Oh man, does this ever have the potential to be the biggest trainwreck in the history of television. The always emotional Elisabeth Hasselbeck will be switching jobs with her husband, ESPN NFL analyst Tim Hasselbeck, for a day. Seriously.

Elisabeth will be appearing on NFL live at 4pm on Tuesday, January 19th, while Tim will be co-hosting "The View" on Thursday, January 28th at 11am. Via ESPN PR....

Elisabeth Hasselbeck, a Daytime Emmy Award-winning co-host of ABC’s “The View,” and her husband, ESPN NFL analyst Tim Hasselbeck, are changing jobs – for one day.

Elisabeth will spend the afternoon of Tuesday, Jan. 19 on the ESPN campus in Bristol, Conn., where she will appear in Tim’s place on ESPN programs, including NFL Live (4 p.m. ET), to discuss the NFL playoffs and other sports topics.

Tim will complete the job swap Thursday, Jan. 28, at the ABC studios in New York, where he will occupy Elisabeth’s seat on “The View” (11 a.m., ABC) alongside co-hosts Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, Sherri Shepherd and Barbara Walters. The former NFL quarterback will share his perspective and match wits with the all-female panel as they discuss the latest news, celebrity gossip and events of the day.

“We think fun and sports should go together, and the job swap will be fun for our viewers and for fans of ‘The View’ who will get the chance to see and hear from Elisabeth and Tim in completely different settings,” said ESPN senior coordinating producer Seth Markman, who oversees NFL Live.

“So many times we ask, ‘How did work go today?’ ” said Elisabeth. “Undoubtedly we will be finding out the hard way as we switch jobs. The question then will be, ‘What have we gotten ourselves into?’ "

Added Tim: “Hopefully I can pull this off because I see her preparation on a regular basis each week – reading, and watching cable news shows, other television programs and upcoming movies. I will enjoy this because I know they will have fun with me at ‘The View’ and, of course, when I get back to work at ESPN. I’m sure I’ll have a greater appreciation for what she does on a day-in and day-out basis.”

I'd love to get Trey Wingo's reaction on this idea. Obviously it's a little kitschy, but it could turn out to be fun. Tim will be trying to fend off the cackles of Whoopi and Barbara Walters, while Elisabeth cries on NFL Live over the Cowboys Tony Romo choking away a Playoff win for the Cowboys.

It's amazing how fast athletes get scooped up by the networks these days, and no network does it faster than ESPN. The "Leader" waited about two days before signing Tedy Bruschi, and he'll be contributing to the new ESPNBoston.com, as well as some on air segments....

Three-time New England Patriots Super Bowl champion Tedy Bruschi is joining ESPN. The veteran linebacker, who just announced his retirement from pro football last week after 13 seasons, will provide NFL analysis on ESPNBoston.com – ESPN’s new local sports site, launching September 14 – and appear on NFL Live, SportsCenter, ESPN Radio and other ESPN platforms.

Bruschi, who played in five of the Patriots franchise’s six Super Bowl appearances, will offer his NFL insights and analysis in multiple contributions per week on ESPNBoston.com, ESPN’s new home for New England sports news and information, online video, and original and customized content. He will also offer analysis on ESPN, beginning this week when he debuts on NFL Live Thursday (4 p.m. and 12 a.m. ET) and Friday (4 p.m.) with host Trey Wingo and Darren Woodson.

As part of studio coverage leading into ESPN’s season-opening Monday Night Football doubleheader on Monday, Bruschi will be on-site at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., for SportsCenter and Monday Night Countdown before the Buffalo Bills-Patriots game. Also, Bruschi will attend ESPN’s MNF Chalk Talk Series event at the Hall at Patriot Place that morning (11:30 a.m.), and during halftime he will be recognized on the field as an honorary captain of the Patriots’ 50th Anniversary Team.

I guess if he's going to spend most of his time on the .com side of things, than it's not a bad hire. But if they hired him for on-air things like NFL Live, that might have been a bad move. Again though, it's really just a roll of the dice with former players, and if they work out good....if not, no harm no foul.

