.
"I'm like a father here," Berman said. "I want my kids to do really well."
Berman says he is comfortable with his decision to having a reduced role. He is looking forward to becoming "a fan" again in watching games every Sunday.
Berman, though, still isn't sure how he is going to feel once everything settles in this fall. He insists he is "curious, not apprehensive."
Berman heeds the words of his long-time partner Tom Jackson, who retired prior to the 2016 season. "Tom told me, 'Each month, you'll like it more,'" Berman said. "He said, 'Boom, it's even better in November than it was in September.' Tom hasn't lied to me yet."
A Football Life : A new season of A Football Life debuts with a look at Dan Marino Friday at 9 p.m. ET on NFL Network. The one-hour show produced by NFL Films features interviews with Marino, Brett Favre, John Elway, Jim Kelly and Troy Aikman, Peyton Manning, Don Shula and more.
"Who is your favorite quarterback? It's Dan Marino and it's always been Dan Marino," Aikman said. Upcoming A Football Life films feature Emmitt Smith on Sept. 22 and John Madden on Sept. 29.
Thursday Night: The NFL's Thursday Night slate kicks off with Houston at Cincinnati on Thursday exclusively on NFL Network. Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth will be on the call.
Next Thursday's Rams-San Francisco also will air exclusively on NFL Network. Then CBS picks up coverage with five consecutive Thursday night games beginning with Chicago-Green Bay on Sept. 28. The NBC portion of the package begins with Seattle at Arizona on Nov. 9.
All Thursday night games can be seen either by simulcast or exclusively on NFL Network. Amazon also will stream 11 Thursday games, beginning with Bears-Packers.
Extra points: Tony Romo and Jim Nantz will be on the call for CBS' coverage of the New England-New Orleans game. Interesting to note that Romo, at 37, is younger than the starting quarterbacks he will be analyzing: Tom Brady is 40 and Drew Brees is 38.
Chris Berman’s Love for the Buffalo Bills Goes Back Decades.
The Buffalo Bills have been in a drought since the glory years of the early ’90s, but things are starting to look up. The Bills currently sit in first place in the AFC East. With star quarterback Josh Allen in their corner, the Bills are facing a glorious postseason run. No one is happier about this than their biggest fan, ESPN broadcaster Chris Berman.
Berman and the Bills.
It’s not too often that you hear a highly regarded sportscaster announce his preference for a football team. Sure, many analysts are former players with a soft spot for their old teams. But not many are fans of a team with a losing streak for nearly two decades. But Chris Berman isn’t just any guy. His love affair with the Bills dates back to 1988.
Berman was working as both an anchor for SportsCenter and Sunday NFL Countdown . He told The Buffalo News that after visiting training camp, he liked what he saw. “Jim Kelly is pretty good, Bruce Smith we know is good,” he explained. “This Andre Reed looks good and Thurman Thomas, etc. I ended up picking them to be in the Super Bowl, and needless to say they almost got there.”
No one expected much from the Bills, so it was out of left field for Berman to even pick them as Super Bowl contenders. They started the season strong, and each week Berman made a case for his new team. While they didn’t make the Super Bowl that year, they made it to the AFC Championship, beginning their dominance for the next several years.
A love affair.
While Berman championed the team week after week, he also befriended its members. He also likes to say that the city never got a fair chance; reporters always mocked Buffalo, making fun of the weather and location. However, Burman got to know the city better having visited over 50 times.
In fact, it was one of the first places he went after the tragic loss of his wife. He went for a golf tournament but met a slew of concerned fans. He explains:
“Perfect strangers, including the people who prepared the food, stopped me and said they were praying for me. What more could you ask than that? It was very notable that it was in Buffalo. I don’t know that would happen anywhere else. Buffalo is a unique place. I feel connected and welcome every time I come up there.”
The Buffalo Bills’ winning season.
First player in Bills history to win offensive player of the week three times in one season…
2020 is shaping up to become one of Buffalo’s finest since the glory days of the early 1990s. With the New England Patriots going through a rebuilding process, the Bills have taken over the division with complete authority. Quarterback Josh Allen is having an incredible season and some are even lauding him as the league’s next MVP.
As long as the Bills’ offense can continue on its path, and the defense keeps up their solid work and holding teams steady, the Bills are a sure fit for postseason glory. No one would be happier with that outcome than longtime fan Chris Berman. While he’s not from Buffalo, his longtime dedication towards the team and his love for the people of the city make him one of their biggest fans.
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NFL Expert Picks, Week 1: Saints overwhelmingly picked to beat the Bucs.
Share this article.
On paper, the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers appear evenly matched. Both teams feature Hall of Fame-bound quarterbacks in Drew Brees and Tom Brady, who are commanding impressive offenses stocked with top-shelf receiving duos (Michael Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, if healthy) and game-breaking pass catchers like Alvin Kamara and Rob Gronkowski. Fireworks are to be expected.
But experts around the NFL’s orbit forecast more of a one-sided beatdown. Expert picks surveyed by NFL Pickwatch overwhelmingly favor the Saints, with 86% of the football cognoscenti weighing in for the black and gold. Just 14% of experts are giving the Buccaneers a shot.
