FOX Football Daily meets with the media. Here are the top takeaways
Ross Jones, FOXSports.comFOX Football Daily will kick off on Monday Aug. 19 at 6 p.m ET. on FOX Sports 1 America’s New Sports Network. The FOX Football Daily crew held a call with the media to detail exactly what the show is and who will be featured on it. Here are some top takeaways from the media call:Bears bound for playoffs? Brian Urlacher doesn’t think so This sure won’t sit well with Chicago Bears fans, but future Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher thinks the Green Bay Packers are the favorites to win the NFC North. “Yeah, I would consider them the favorite,” Urlacher said. “Two or three times around they’ve won the division and I would say that they are the favorite until someone knocks them off, they’re going to be the top dog in that division.” Ok, fine. Easy answer. Surely, the Bears will be on their heels though right, Brian? Not so fast. “I think Minnesota is right behind [Green Bay]. They got better in the offseason. They got Greg Jennings, they stole him from Green Bay and there defense has always been good. So, I think right now it’s between those two. Green Bay has a slight edge and it will be interesting to see how Chicago and Detroit can keep up in that division with those two teams.”Randy Moss thinks Greg Jennings’ hostility towards Green Bay is ‘human nature’ Jennings hasn’t gone silent since the Packers let him walk in free agency. He’s made headlines, indirectly criticized his former quarterback Aaron Rodgers and was reportedly reeled in by his new head coach Leslie Frazier. “It’s just human nature to leave [a team] of course with some positives, but with some negatives,” Moss said. “It just happens where some players put it out in the paper and some keep it amongst their family behind closed doors. “So, what Greg Jennings is saying is typical of what all players do, but the thing is, are you going to make it public or keep it behind closed doors.” Moss has made some headlines of his own in the past and clearly won’t sugarcoat his opinion now that he’s on the other side of the camera. Ronde Barber has had TV plans for sometime Barber had been a cornerstone to Tampa Bay’s defense for the last decade and will now bring his unique perspective to television. Although FOX Football Daily wasn’t specifically in his plans this time last year, Barber has always had aspirations to be in front of the camera after his football days. “I’ve followed media for a lot of years,” Barber said. “I never had a Plan B, but if I would’ve had one outside of football it would be doing exactly what I’m doing now. I’ve been preparing for this for a long time. I have a lot of good friends in the business, particularly [Jay Glazer] who has kinda steered me into this.” Scott Fujita brings a master’s degree worth of knowledge to the program Former Browns and Saints linebacker announced that he would be making the leap into television on Twitter and he couldn’t be more thrilled. Fujita, who announced his retirement in April, brings a ton of NFL experience and knowledge to the program.
Excited to join @FOXSports1 & @FFD. Will be talking about football & stuff. Will not be punk'd by @JayGlazer. And believe me, he'll try. — Scott Fujita (@sfujita55) August 12, 2013
Who else will be featured on FOX Football Daily? While the cast announcement generated a ton of buzz, other NFL on FOX staple analysts will be featured on the show. NFL officiating expert Mike Pereira will join the show weekly as will former NFL players John Lynch, Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long and others. Jay Glazer is metaphorically the straw that stirs the drink One thing viewers will notice is how instrumental Glazer was to the whole production of the show. Glazer has built relationships with players during his days as an NFL insider, and has a natural camaraderie with the guys. “In all seriousness, Jay is the most respected guy in the business. We see him bouncing off the walls during the week and he needs an outlet to get his information out there,” FOX Sports executive producer John Entz said. “There’s a lot of difference makers, but he is truly one of them who will make an impact.” As we live in the days of Twitter and information moves so fast, Glazer’s network separates him from other insiders as he can elaborate what different new means inside the locker rook. “Nowadays with breaking news, something breaks, then it happens and everyone has it in a few seconds,” Glazer said. “It’s more about being the inside show and putting out the real stories about what is really going on. I think we look at this as NFL uncensored, while putting together a fun crew with guys who have known each other for a long time.”