I've long been a fan of Trey Wingo on ESPN. Sure we've had our run-ins, but the guy is honest and cares about the Sport he covers. You can't really ask for much more. Well, Trey was "On The DL" today and talked about NFL rule changes, and ESPN's role within Sports, but it was the Cutler talk that seemed to stick out the most....

“You know what? Players lose in the NFL. That’s the way it goes. Everybody is a commodity...Everybody is tradable. If Joe Montana was tradable I’m pretty sure Jay Cutler is. And I think Jay Cutler is a very good quarterback -- I think he’s a top-10 quarterback in the NFL. I think he has an unbelievable arm and he’s got a great future.

“But you know what? Get over it. Things happen in the NFL. And players are treated as commodities and that ain’t changing anytime soon whether it’s you, or anyone else.”

Up until recently, I've been on the side of Cutler, but I'm starting to see why Denver may not trust in him. The guy does great things for the diabetic community, but couldn't be more of a baby at times. Anyway, great interview and you should certainly check out the rest.

Trey Wingo Talking Both Sides of the ESPN Sports Spectrum (On The DL)

Herm Edwards will take his first spin on ESPN this afternoon. He'll be making his debut on NFL Live today at 4pm, and while I'm still skeptical about his ability to say anything controversial, he tells USA Today that he won't be holding anything back.

Herm Edwards, fired weeks ago as the Kansas City Chiefs' coach, makes his ESPN debut Wednesday on NFL Live. He says he'll be "critical" but not "condescending." He won't rule out returning to coaching but sounds resigned to having no chance of future Gatorade baths: "I'm really going to put my heart and soul into this. If this can take me for the rest of my life in football, I'm OK with that."

Edwards, who'll show what he can do by regularly appearing on NFLLive, SportsCenter and ESPNews before ESPN's regular-season assignments are finalized, says he got feelers from other networks. But ESPN allowed him to feel "at home" and carry on his larger purpose: "We're all in this, at the end of the day, to promote the game of football."

ESPN producer Seth Markman says that, after Edwards did some ESPN cameos last season, "We knew right away" that Edwards would be a good recruit. And Edwards suggests wearing TV makeup at work doesn't mean he expects to get by with a wink and a smile: "Even in this job, you still have to work at it. Those are your words."

Not that I would tell Mr. Markman who to do his job, but that statement was the exact opposite of how fans felt about Edwards' previous performance on the network. He was a current coach at the time, so it was understandable that he wouldn't burn bridges, but he brought nothing to the table. I think his personality fits an analyst role, and the above state of mind he has is the right way to approach the role as an ex-player/coach.

Hopefully this go around will work out better for ESPN, but I still find it funny that networks are scrambling to hire recently fired GMs and coaches. They were fired for a reason, you know?

Herm Edwards eager to leap from sideline to ESPN airwaves (USA Today)

There's only one entity that could best NBC's thirteen-man production, and that entity is ESPN. I lost count around the number 20, so we'll go with say....26 people. That's how many employees ESPN is sending down to Florida starting this weekend. And while that number is defintely large, it's the production elements that will blow your mind. ESPN will air more than 90 hours SB programming from Tampa, and more than 65 hours on ESPN Radio, starting next week.

While that's what's going on during the week leading up to the game, here's what's happening gameday if you're planning on watching....

* Covering his 27th Super Bowl, Chris Berman will host the four-hour Sunday NFL Countdown (10 a.m. – 2 p.m.) with analysts Cris Carter, Mike Ditka, Keyshawn Johnson, Tom Jackson and Chris Mortensen. Monday Night Football play-by-play voice Mike Tirico and ESPN’s triumvirate of Super Bowl quarterbacks – Trent Dilfer, Ron Jaworski and Steve Young – will also appear on Countdown from a set at Raymond James Stadium. Post-game coverage will include two hours of SportsCenter and NFL Primetime beginning at 10 p.m. Reporters Suzy Kolber (Cardinals) and Ed Werder (Steelers) will also provide updates on the teams.

