| NFL Matchup | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sports |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Production | |
| Running time | approx. 21 minutes |
| Production company | NFL Films |
| Original release | |
| Network | ESPN |
| Release | September 5, 1993 (1993-09-05) – present |
NFL Matchup is aNational Football League (NFL) preview show that airs every week during theregular season andplayoffs. At various times, the official name was based on the current sponsor in the format[Sponsor Name] NFL Matchup. Since 2017, it is known simply as theESPN NFL Matchup, and it is produced utilizing commentary and footage fromNFL Films.
During the 2008–09 NFL season, it aired every Sunday during the season onESPN at 3:00amEastern time (ET), then re-aired at 7:30am ET. Over the years the air-times have varied, typically with an initial showing onESPN2 on Saturday morning, and the show being re-aired Sunday morning on ESPN. In 2019, it began airing on ESPN2 sometime around 6:30 to 7:00AM ET on Saturday, depending on other programming, then re-aired on Sundays twice on ESPN, with the first showing, depending on other programming, at 3:00 to 4:00AM ET, and the second showing typically at 6:30AM ET. Additional special air-times take place during the playoffs and for other specially scheduled NFL games.
UnlikeSunday NFL Countdown,NFL Primetime,Monday Night Countdown,NFL Insiders, andNFL Live,NFL Matchup gives fans an in-depth look at the NFL by breaking down the strategy and tactics—the "X's and O's", after the symbols commonly used by coaches to diagram plays—of every pro football game. The program's analysts do this through the exclusive use of team-supplied coaching footage, the same video coaches and players use each week to preparegame plans andstrategy.
The show started in 1984 asMonday Night Matchup with Chris Berman as host withAllie Sherman, former Giants coach, andSteve Sabol ofNFL Films providing analysis.[1]
From 1993 to 2003, it was hosted byMark Malone,SportsCenter anchorStuart Scott and finally,ESPN sideline reporterSuzy Kolber, who became the first woman to host an NFL show.
Since the 2004 seasonSunday NFL Countdown andSportsCenter correspondentSal Paolantonio has served as the host. Alongside him wereRon Jaworski andMerril Hoge. Jaworski, who also appeared onESPN'sSunday NFL Countdown, joinedESPN in 1990 after a 17-year career as aquarterback, most notably with thePhiladelphia Eagles. The show fits Jaworski style of breaking down the X's and O's of the football gridiron game.
Hoge joinedESPN in 1996, where he serves as an analyst onNFL Live andESPNewsFootball Friday, as well asNFL Matchup. He is a formerfullback and an eight-year veteran, serving five of those years as a starter for thePittsburgh Steelers. Television tape was used until 1994, when game film was used.[1]
The program converted to ahigh-definition presentation for the 2011 season, though some game footage camera angles (which are mainly used internally by coaching staffs, and rarely by television networks during game broadcasts except in a few circumstances) remained provided to ESPN by the NFL instandard definition for a short while after. WithJim Rome is Burning, which ended at the end of January 2012 never converting to HD,NFL Matchup was both the final ESPN program to convert to HD and the last still utilizing some SD presentation outside of rareSportsCenter highlights still in that format.
After both Jaworski and Hoge were laid off by the network in April 2017, ESPN NFL insiderLouis Riddick andGreg Cosell, the original co-creator of the show, were named the new co-hosts of the program.
In 2018, Riddick was replaced byMatt Bowen.[2]
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