There are reasons to think the Saints run away with this one. They’ve returned rare continuity from the last few years, when they won 13 games in each of the last two seasons. Their coaching staff is unchanged, and many of their 22 starters remain in place. They won’t have to adjust to new teammates or a new scheme and quarterback. In such an unusual year marred by the COVID-19 pandemic, that might mean a world of difference.
But the experts have been wrong before. We saw it back in January when only 3% of the experts surveyed picked the Minnesota Vikings, who upset the Saints in the playoffs. So maybe don’t let this one sway your decision too far one way or the other.
ESPN's Chris Berman adjusting to reduced role on Sundays.
Copied!
Don't ask Chris Berman how it felt to experience the opening weekend of the NFL season as a regular viewer watching games on the sofa. He doesn't know.
After stepping down from his 31-year run as ESPN's primary NFL studio host last winter, and 38 years overall covering the league for the network, Berman spent his first free regular-season Sunday playing golf with friends in Ireland.
"I'll be in the gorse somewhere," Berman said prior to leaving for Dublin last Friday. "I'm not going to be thinking about what I'm going to say about Aaron Rodgers. I'm going to be thinking about what club to use."
Berman insists he didn't leave the country as a diversion to avoid being around for the NFL's opening Sunday. This is an annual trip taken by his friends, planned well in advance last December. When they heard of his intentions to scale back, they invited Berman to make the trek for golf in Ireland.
"They said, 'Are you interested?'" Berman said. "I said, 'I can't even compute the question. I worked 40 Septembers in a row. I don't even know what you're asking.' It's really not about me dealing with withdrawal. It's just a coincidence that it was the first Sunday of the season."
Instead, Berman will get his first taste of a NFL Sunday at home this week. He purchased NFL Sunday Ticket from DirecTV, and plans to give his remote a workout.
"I'm a consumer again," Berman said. "As this all progresses, it's going to be really different."
Indeed, it has been a period of intense transition for the 62-year-old Berman, and his reduced duties at ESPN are the least of it. In May, Berman's wife, Kathy, died in a car accident on a rural road in Connecticut.
Berman has been trying to recover emotionally from the loss of his wife of 38 years. He has taken great comfort in the outpouring of support from people he knows, and just as important, people he doesn't.
"It's been four months now, and perfect strangers still come up to me and say, 'I'm praying for your family,'" Berman said. "At times, maybe you question the human spirit. But when the chips are down, people are great. I've been able to see the human touch, human compassion is alive and well. I'm almost overwhelmed by it."
The start of the football season also has brought some sense of normalcy to Berman. He is quick to point out that he hasn't retired.
Indeed, during a piece that aired on Monday Night Countdown this week, there was Berman telling viewers, "See, you're not done with me yet."
Berman will be featured each week on the Monday pregame show with flashback stories from "Boomer's Vault" on great games in Monday Night Football history. Monday, he will recall Joe Washington's huge game on Sept. 18, 1978, which included a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the driving rain to give Baltimore a 34-27 victory over New England. He remains the only NFL player to ever throw a touchdown, catch a touchdown and return a kickoff for a touchdown in a single game.
Berman also is going to do periodic interviews. He had a sit-down with Seattle safety Earl Thomas that aired on last week's S unday NFL Countdown . He will be part of ESPN's NFL coverage during the playoffs and Super Bowl.
"I'm still staff at ESPN," Berman said. "I'm around."
But not nearly as much as when he was a prime figure in ESPN's NFL coverage. In addition to viewing games at home, he also plans to watch the new version of Sunday NFL Countdown this week. Sam Ponder replaces him as the host.
"I'm like a father here," Berman said. "I want my kids to do really well."
Berman says he is comfortable with his decision to having a reduced role. He is looking forward to becoming "a fan" again in watching games every Sunday.
Berman, though, still isn't sure how he is going to feel once everything settles in this fall. He insists he is "curious, not apprehensive."
Berman heeds the words of his long-time partner Tom Jackson, who retired prior to the 2016 season. "Tom told me, 'Each month, you'll like it more,'" Berman said. "He said, 'Boom, it's even better in November than it was in September.' Tom hasn't lied to me yet."
A Football Life : A new season of A Football Life debuts with a look at Dan Marino Friday at 9 p.m. ET on NFL Network. The one-hour show produced by NFL Films features interviews with Marino, Brett Favre, John Elway, Jim Kelly and Troy Aikman, Peyton Manning, Don Shula and more.
"Who is your favorite quarterback? It's Dan Marino and it's always been Dan Marino," Aikman said. Upcoming A Football Life films feature Emmitt Smith on Sept. 22 and John Madden on Sept. 29.
Thursday Night: The NFL's Thursday Night slate kicks off with Houston at Cincinnati on Thursday exclusively on NFL Network. Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth will be on the call.
Next Thursday's Rams-San Francisco also will air exclusively on NFL Network. Then CBS picks up coverage with five consecutive Thursday night games beginning with Chicago-Green Bay on Sept. 28. The NBC portion of the package begins with Seattle at Arizona on Nov. 9.
All Thursday night games can be seen either by simulcast or exclusively on NFL Network. Amazon also will stream 11 Thursday games, beginning with Bears-Packers.
Extra points: Tony Romo and Jim Nantz will be on the call for CBS' coverage of the New England-New Orleans game. Interesting to note that Romo, at 37, is younger than the starting quarterbacks he will be analyzing: Tom Brady is 40 and Drew Brees is 38.
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