* ESPN Radio’s “Super Sunday” program lineup will feature popular weekday shows Mike & Mike in the Morning (6 a.m./simulcast on ESPN2 at 6:30 a.m.) and The Herd with Colin Cowherd (10 a.m./simulcast on ESPN2 and ESPNU), as well as a five-hour “Countdown to Kickoff” pre-game show (1-6 p.m.) hosted by Ryen Russillo and Freddie Coleman, all originating from Bristol, Conn. Tirico will host a two-hour post-game show from Tampa.

NFL Live always puts on a great show, and I've said it's one of the best shows ESPN has, but yesterday they took it to a whole new level. Trey Wingo and company took a field trip outdoors to talk how weather affects play on the Football field. Watch closely in the background for an extra special guest who is keeping watch over the proceedings....

Whoever that was, played the role of Belichick perfectly. I thought it was John Clayton at first, but he had a little bit of a breakdown earlier in the show.

I have no idea what that was, but hopefully it wasn't anything serious like a seizure. I'm thinking it was an earpiece issue or perhaps a wicked migraine.

So if you didn't hear, there was a pretty substantial earthquake in California yesterday and we certainly hope everyone is okay. Sal Pal brought it up yesterday on NFL Live and was hoping that Mark Schlereth went with him, but of course he did not....

I don't know why, but that just made me crack up for some reason. Nope...no earthquake on my end, but thanks for asking. Can we get to the Favre stuff I've prepared already please? Thanks.

Noooo! Pro Football Talk is reporting this morning that ESPN is officially dropping Emmitt Smith from the Sunday NFL Countdown team for the upcoming season. Smith will be replaced by Cris Carter on the show but will still be featured on that morning's edition of Sports Center....

It’s official. Emmitt Smith will not be part of ESPN’s two-hour pregame show, NFL Countdown, in 2008.

ESPN is expected to make the formal announcement soon.

Emmitt will be replaced by Cris Carter, whose enhanced visibility could help his chances of getting into the Hall of Fame on the second try. (Then again, if Carter does a bad job or comes off as a blowhard, it could hurt him.)

The Sunday NFL Countdown lineup will consist of Chris Berman, Mike Ditka, Carter, Tom Jackson, Keyshawn Johnson, and Chris Mortensen.

Monday nights from Bristol also will feature Berman, Ditka, Carter, Jackson, Johnson, and Mortensen. Stationed at the game sites will be Stuart Scott, Smith, and Steve Young.

Very sad news as about 80% of Emmitt's stellar comments came on the Sunday edition of Countdown. There is good news though....Emmitt still has a spot on Monday Night Countdown along with newcomer Trent Dilfer!

You can also tell that this is the first of many problems that ESPN will run into in regards to scheduling. They're either going to have to phase Emmitt out entirely or continually move people around to give everyone an opportunity on-air. That's what happens when you employ 8,000 different analysts.

Update: From the official release....

Former All Pro wide receiver Cris Carter has been named an analyst for Sunday NFL Countdown (11 a.m. ET) and Monday Night Countdown (7 p.m.), ESPN’s popular NFL pre-game studio shows. In addition, Emmitt Smith will move this fall from Sunday NFL Countdown to the new expanded Sunday morning editions of SportsCenter (8 a.m. and 10 a.m.) where he will offer insight and analysis during NFL segments. Smith will also continue to travel to the Monday Night Football game site each week for Monday Night Countdown.

Carter In, Emmitt Out On Sunday NFL Countdown (PFT)

(P.S.- I also saw Kordell Stewart on a program the other day....don't even think about it ESPN.)

I know some people think of NFL Live as overkill, but during the offseason (and this Summer which has dragged on forever) it's one of the best shows ESPN has going. Wingo and the gang talk current events (unlike every other ESPN show during the day) and they actually report on things as they happen. Sure a lot of it is Favre and Spygate, but again (see Summer comment above)...what else are they going to talk about?

Anyway, NFL Live is taking to the streets over the next month or so. They'll be on site at a few training camps and if they're in your neighborhood be sure to stop by and heckle, er...say hi.

Here's the schedule....

Fri., July 25- New York Giants (Albany, N.Y.)
Trey Wingo, Cris Carter
Reporter: Rachel Nichols

Mon., July 28- Indianapolis Colts (Terre Haute, Ind.)
Trey Wingo, Cris Carter

Tues., July 29- Dallas Cowboys (Oxnard, Calif.)
Sal Paolantonio, Mark Schlereth
Reporter: Ed Werder

Wed., July 30- Green Bay Packers (De Pere, Wisc.)
Trey Wingo, Cris Carter

Thurs., July 31- San Diego Chargers (San Diego)
Sal Paolantonio, Mark Schlereth

Fri., Aug. 1- Pittsburgh Steelers (Latrobe, Pa.)
Trey Wingo, Merril Hoge

Sat., Aug. 2 & Sun., Aug. 3- Pro Football Hall of Fame (Canton, Ohio)
Reporter: Bob Holtzman

I am shocked....shocked I tell you....that they aren't going to Patriots Training Camp. Good times though and like I said go say hi. Wingo will probably be nice, but beware of Cris Carter. We know how he feels about bloggers.

I saw the end of this during yesterday's NFL Live and yesterday was apparently the first airing of this Reebok commercial. The theme is that NFL Players are obviously migrating to training camp, and in the V-formation no less.

I think they're selling something too, but I couldn't figure out what. The music weirds me out, and I have no idea why Laurence Maroney is on a beach, but I'm officially ready for the start of the season. I don't care what you think about Eli, seeing him standing on the BK Bridge is pretty badass.

According to Pro Football Talk, ESPN has brought on recently retired QB Trent Dilfer as an analyst for the upcoming season. This now makes a good 45 people or so involved with the NFL on the "Leader"*. Via Pro Football Talk....

Fresh from his NFL retirement, quarterback Trent Dilfer has landed a new gig in television.

ESPN has hired Dilfer as an NFL Studio Analyst. We’re advised that Dilfer, the former Bucs, Ravens, Seahawks, Browns, and 49ers quarterback, will have a significant role on Sundays and Mondays during the season, and that he’ll be involved in the Super Bowl and draft coverage.

He’ll make his first ESPN appearance on NFL Live on Monday at 4:00 p.m. EDT.

An industry source advises us that it’s a three-year contract between Dilfer and ESPN.

I don't even know where Trent Dilfer will even fit in unless the plan on leaving him on the mini field the entire time. Again, just throwing numbers at a problem isn't going to fix it. The Countdowns are beyond help, but I really think NFL Live could be a great show if they gave Trey Wingo a consistent cast of people to work with. In the past two weeks he's probably worked with over ten different people and that's not including the current players that were guest analysts.

Dilfer Joins ESPN (Pro Football Talk)

(*I have no data to back this up, but it could very well be the number)

Well there's no surprise here, but Chris Mortensen is reporting on NFL Live that Brett Favre has talked to Coach Mike McCarthy and is interested in coming back to the Packers. We all know Mort's track record in regards to "Breaking News" but if there's one guy he's got an in with it's Favre.

The interesting thing is that Al Harris is in the ESPN "Carwash" today and has had stuffed dropped in his lap all day long. On First Take they asked him about Aaron Rodgers comments about Green Bay's fans and now they're piling the Favre news on top of him as well. He seems very at a loss for words today.

It's not fair to Aaron Rodgers, but at least he's starting this nonsense now and not during Training Camp. I blame Strahan taking Favre's job at FOX for all of this.

Okay, first let me first say that I normally really like NFL Live. It is one of the last shows that didn't rely on ESPN's tactic of getting a handful of people yelling at each other over nothing. Make that was.

It starts out as a normal debate between Kiper and Hoge and then it just falls apart. Please try to understand one word that these jokers are trying to say throughout these two and a half minutes....

I love how Trey Wingo says he's asking the question with "trepidation". Riiiight. Whether it was or wasn't, the whole thing came across planned which is a running theme for ESPN these days. It's a shame when every program, but one on a network has turned into a "Made For Bayless Segment."

I'm sorry but this is not good TV, and I don't think there are many out there who think that it is.

He's a very athletic individual, and judging how he swung the badminton racket in that Vitamin Water commercial he might be able to make the transition, but I think this was a slight mistake by ESPN's Graphics Team at the start of NFL Live today......


That's one way to deal with a star wanting a new contract (even though Urlacher deserves it). Just send him to another league.

(Thanks to SP for the heads up.)

It's always good when you're in the business of guys arguing on television for no reason, to have a guy who has no idea what to say when posed with a question. I don't know whether Chris Mortensen was trying to cater to NFL Live guest Maurice Jones-Drew, but he went out on a limb and was taken to task by Cris Carter and Trey Wingo....

I mean picking Jacksonville to win the AFC South over Indy isn't THAT big of a stretch, but at least have an answer to simple questions when they're posed to you. Oh and what the hell is with MJD being on every ESPN show over the past few days? I understand getting athletes to comment on the goings on during the offseason but the kid has been on (by my estimation) NFL Live, Sports Center, every Draft special, Mike and Mike, First Take, NFL Primetime and NASCAR Now (that last one might be wrong).

Don't get me wrong, Jones-Drew hasn't been bad at all, but I don't know why they're trying him out on every single show.

So it's ESPN's 29th year covering the NFL Draft and boy doesn't that make you feel old? All of the regulars are back this year with Chris Berman leading the fray, but there are a few new wrinkles for 2008. Kirk Herbstreit is going to be filling in for Tony Kornheiser with the Monday Night Football trio and a random Around The Horn will take place on Day 2. Here's the full schedule....

ESPN – Day 1:

Radio City Music Hall in New York City --

* Set #1: Chris Berman, Keyshawn Johnson, Mel Kiper Jr., Steve Young and Chris Mortensen
* Set #2: Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski and Kirk Herbstreit
* Reporter: Suzy Kolber

Bristol, Conn.: SportsCenter Special: On the Clock (11 a.m. – 3 p.m.) --

* Trey Wingo, Cris Carter, Mike Ditka, Tom Jackson, Merril Hoge, Todd McShay and Michael Smith.

NFL Team Sites --

* Hank Goldberg (at Miami Dolphins), Rachel Nichols (Atlanta Falcons), Sal Paolantonio (New York Giants) and Ed Werder (Dallas Cowboys).

ESPN – Day 2:

* Radio City Music Hall: Wingo, Kiper, Carter, Jaworski and Mortensen
* Bristol: Tony Reali, Jeffri Chadiha, Smith, Charean Williams and Steve Wyche

ESPN Radio:

* Colin Cowherd will host Day 1 coverage from Radio City Music Hall with ESPN.com NFL senior writer John Clayton, who will also provide updates from site on Day 2.

ESPNEWS (Bristol, Conn.) – Day 1:

* Stan Verrett and Mike Hill will host “On the Clock” previews with McShay, Jeremy Green, Pat Forde, Chadiha, Qadry Ismail, Floyd Reese and Bob Davie beginning at 7 a.m.
* Rece Davis will host Draft-related segments featuring McShay, Hoge, Marcellus Wiley and Robert Smith beginning at 3 p.m.

It's one of the best days of the year and I'll be covering it at AA as well. Should be fun....you know with 20+ individuals to poke fun at and all. Oh and another thing to watch for is the ongoing feud between Todd McShay and Mel Kiper. The two have been jabbing at each other on various ESPN programs for the past month and it's only going to get more entertaining over the next few weeks.

What's DWTS you ask? Well it's Dancing With The Stars of course! So how is Mort using the show as a trade tracker? Let me just point you to this video from NFL Live yesterday....

Yes Chris...that automatically means he's getting traded. Because the Dolphins aren't promoting his appearance on Dancing With The Stars. I like to give people the benefit of the doubt, and I'm sure Mortensen works hard, but honestly....how can you even take him seriously anymore?

Oh and I want a clip of that performance on Soul Train.

Those quotes that ESPN released last night seemed so nice and both parties seemed okay with the decision. Well that's not the case this morning. Sean Salisbury is now claiming that he was underpaid, unappreciated and he was "tired of it". Via the LA Times....

"I'm a free agent," he said. "I've been liberated. I knew this was coming, but I couldn't be happier.

"I'd grown tired of being punished for not being an NFL superstar. Analysts who don't work as hard as me, don't prepare as hard as me, and don't have my resume were making more than me just because of their ability to throw or catch a football.

"Don't get me wrong, I appreciated the opportunity ESPN gave me, but they had capped my ceiling. There was only so far I could go there.

"I'd done nothing wrong, and if you hear otherwise, it's not true. I did everything that was asked of me."

Well then....don't we have a little situation on our hands now? That's an interesting comment on the pay scale and according to the article Salisbury says the departure was mutual??? Even more interesting.

Hmmm, methinks someone might be leaving some information out.

Sean Salisbury says parting with ESPN was mutual (LA Times)

(Thanks to ZA for the link)

For those of you that had Sean Salisbury in the "Who will be fired because of Cris Carter's hiring" pool.....give yourself a hand. The former NFL QB has released a statement and so has the "Leader"....

Sean Salisbury: “I want to thank ESPN for 12 great years of talking football on TV and the radio. I have grown as much as I can at ESPN and decided to expand my horizons. I have created a brand and it’s time to expand into other opportunities in TV, radio, Internet, publishing, movies and public speaking, among others. My resume speaks for itself as a football analyst, and I believe I can talk all sports with the best of them.”

ESPN’s statement: “Sean Salisbury has made many contributions to our efforts for the past 12 years. We thank him and wish him all the best.”

Twelve years is a damn long time, and it definitely doesn't seem that long in regards to Salisbury. There is no official word on who's decision this was, but the Star Tribune is reporting that ESPN decided not to renew his contract. I personally couldn't stand him as an analyst and I knew few who could. Hopefully this mean that ESPN is switching up their style over substance positioning as of late. Jaws is obviously better than Theismann and Carter is definitely an improvement over Salisbury.

I fully expect Sean Salisbury to be on a Best Damn Sports type show in no time. Oh and please leave your ESPN Mobile Phone at the door on your way out for evidence.

Former Viking leaves ESPN (Star Tribune)

(Thanks to ML for the tip, via ESPN PR)

ESPN has just released a statement that for some reason they are adding yet ANOTHER ex-player to the mix of analysts covering Football for the network. Cris Carter will be joining the team next season as analyst!

Former All Pro wide receiver Cris Carter has joined ESPN as an NFL studio analyst and will appear on NFL Live, SportsCenter and ESPNEWS, among other programs. As part of his multiplatform role, the 16-year NFL veteran will also contribute analysis on ESPN Radio and be part of ESPN’s 2008 NFL Draft coverage. Carter will begin April 1. He will also participate in ESPN The Weekend this weekend (February 29 – March 2) at Walt Disney World Resort.

Man they waste no time getting him involved do they? Ship him to Orlando stat! In all seriousness this is probably one of their better hires over the past few years. Carter has always been solid on HBO and I always thought his insight could be used more throughout the league.

Now we can only hope they don't drop someone now that they've got 8 ex-players/coaches (Mike Ditka, Merril Hoge, Tom Jackson, Keyshawn Johnson, Mark Schlereth, Emmitt Smith, and Steve Young) to deal with. Just don't let it be Emmitt because then I'd only have Berman left to make fun of next season.

(Via ESPN PR)